Introduction - Intel Core i9 14900K review
The Intel Core i9-14900K - the most prominent member of the 14th-generation is available in the stores. Yeah, the Raptor Lake-based Core i9-14900K, has been officially unveiled after much speculation and performance leaks on the web. The processor is a refresh based on the 13900K(S) and boasts a speed of up to 6 GHz and a configuration of 24 processor cores. These are arranged based on 8 performance cores (P-cores) and 16 efficiency cores (E-cores), supporting up to 32 threads. For optimal functionality, the Intel Core i9-14900K and the Intel Core i5-14600K necessitate an Intel Z790 or Intel Z690 chipset-based motherboard. The Core i9-14900K is considered Intel's flagship processor in this series. Intel's Thermal Velocity boost technology allows this CPU to potentially achieve its 6.0 GHz speed. Alongside the i9-14900K, Intel has introduced the Core i7-14700K and Core i5-14600K processors. Additionally, anticipated are KF variations of these processors, mirroring their K series but exclude an (active) integrated GPU.
Historically, Intel mentioned the Tau parameter in relation to PL1/PL2. However, with the debut of the 12th Gen Processors, PL1 and PL2 have identical values. Consequently, it's redundant to define the duration the CPU will sustain at PL2 before transitioning to PL1 since both the long and short-duration power values are now the same. This processor's base power draw is 253W. Yes the TDP for the top-end products has been increased to 253W for both PL1 and PL2 states. There are 24 cores (8P+16E) and 68 MB of combined L2 and L3 cache. This SKU's highest boost frequency is 6.0 GHz, and it will be available with integrated UHD Graphics 770.
| Intel 14th Gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Base ClockP-Core | Max ClockP-Core | PBP/MTP | MSRP | |
| Core i9-14900K(F) | 24/32T (8P+16E) | 3.2 GHz | 6.0 GHz | 125W/253W | $589 |
| Core i9-14900(F) | 24/32T (8P+16E) | 2.0 GHz | 5.8 GHz | 125W/253W | $564 |
| Core i7-14700K(F) | 20/28T (8P+12E) | 3.4 GHz | 5.6 GHz | 125W/253W | $409 |
| Core i7-14700(F) | 20/28T (8P+12E) | 2.1 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 125W/253W | $384 |
| Core i5-14600K(F) | 14/20T (6P+8E) | 3.5 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 125W/181W | $319 |
| Core i5-14600 | 14/20T (6P+8E) | 2.7 GHz | 5.2 GHz | 125W/181W | $294 |
| Core i5-14500 | 14/20T (6P+8E) | 2.6 GHz | 5.0 GHz | ||
| Core i5-14400(F) | 10/16T (6P+4E) | 2.5 GHz | 4.7 GHz | ||
| Core i3-14100(F) | 4/8T (4P+0E) | 3.5 GHz | 4.7 GHz | ||
Raptor Lake processors feature 2MB L2 cache per P-core, while Alder Lake processors have 1.25MB per P-core. The CPUs have 4MB of L2 cache per E-core cluster, up from 2MB previously. Additionally, the total amount of L3 cache is 36MB. Intel claims a 15% improvement in single-threaded performance and a 41% improvement in multi-threaded performance. These enhancements are primarily the result of higher frequency and thread count. The Z790 high-end platform from Intel features many PCIe Gen4 lanes and USB 3.0 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps ports. In this review we'll address the flagship Core i9 14900K; it has eight performance cores (16 threads) and 16 Energy friendly cores (no hyperthreaded) offering you a staggering 32 threads.
