Intel launches its 14th Gen Core desktop CPUs today (October 17), promising enthusiasts new chips that will deliver the best desktop experience and unparalleled capabilities in overclocking.
The line’s ace is the Intel Core i9-14900K, which Intel itself dubbed in a press release as the “world’s fastest desktop processor” with its out-of-the-box 6 GHz max turbo frequency. In comparison, the i9-14900K’s predecessor, the i9-13900K, could go up to 5.8 GHz. Intel’s newest generation will also include the Intel Core i7-14700K and the i5-14600K.
The i9-14900K has a total of 24 cores, split into 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores. Meanwhile, the Core i7-14700K, which can boost up to 5.6 GHz, has 20 cores (8 performance, 12 efficiency cores), and the i5-14600K with its 5.3 GHz max turbo frequency has 14 cores (6 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores).
Intel’s 14th Gen desktop CPUs are still based on the 10nm process node just like the preceding Raptor Lake (13th Gen) and Alder Lake (12th Gen). This results in all three generations using the same LGA 1700 socket that was first introduced in 2021. This means that the 14th Gen CPUs will be compatible with the 13th and 12th Gen’s respective 600 and 700 series chipsets in addition to being able to run on any new chipset that could be released for it.
While this cross-generation support is welcome as it can provide users with the opportunity to upgrade their CPUs without changing motherboards, this also acts as a reminder that the Intel 14th Gen desktop CPUs are just a minor refresh that some may deem boring.
Others are more critical of the new CPUs, such as popular German overclocker and content creator Roman “der8auer” Hartung, who went so far as to describe the Core i9-14900K, Intel’s latest and greatest, as “the most boring CPU in a long time.”
“We have a new generation which is not really a new generation,” Hartung said in a video.
It appears performance metrics of 14th Gen desktop chips sent to reviewers are still under an embargo, so independently collected data on the new processors are still currently unavailable. However, details regarding the new CPUs that were accidentally leaked by MSI a few months ago showed that the difference between Intel’s 14th and 13th Gen desktop CPUs could be as high as 17%, or as low as 3%.
Regardless of whether or not Intel’s latest processors will actually end up becoming noteworthy, one thing is certain: a lot of people, including me, still won’t have an easy time justifying the cost of these things.
The Intel Core i9-14900K will launch with a price of $589(~Php 33.5k). Meanwhile, the i7-14700K and the i5-14600K will cost $409(~Php 23.3k) and $319(~Php 18.2k), respectively. All three will be available at retail outlets and Intel’s partner system builders, and we expect these new chips to become available in the Philippines as well soon.
