The Intel Core i9-14900K is Intel’s new flagship processor, with 24 cores made up of eight P-cores and 16 E-cores, and with a peak clock velocity of 6GHz. It helps both DDR4 or DDR5 reminiscence relying in your motherboard and is a drop-in improve for homeowners of twelfth and Thirteenth-Gen CPUs. Its efficiency builds on the already mighty Core i9-13900K and units its sights on AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D gaming processor and its 16-core powerhouse Ryzen 9 7950X. The one snag is it would not have a brand new structure or extra cores than its predecessor and there aren’t any extra new generations of processors set for this socket.
Intel Core i9-14900K options
Two years in the past Intel launched its new Alder Lake structure and with it, two totally different core varieties – Environment friendly Cores (E-cores) and Efficiency Cores (P-cores). This led to the likes of the Intel Core i5-12600K and Intel Core i9-12900K offering a formidable stability of peak single-core velocity and multi-threaded work capability, although they did gobble energy.
The second era or Thirteenth Gen Core Raptor Lake fashions, such because the 13600K and 13900K, had been a step up in core counts for many CPUs over the unique twelfth Gen fashions. This made them usually wonderful CPUs, with a number of of them topping our finest CPU listing.
Nevertheless, with the brand new 14th Gen fashions – dubbed the Raptor Lake refresh line – solely the Core i7-14700K receives a core rely enhance. The Intel Core i9-14900K we’re right here and the Intel Core i9-14600K, in addition to a number of others of the brand new fashions, maintain the identical core counts.
Meaning it is increased frequency alone that the Core i9-14900K provides by way of uncooked specification enchancment over the 13900K. Nevertheless, Intel has additionally launched a characteristic referred to as Software Efficiency Optimization – which prioritizes sport threads over different software workloads, leading to a claimed as much as 17% enhance in efficiency in some titles.
Elsewhere, L2 and L3 cache once more stays the identical, with 32MB L2 cache and 36MB L3 cache. Plus, together with the single-core peak clock velocity of 6GHz, there’s an all P-core enhance of 5.7GHz too, which compares fo 5.4GHz for the 13900K.
Beneath the built-in heatsink (IHS), the refreshed Raptor Lake die from the Thirteenth Gen CPUs is current and it is all the way down to refinements in manufacturing processes which have allowed Intel to extend frequencies.
The brand new 14th Gen CPUs shall be notably fascinating to those who purchased twelfth Gen fashions as they provide an surprising third era of LGA1700 processors and a drop-in improve for LGA1700 motherboards, though you will probably want a BIOS replace. For Intel, this degree of generational improve is exceptional lately. Nevertheless, reasonably than it being a transfer out of generosity, it is largely because of Meteor Lake – Intel’s subsequent era structure – seeing its desktop debut canned in favor of Arrow Lake, as a result of launch subsequent yr.
Extra usually, whether or not it is best to improve to the 14th Gen CPUs is a little bit of a grey space. House owners of twelfth Gen fashions will not have to purchase a brand new motherboard or reminiscence, making {that a} viable improve path to increase the lifetime of their present {hardware}. Intel’s LGA1700 motherboards may also be had for decrease costs than AMD’s Socket AM5 platform, plus the latter forces you to spend money on DDR5 reminiscence. Nevertheless, the 14th Gen CPUs are the ultimate era to land on LGA1700, so for those who do choose in, there is not any improve path.
How we check
At Customized PC, we have been reviewing the newest CPUs since 2003, and we have examined and overclocked lots of of CPUs, going proper again to the Pentium 4 and Athlon XP period. We have developed an skilled testing methodology that covers all the important thing areas of efficiency, together with single-threaded and multi-threaded efficiency, in addition to gaming.
Our benchmarks embrace our very personal RealBench suite, which has a Handbrake H.264 video encoding check to gauge multi-threaded efficiency, in addition to multi-tasking checks. We additionally now run an Adobe Photoshop benchmark utilizing Procyon, which additionally checks with Lightroom.
We additionally use the only and multi-threaded checks in Cinebench, and we check gaming efficiency with Far Cry 6, Forza Horizon 5, and Watch Canine: Legion. For our sport checks, we document the 99th percentile and common body charges, and at last, we additionally measure the idle and cargo whole system energy draw on the wall whereas working Prime95’s smallest FFT check with AVX disabled. For a full rundown of our CPU testing process, try our How we check web page.
Intel Core i9-14900K software efficiency
HandBrake noticed the Core i9-14900K hit 1,428,162, which is the best rating we have seen from a mainstream desktop CPU, though this was solely simply forward of the Core i9-13900K with 1,418,698 factors.
The Procyon mixed Photoshop and Lightroom check resulted in a rating of 11,563, which was an inexpensive quantity faster than the Core i9-13900K, however the Ryzen 9 7950X was sooner nonetheless.
Intel Core i9-14900K Cinebench efficiency
Intel wins once more in Cinebench R23 with a rating of 39,328 versus 38,953 for the Core i9-13900K and 38,575 for the Ryzen 9 7950X. It provides double the rating of the Ryzen 7 7700X and trounces the Core i5-12600K and Ryzen 7 7800X3D with the brand new Intel CPU additionally providing the best single-thread rating, albeit once more not far forward of the Core i9-13900K.
Intel Core i9-14900K gaming efficiency
There are nonetheless just a few conditions the place the 3D V-Cache of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D comes into play and permits that CPU to raised the Core i9-14900K, for instance in Watch Canine: Legion it manages a mean body charge of 192fps in comparison with 166fps for the Core i9-14900K at 1080p.
The 2 are carefully matched in Forza Horizon 5 the place the Ryzen 9 7950X3D additionally joins the celebration with related body charges which can be all noticeably sooner than the Ryzen 9 7950X.
In Far Cry 6 the Intel CPU proved to be awesomely highly effective with increased total body charges than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Ryzen 9 7950X, and Ryzen 9 7950X3D.
Intel Core i9-14900K energy draw
As anticipated with no main adjustments to the structure or manufacturing course of, the Core i9-14900K attracts an analogous quantity of energy to the Core i9-13900K, with each programs as an entire drawing near 550W. By comparability, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D attracts simply 255W, the Ryzen 9 7950X takes 376W, and the Core i9-12900K pulls 305W.
It is secure to say the Core i9-14900K will not be probably the most environment friendly CPU on the market, but it surely’s nonetheless tamed by an honest 240mm AIO liquid cooler, so overheating should not be a problem on any however the smallest builds.
Intel Core i9-14900K Boosting and temperatures
Out of the field the Intel Core i9-14900K is supposed to hit 6GHz and it achieved this with us having set nothing within the BIOS apart from the proper XMP setting for our reminiscence. It managed this throughout two cores at anybody time, which helped it to a lead in lots of lightly-threaded checks.
In multi-threaded workloads the best frequency was on the P-cores which sat at 5.7GHz. Each these frequencies are 200MHz increased than these of the Core i9-13900K, which has a peak enhance of 5.8GHz and will often handle a P-core frequency of 5.5GHz in multi-threaded workloads.
Intel Core i9-14900K specs
The Intel Core i9-14900K specs listing is:
| Base frequency | 3.2GHz (P-Cores), 2.4GHz (E-Core) |
| Max enhance frequency | 6GHz (P-Cores), 4.4GHz (E-Cores) |
| Core | Raptor Lake |
| Manufacturing course of | Intel 7 (10nm) |
| Variety of cores | 8 P-Core, 16 E-Core |
| Variety of threads | 32 |
| IGP | Sure |
| L3 cache | 36MB |
| L2 cache | 32MB |
| Reminiscence controller | Twin-channel DDR5 and DDR4 |
| Packaging | LGA 1700 |
| Thermal design energy (TDP) | 125W (Max Turbo Energy 253W) |
| Hyperthreading | Sure |
| Options | Thermal Velocity Increase, Turbo Increase Max Expertise 3.0, Software Efficiency Optimisation, Thread Director, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512, FMA3, MMX(+), SHA, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, SSSE3 |
Intel Core i9-14900K professionals and cons
Professionals
- Unbelievable gaming efficiency
- Wonderful calmly and multi-threaded efficiency
- Higher allrounder than AMD’s Ryzen 9 CPUs
Cons
- Energy hungry
- Requires respectable cooling
- Overwhelmed by the Ryzen 9 7950X in some video games
Intel Core i9-14900K value
The Intel Core i9-14900K value is $589 / £578, making it the identical value as the present 13900K. That also makes for an costly CPU possibility but when you need the quickest all-round processor that both comes high or second place in each check, the Core i9-14900K is it. It additionally barely undercuts the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and prices an analogous quantity to the Ryzen 9 7950X.
Worth: Count on to pay $589 / £578
Intel Core i9-14900K evaluate conclusion
AMD has cut up its flagship choices into three CPUs – the Ryzen 9 7950X, which provides wonderful multi-threaded efficiency, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D which provides respectable multi-threaded efficiency and good gaming efficiency because of its 3D V-Cache, and the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which because of its inside make-up, often outperforms the pricier Ryzen 9 7950X3D in video games. The Core i9-14900K beats all of those CPUs in a majority of checks and solely the Ryzen 7 7800X3D provides actual competitors in video games, however will get destroyed by the Intel CPU outdoors of them.
Nevertheless, what the Core i9-14900K beneficial properties in efficiency, it lacks in energy effectivity, drawing an enormous quantity in multi-threaded workloads. It is also the final era of CPUs to be coming to Intel’s LGA1700 socket so there is not any improve path. Nevertheless, it does assist low cost DDR4 reminiscence, and LGA1700 motherboards themselves are usually cheaper too, which means it is not solely a lovely improve for Intel twelfth Gen homeowners. These on older Intel and AMD platforms that want an improve proper now may also wish to contemplate it, however just for those who maintain their programs for the subsequent three to 5 years and are not bothered by the shortage of an improve path.
In case you’re on the lookout for different CPU choices, our information to the finest gaming CPU particulars a spread of various CPUs to swimsuit totally different wants and budgets.
In the meantime, what do you make of the Intel Core i9-14900K? Tell us your ideas on the Customized PC Fb web page, through Twitter, or be part of our Customized PC and Gaming Setup Fb group and faucet into the information of our 420,000+ members.
Curious to see how this processor runs when enjoying different video games? Take a look at these CPU benchmarks over on the PCGameBenchmark FPS calculator.
