Intel has unveiled new 14th generation Core chips for desktop systems at CES 2024, adding mass-market models with 65/35W power consumption to the series. We would like to remind you that the top-end Raptor Lake Refresh processors were offered by the manufacturer back in October last year, and now the lineup has been expanded with 18 new CPUs.
Functionally, the updated chips are frankly very close to their predecessors. For the most part, we are talking about a certain increase in operating frequencies, with the exception of Core i7 chips, which also received additional energy-efficient cores. The processors support 20 lines of PCI Express bus (x16 PCI-E 5.0 + x4 PCI-E 4.0) and also allow the use of DDR4 or DDR5 RAM. All LGA1700 motherboards based on Intel 600 and Intel 700 series chipsets are suitable for use with Raptor Lake Refresh processors.
Unlike the enthusiast models, which come without a cooling system, the mass-market versions of the chips for retail sale are equipped with standard coolers. Core i9 processors are equipped with the Intel Laminar RH1 cooler, while other models come with the Intel Laminar RM1 cooler with slightly more modest efficiency. We’ve already evaluated the capabilities of Intel’s basic coolers in our Core i9-13900F review, which remains relevant.
14th generation Intel Core processor lineup
The consumer lineup is headed by the Core i9-14900 (8/16+16). The 24-core, 34-thread chip inherits the characteristics of its predecessor, the Core i9-13900, except for a 100 MHz increase in the operating frequency of E-Cores, as well as the ability to accelerate productive cores up to 5.8 GHz (Thermal Velocity Boost) under appropriate cooling conditions. Therefore, a small performance increase can be expected, but the changes will not be fundamental, so the potential capabilities of such a chip can be evaluated in the above-mentioned Core i9-13900F chip review.
In terms of power consumption, 65 W is the base value (PBP, Processor Base Power), which can increase to 219 W (MTP, Max Turbo Power) under load. We also considered these features in some detail during practical experiments. The recommended price of Core i9-14900 remains the same as for Core i9-13900 – $549.
The new Core i7 processors received the most preferences – in addition to a certain frequency acceleration, the chips also increased the number of energy-efficient cores (E-Cores), and, accordingly, the total L2/L3 cache capacity. Therefore, the Core i7-14700 model received a functional formula of 8/16+12, instead of 8/16+8 for the Core i7-13700. The four additional computers will certainly improve the model’s performance under multi-threaded workloads, especially with +100 MHz for P/E-Cores. At the same time, the declared power limits remained unchanged at 65/219W, as well as the recommended price of $384.
Another interesting nuance of the new line is that Intel developers have decided to slightly upgrade the older model of the Core i5 series. The fact is that the Core i5-14600 (6/12+8; 2.7/5.2 GHz + 2.0/3.9 GHz) now uses a crystal with an updated Raptor Lake architecture, which provides for an increase in cache capacity and overall performance per clock (IPC). For the Core i5-13600, 1.25 MB of L2 cache was allocated to the productive core and 2 MB of L2 cache to the 4-core E-Cores cluster. That is, the general formula for organizing the L2 cache was 6×1.25 MB + 2×4 MB and totaled 11.5 MB, while in the case of Core i5-14600, the L2 capacity increased to 2 MB per P-Core and 4 MB per E-Core cluster, so the general formula is 6×2 MB + 2×4 MB. The total capacity is 20 MB L2.
Given some additional internal optimizations, as well as +200 MHz to the maximum P/E-Cores frequencies, you can also expect a significant performance boost over the Core i5-13600. Such changes will surely increase the attractiveness of the Core i5-14600 for those who do not plan to overclock, but would like to get more at a reasonable price. As for the latter, it also remained at the same level – $255. This can already be an interesting alternative to Core i5-13600K/14600K.
The Core i5-14500 (6/12+8) and Core i5-14400 (6/12+4) chips did not receive such significant functional changes. Here, the difference from previous models is limited to an additional +100-200 MHz to the maximum operating frequencies of P/E-Cores. Yes, they go to a potential buyer for the same price – $232 and $221, respectively, but expectations from the next generation change are somewhat higher.
The Core i3-14100 (4/8+0) also received the usual functional layout – 4 productive cores with Hyper-Threading support. Unfortunately, the chips in this series still don’t have additional energy-efficient cores that would improve Core i3’s position in multi-threaded workloads and allow them to be used for budget gaming builds. For now, we can only count on an additional +100-200 MHz to the operating frequencies. At the same time, the power limits of the new product have increased slightly – 60/110 W, compared to 60/89 W for Core i3-13100. The recommended price remains unchanged at $134.
Intel also offered a basic processor model Intel Processor 300 (2/4+0). The dual-core chip is an alternative to Pentium processors. The manufacturer has decided to stop supporting the legendary brand, so a new designation is provided for the starting CPUs. So we have a 2-core 4-threaded chip with a 3.9 GHz operating frequency, 6 MB of L3, 46 W of power consumption, and $82. A solution for the most basic needs.
To summarize, all chips can work with DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. In the first case, DDR4-3200 mode is considered the standard for all CPUs, while in the second case, DDR5-5600 support is indicated for older models, and DDR4-4800 for Core i5-14500 and younger models. However, when using motherboards with older chipsets, it is possible to use faster modules. In the case of DDR5, the total RAM capacity is also higher – 192 GB, which implies the use of new 48 GB modules.
In addition to these CPU models, for certain chips, the manufacturer also offers versions with deactivated integrated graphics. Such versions are traditionally indicated by the presence of the “F” index in the model name. With the exception of the disabled iGPU, the chips have identical frequency characteristics, and the recommended price of such CPUs is in all cases $25 lower than that of the versions with activated graphics. There is a possibility of some savings for cases where the system will probably be equipped with a discrete graphics card.
In addition to classic models, Intel also offers desktop processors with reduced power consumption. Economical versions of CPUs are denoted by the “T” in the name. For the 14th generation Core, we have a fairly representative set of 7 models, which actually duplicates the range of base chips. The base PBP power consumption for all chips is 35 watts, but the maximum is still significantly higher and depends on the specific model. For example, for the top-of-the-line Core i9-14900T, it is 35/106 watts. The reduction in power consumption is achieved by slightly lowering the operating frequencies and the CPU supply voltage.
T-modification processors are rarely available at retail. Not least because their recommended prices are identical to classic models with higher performance. Usually, these versions are used in monoblocks and systems of compact form factors, where a CPU with lower power consumption is a necessity.
Performance of the 14th generation Intel Core
As for the performance of 14th generation mass-produced Core chips in general, the nuances of specific models should be taken into account. As you can see, some CPUs will have significant changes, while others will be satisfied with a 100-200 MHz frequency acceleration.
According to benchmarks published by the developers, the Core i9-14900 is 2-7% faster than the Core i9-13900 in typical work tasks and 3-6% faster in games.
When comparing the capabilities of the Core i7-14700 and Core i9-14900 with those of the Ryzen 9 7900, Intel’s new chips leave no chance for AMD’s processor. But of course, let’s keep in mind that the list of test tasks is chosen for a specific purpose for the demo slides, so an independent, unbiased assessment is needed here. Mass-produced 14th generation Intel Core chips are already on sale, so it will soon be possible to get a holistic view of the potential of the new CPUs.
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