Intel’s 14th-gen Intel Core processors will be divided into at least two branches. The upcoming Meteor Lake family is a mobile-only line of chips that bring AI features, a move to a more advanced manufacturing process, and a new naming scheme.
But Intel’s first 14th-gen chips to launch are desktop processors that represent a more modest update over their 13th-gen counterparts. While the new Raptor Lake Refresh processors use the same architecture as their predecessors though, they should bring a bit of a performance boost thanks to support for higher out-of-the-box frequencies and/or more cores, as well as new overclocking features available for some chips.
There are 6 new Raptor Lake refresh chips at launch, and the most powerful is the new Intel Core i9-14900K chip with 24 CPU cores and 32 threads.
That includes 8 Performance cores with a base speed of 3.2 GHz but support for turbo speeds up to 6 GHz, as well as 16 single-threaded Efficiency cores with 2.4 GHz base and 4.4 GHz max boost frequencies.
Intel says the Core i9-14900K processor has a processor base power level of 125 watts, but can use up to 253 watts at max turbo speeds.
The chip’s other key features include 36MB of total cache, support for up to 192 GB of DDR4-3200 or DDDR5-5600 memory, and Intel UHD 770 graphics with 300 MHz base and 1.65 GHz max frequencies and 32 execution units.
While the integrated graphics aren’t as advanced as the Intel Iris Xe graphics you’d find on some of the company’s other chips, that should be a huge issue, as it’s most likely that folks who want to use this processor in gaming or workstation-class PCs are going to pair it with a discrete graphics card anyway.
The Core i9-14900K processor’s claim to fame may be that it supports 6 GHz frequencies out of the box, but Intel also notes that it’s bringing a new Intel XTU AI Assist feature to its Core i9 Raptor Lake Refresh processors, with “AI guided overclocking, as well as support for DDR5 XMP speeds well beyond 8,000 MT/s).
Other chips in the Raptor Lake Refresh lineup include:
- Core i9-14900K:Â 24-cores / 32-threads, 6 GHz max freq, 36MB cache, Intel UHD 770 graphics
- Core i9-14900KF: 24-cores / 32-threads, 6 GHz max freq, 36MB cache, no integrated GPU
- Core i7-14700K: 20-cores / 28 threads, 5.6 GHz max freq, 33MB cache, Intel UHD 770 graphics
- Core i7-14700KF: 20-cores / 28 threads, 5.6 GHz max freq, 33MB cache, no integrated GPU
- Core i5-14600K: 14-cores / 20 threads, 5.3 GHz max freq, 24MB cache, Intel UHD 770 graphics
- Core i5-14600KF:14-cores / 20 threads, 5.3 GHz max freq, 24MB cache, no integrated GPU
Other Raptor Lake Refresh features include integrated support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, support for Thunderbolt 4 (and the upcoming Thunderbolt 5), and compatibility with existing Intel 600 and 700 chipsets and motherboards.
Intel says the 14th-gen Intel Core processors will be available starting October 17, 2023.
what? no i3 CPU’s?
It’s a pity, since i3 12100F & 13100F were wonderful for playing any game at 1080p paired with a decent mid range GPU.
These are just the list of models that Intel has announced so far, it doesn’t mean that this is all they will sell. It’s pretty typical for a launch to just include top-level enthusiast products.
It looks like a good performance uplift, but I don’t think there’s much IPC increase. And I’m pretty sure it will be even more taxing on your PSU and Cooling.
So while it’s good to force AMD to compete, I still fear Zen is the better product in terms of efficiency and all that entails.
Let’s see how AMD responds to this within the next 9 months time. I hope they don’t lose sight of other markets (Handhelds, Laptops, SFF units, etc etc) besides just focusing on the HEDT, Server, and Graphics Divisions.
Since these are the same architecture as the 13th gen Raptor Lake, expect there to be no IPC improvement at all. This line up is purely about node improvement and the benefits it brings.
Yeah, true.
I realised that I only compared the i7 models. There’s basically Zero Differences to the i9 model, besides a mild overclock.
Overall, if you’re coming from a i5-12th gen (previous gaming value king) to a i7-14th (or higher) you should see a notable performance increase, at the expense of energy/heat/noise. But overall, not as big upgrade as I initially thought.
It looks like the Zen4 is equal/slightly better CPU (better multi, slower single, much better efficiency/heat/noise). And going up to a Zen4+/x3D I would argue are better. Which means Zen5 is going to be the automatic win, and AMD will likely scale things back for their next/next-next release products.
I’m hoping AMD releases maybe Zen6 as a VERY LARGE core, that’s much faster and bigger than Intel’s P-core. Then with their Infinity Fabric they can combine it with a cutdown/miniaturized Zen4 core. Or better yet, collaborate with Samsung and use an ARM Cortex-A730 (as an example) as the small core.
Maybe we can get 5W-40W laptops with a 2+8 design, and maybe 40W-320W desktops with a 8+8 design. It’ll be a rocky road with Windows11 and it’s shenanigans, but in due time, with Windows12 (or v20 ?) these kinks will be ironed out, and we can get the best of both worlds for big.LITTLE computing on the Personal Computer scene.