It is that time of the year again when Intel launches its new-generation CPU top-tier chips, circa Intel 14th Gen CPUs. This generation, succeeding 13th Gen (Raptor Lake) processors is aptly codenamed Raptor Lake Refresh. We say aptly codename because the 14th Gen Intel CPUs are simply more refined versions of its 13th Gen lineup featuring the same fundamentals, with nothing radically different between the two generations. Raptor Lake debuted a year back, and successfully managed to bring Intel right back in the performance race against its arch-rival AMD. Ever since, Intel has held up well, offering spectacular gaming and productivity performance.
What is interesting to note is that this is the last generation that will follow Intel’s “Core i” branding, and probably the last generation to use the LGA 700 socket. Also, from here on, Intel will change its generational branding. Meaning, there will be no 15th-gen. Intel will move to “Core” and “Core Ultra” branding for its next generation CPUs, and drop the generational numbering (15th Gen, 16th Gen etc.).
Intel will move to “Core” and “Core Ultra” branding for its next generation CPUs, and drop the generational numbering (15th Gen, 16th Gen etc.).
In that sense, the 14th Gen is Intel’s “coming of age” with its 10nm chips, and the 14000 series signify its most refined version of this manufacturing process. Intel so far has launched its unlocked chips (“K” and “KF” models), just like it did for the previous generations i.e. launch the unlocked chips first before moving on to the mid and low tier chips.
The new CPUs launched are the Core i9-14900K, Core i7-14700K, Core i5-14600K. These chips will succeed the 13900K, 13700K and the 13600K (and the respective KF chips). The international pricing of the newer models is the same as the previous generation, notably to compete with AMD’s Ryzen 7000X3D chips.
With the 14th Gen Intel CPUs, there are no humungous gen-on-gen performance leaps, neither are there any groundbreaking new features, nor is the efficiency any different from that of the 13th Gen CPUs. These are aspects we are used to seeing with a new generation, but alas, this time it is different, and it kind of makes sense.
To Intel’s credit, the 14th Gen chips bring the finest grade of refinement of Intel’s 10nm architecture and manufacturing process to the consumer. This only means one thing: stability. And stability is a big thing when it comes to enthusiast grade processors, especially as the power requirements and heat generation of modern CPUs is reaching new limits.
New Features in Intel’s 14th Gen CPUs
The above heading might sound like a faux-pas considering the paragraphs written above it, but it is not. There are some new features and advancements in the 14th Generation of Intel’s CPUs.
Intel Application Optimization
The team at iLL was counting on something like this, especially after Nvidia stealing the storm from literally all the chip manufacturers with its never-seen-before AI features. Intel was surely cooking up something of its own, and one of their own AI features called Intel Application Optimization (IAO) sees the surface with Raptor Lake Refresh. Intel Application Optimization is a new policy within Intel Dynamic Tuning Technology framework that determines and directs application resources in real-time. It is software dependent, so applications will have to be written specifically to take advantage of Intel AO. Intel currently claims a 14% and 16% framerate boost in Rainbow Six: Siege and Metro Exodus, both games are optimized to exploit Intel AO. Intel claims more game developers are coming on board to use IAO.
Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) with AI Assist
Intel XTU is our recommend tool for overclocking your Intel CPU. Intel has launched a preview feature, currently supporting only the 14900K/KF processors (more CPUs to follow soon) that utilizes AI model trained by Intel to recommend customized overclocked settings.
The tool takes in various factors like your PC’s cooling, even if it is custom cooled, power supply, motherboard, RAM, runs its AI model and recommends a safe setting to achieve a stable overclock. Goes without saying that overclocking will void your warranty.
Overclocking being simple is a thing of the past. Current day processors have so many variables and generate lots of heat really quick that achieving a stable overclock is not that straight forward, and, risky business. The wrong setting can toast your CPU in a matter of seconds. Thus, Intel XTU AI Assist seems like the way to go, if it works as intended. Only time will tell how successful this feature becomes.
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Thunderbolt 5
With Raptor Lake Refresh, Intel has introduced Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, bringing accelerated connectivity, “wired-like responsiveness”. better stability and enhanced privacy. Wi-Fi 7 supports data transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps. Thunderbolt 5 doubles the bandwidth from 40Gbps to 80Gbps from Thunderbolt 4.
Higher Frequencies for P-cores, E-cores, DDR5 XMP
The CPU cores receive a 100Hz bump from the previous generation, thus allowing for more overclocking headroom. DDR5 XMP speeds can go beyond 8,000 MT/s, and the same was just confirmed by a reddit user. There’s also new per-core thermal throttle for improved overclocking performance.
Intel 14th Gen CPUs: i9-14900K, i7-14700K and i5-14600K
Here’s the table with Intel’s just launched 14th Gen processors along with the previous gen CPUs that they replace.
| Cores / Threads (P+E) | P-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | E-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | Cache (L2/L3) | TDP / MTP (W) | |
| Core i9-14900K / KF | 24 / 32 (8+16) | 3.2 / 6.0 | 2.4 / 4.4 | 68MB (32+36) | 125 / 253 |
| Core i9-13900K / KF | 24 / 32 (8+16) | 3.0 / 5.8 | 2.2 / 4.3 | 68MB (32+36) | 125 / 253 |
| Core i7-14700K / KF | 20 / 28 (8+12) | 3.4 / 5.6 | 2.5 / 4.3 | 61MB (28+33) | 125 / 253 |
| Core i7-13700 K / KF | 16 / 24 (8+8) | 3.4 / 5.4 | 2.5 / 4.2 | 54MB (24+30) | 125 / 253 |
| Core i5-14600K / KF | 14 / 20 (6+8) | 3.5 / 5.3 | 2.6 / 4.0 | 44MB (20+24) | 125 / 181 |
| Core i5-13600K / KF | 14 / 20 (6+8) | 3.5 / 5.3 | 2.6 / 3.9 | 44MB (20+24) | 125 / 181 |
The top-of-the-line 14900K gets the same number of cores and threads as the CPU it is meant to replace. The 14700K however gets 4 more P and E Cores than the 13900K. The i5-14600K doesn’t get a core bump though. In that sense, the i7-14700K is seeming like the chip with the most gains and the most value. It is also the only processor to get an increased L2/L3 cache, from 61MB to 68MB. The i5 and i9 get the same cache as their 13th gen counterparts. The only other spec difference its the frequency boost in the 14900K, from 5.8Ghz to 6.0Ghz.
All of these gains lead to performance boost in the single digit percentage ranges. No wonder Intel’s reddit page is filled with threads saying “yawn”. To Intel’s credit, they don’t really claim the 14th Gen to be what it is not.
Should you upgrade to Intel 14th Gen Processors?
Now for the million dollar question, should you upgrade or not? The answer is multi-faceted, if you’re already on the 13th Gen platform, you will see minimal benefit in upgrading, so we would say no. However, if you are on a 12th Gen Intel processor, you will see substantial gains to the tune of a whopping 50% in terms of raw performance.
Next, whether you should upgrade or not depends on your use-case and workflows. The 13th and 14th gen Intel processors are superb multitaskers with an edge when it comes to productivity. For gaming, the gains might be irrelevant. So if you’re into heavy video editing, virtualization, animation, AI and ML, Intel’s 14th gen and even 13th gen processors provide the best performance your money can buy.
If you’re building a new PC, or coming from a processor older than Alder Lake (12th generation), now is the right time to buy a 13th gen CPU because of price cuts. Intel has promised to keep the prices of the its 14th gen processors the same as 13th gen, so price cuts will come for sure. In short, this is a great time to upgrade to a 13th gen Intel CPU. You wont be missing out on much, plus you will get the cost benefit.
Stay tuned for a full review of Intel 14th gen CPUs, recommended builds and guides.
