Summary

  • Intel has officially launched its 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs, which offer slightly better specifications than the previous generation and are priced similarly to AMD's Ryzen 7000 CPUs.
  • The 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs have a range of prices starting at $294 for the Core i5-14600KF and increasing to $409 for the i7-14700K. They also feature increased E-core counts and boosted clock speeds for improved performance.
  • While the Intel Core i9 14900K is slightly faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, it also comes with a lower price tag of $589, making it an attractive option for consumers considering a CPU upgrade. However, it remains to be seen how the market will respond to the Raptor Lake refresh.

To close out the last quarter of 2023, Intel officially launched its 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs, which are a minor refresh of the previous 13th-generation line with slightly better specifications at no added cost. This release of the 14th-generation Intel Core CPUs came nearly a year after the release of the 13th, and both are still intended to keep pace with AMD's Ryzen 7000 CPUs.

In a previous leak, the prices of the refreshed Raptor Lake CPUs were revealed to be within the same range as the 13th generation. According to the leaks, the price of the Core i9-14900K would be approximately $589, which lined up with the actual MSRP that Intel released. While this lack of a price increase is welcome news for consumers and PC builders looking to upgrade a generation or two, the lack of a price increase was in response to AMD's slashing of prices on their current and previous generation of CPUs. Only time will tell if the prices will be enough to entice consumers. But Intel has more going for it than just prices.

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Starting at $294 for the Core i5-14600KF, the 14th Generation Raptor Lake CPUs look to offer slightly better specifications and more Intel efficiency cores (E-cores) than the last generation while retaining the same number of power cores (P-cores). According to the specifications for the Core i5-14600K, which starts at $319, it has the same 14-core count of six P-cores and eight E-cores as the i5-13600K. But starting the i7-14700K at $409, the E-core count goes up from 8 to 12 when compared to the i7-13700K. In addition, the boosted clock speeds of the i7-14700K and the i9-14900K are a slight increase from their 13th-generation counterparts, up to 5.6 GHz and 6.0 GHz respectively. The boosted clock speeds amount average performance increase of about 5% across the board.

However, when compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, the Intel Core i9 14900K is slightly faster. But where the i9-14900K may win audiences over is its lower price tag of $589 when compared to the $660 street price of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Though AMD has made efforts to cut prices in response to competitors, it remains to be seen if consumers will be willing to bite on the 14th-generation Raptor Lake refresh.

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    Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU
    Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU
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    Intel
    CPU Model
    Core i9 14900K
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    The Intel Core i9 14900K 24-Core, 32-Thread CPU is Intel's highest-end 14th generation CPU and offers the highest boost clocks for a consumer-grade CPU from Intel to date, clocking in at an impressive 6 GHz natively.

    It succeeds the limited-release Intel Core 13900KS as the first mainstream 6 GHz CPU, even as it brings a large power draw and thermal requirement to reach said clock speed.

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    best cpu gpu deals
    Intel Core i5-13600KF + Intel Arc A750 Limited Edition 8GB
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    The Intel Core i5-13600KF processor bundle combines reliable processing with great gaming performance. With the Intel Arc A750 Limited Edition GPU, gamers get 8GB of VRAM with PCI Express 4.0 interface. It handles daily computing tasks and gaming with ease. The processor features 6 cores and combined with the dedicated graphics card it delivers great performance for the money. The bundle is suitable for those on a budget without sacrificing gaming prowess.

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In addition to the boosted E-core count, the 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs with support for current Intel motherboards such as the Z790 and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. But only time will tell how much impact the Raptor Lake refresh will have on the CPU market.

MORE: The Best CPU and GPU Deals in October 2023

Source: Intel

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