Intel has launched the 14th generation of Core desktop chips. It marks a return of the Raptor Lake architecture that made its debut with the 13th generation. The most notable chip is the i7 14700K, with four additional efficiency cores (e-cores).
While Meteor Lake laptop chips capture the imagination, Intel customers on desktops shouldn’t be expecting the refresh to upset the applecart. Intel’s latest top chip, the i9 14900K, is still equipped with eight performance cores (p-cores) and 16 e-cores. Despite boasting the same wattage (maximum 253W), Intel has managed to squeeze an extra 0.2 GHz of clock speed over the 13900K. An additional 10 percent of L3 cache brings the total to 33 MB.
14700K, additional RAM supported
The most significant change in the lineup can be seen with the i7 14700K, with four additional e-cores present compared to the 13700K. This also leads to an increased thread count, from 20 to 28. Many workloads are multi-threaded and stand to benefit as a result, such as image processing, GUI programming or 3D rendering.
Workstation users may want to use as much RAM as possible. The new Intel chips can accommodate that, with 192 GB of memory instead of 128 as the newly established upper limit.
Prices remain the same, the AI PC is still to come
These are not drastic changes. Intel is building on the now familiar hybrid architecture of p-cores and e-cores. There is also no AI hardware to speak of. Somewhat anticlimactic is Intel’s reference to an AI functionality in its own overclocking utility, XTU. With AI Assist, “one-click overclocking” should be a reality. Meanwhile, CPUs and GPUs have been optimized to such an extent that the extra room for overclocking has been limited for years.
In terms of pricing, Intel is choosing not to make any changes. For example, the 14900K is available for 699 euros. Meanwhile, the 13900K can be gotten a little cheaper than that, but the performance improvement will likely bridge the price gap. For gaming, the workload Intel bases its marketing most on, the company emphasizes consistent performance that outperforms AMD’s offerings.
21 hours ago
