Intel Pre-Announces 14th Generation Core Processors with Raptor Lake Refresh
Intel is gearing up for the full-scale launch of its 14th Generation Core desktop processors, and today the company is pre-announcing these highly anticipated chips. Codenamed “Raptor Lake Refresh,” these new processors are based on Intel’s existing Raptor Lake silicon, which was first used in their 13th generation chips. Intel has made further refinements in manufacturing and binning to squeeze out even more performance from the silicon.
One notable aspect of the announcement is that Intel is preserving the pricing of their Core i9, i7, and i5 processors from the previous generation. This aligns with the pricing strategy Intel implemented during the launch of their 13th Generation Core series last year.
Leading the new lineup is Intel’s latest flagship desktop processor, the Core i9-14900K. This processor can boost up to an impressive 6 GHz out of the box. While Intel previously released a special edition chip, the Core i9-13900KS, that could reach this clockspeed, the i9-14900K is the first mass-produced processor from Intel to achieve this feat. The i9-14900K features 8 Raptor Cove performance (P) cores and 16 Gracemont-based efficiency (E) cores, totaling 24 CPU cores capable of executing 32 threads.
Moving down the stack, the Core i7-14700K is an intriguing addition to the lineup. Intel has increased the core count of its Core i7 series, giving the i7-14700K 12 E-cores and 8 P-cores, four more E-cores than its 13th Gen counterpart. This enhancement aims to provide extra multitasking capabilities, which will benefit creators and gamers.
Completing the 14th Gen Core collection are the i5 series processors. The Core i5-14600K and the Core i5-13600K have minimal differences, with the only variance being in E-core turbo frequencies. They share the same 6P+8E (20T) configuration, 5.3 GHz P-core turbo, and 3.5 GHz P-core base frequencies. At the time of writing, the Core i5-13600K is available for $285 on Amazon, $34 cheaper than the MSRP of the Core i5-14600K.
Intel is introducing a new overclocking feature called ‘AI Assist’ for users looking to overclock their 14th Gen Core i9 processors. Through Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) overclocking software, AI Assist offers intelligent options for overclocking settings outside of traditional look-up tables based on set parameters. Intel claims that their AI model is constantly being trained to provide users with the most comprehensive automatic overclocking settings thus far. However, it’s important to note that overclocking voids Intel’s warranty, so users need to use this feature at their own risk.
Intel’s in-house testing shows that the 14th Gen Core processors deliver up to 23% better gaming performance compared to their 12th Gen Core series (Alder Lake). However, Intel did not directly compare the performance of the 14th Gen chips with the 13th Gen (Raptor Lake), likely due to their close similarities in terms of cores and architecture.
These new processors are compatible with the preexisting 600 and 700-series motherboards that use the LGA 1700 socket. Some motherboard vendors have started refreshing their Z790 offerings with modern features like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Official memory compatibility remains the same as the 13th Gen, supporting DDR5-5600 and DDR4-3200 memory. Intel also hints at potential speeds beyond DDR5-8000 for their best chips.
Intel’s 14th Gen Core desktop processors (K and KF series) will be available on October 17th at various retailers and system integrators. The flagship Core i9-14900K will be priced at $589, the Core i7-14700K at $409, and the more affordable Core i5-14600K at $319.