Intel unveils new 14th Gen Core desktop processors

Today is the big day – after months of rumours and various leaks, Intel is now officially announcing its new 14th Gen Core processors. Otherwise known as the Raptor Lake Refresh, new 14th Gen Core desktop processors will offer up to 6GHz speeds, accelerated AI performance and improved gaming performance.

While Intel will be ditching the current Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9 nomenclature in future chips, including the upcoming Meteor Lake processors for laptops, Intel is sticking with its older naming scheme for this release, as Intel 14th Gen CPUs are “closely related” to 14th Gen.

The Core i9-14900K will be the flagship, offering faster cores, a 6GHz turbo speed (if your cooling is good enough) and a refined hybrid architecture to get squeeze more out of the P and E-cores. The Core i9 will also benefit from Intel XTU with AI Assist, enabling faster performance with AI applications, although for now, this technology is in preview mode and is only available on the Core i9 model. We expect support to expand eventually as the tech makes its way towards full release.

The Core i7-14700K is one to watch this generation, as the chip is getting a core count boost, with 20 cores and 28 threads, split between eight P-cores and 12 E-cores. It is the only chip in the line-up to get a core count boost, resulting in an 18 percent improvement to multi-core performance.

In the table below, you can see all of the chips in the line-up, alongside corresponding specs and pricing (in USD):

Processor	Cores (P+E)	Threads	Cache (L3)	Boost Speeds (GHz)	PCIe Lanes	TDP (W)	Price
Core i9-14900K	24 (8+16)	32	36MB	6GHz (TVB)	20	125 (253W Max)	$589
Core i9-14900KF	24 (8+16)	32	36MB	6GHz (TVB)	20	125 (253W Max)	$564
Core i7-14700K	20 (8+12)	28	33MB	5.6GHz	20	125 (253W Max)	$409
Core i7-14700KF	20 (8+12)	28	33MB	5.6GHz	20	125 (253W Max)	$384
Core i5-14600K	14 (6+8)	20	24MB	5.3GHz	20	125 (181W Max)	$319
Core i5-14600KF	14 (6+8)	20	24MB	5.3GHz	20	125 (181W Max)	$294

The main difference between the K and KF series chips is that the KF versions do not include an iGPU, allowing users to save some money if they really don't need one. The K processors have Intel UHD 770 integrated graphics. If you are confused about TVB, it stands for Thermal Velocity Boost and is only available on the Core i9 processors, allowing for faster speeds if your PC's cooling system meets the requirements.

These new processors will be compatible with both 600-series and newer 700-series chipset motherboards. As for performance expectations, Intel claims up to 23 percent better gaming performance, based on tests between the Core i9-14900K and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, as well as up to 54 percent faster performance in software like Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro.

In the UK, we're looking at a £578.99 price tag for the Core i9-14900K, £419.99 for the Core i7-14700K and £319.99 for the Core i5-14600K.

These processors will be available later this month, so keep an eye out for reviews shortly!

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