Rumours surrounding Intel’s 14th Generation Raptor-Lake CPUs are coming in hard and fast. Last week, during an MSI livestream event, they revealed that the upcoming 14th Gen Core i7 14700K would offer an additional 4 E-Cores over the Core i7 13700K. Making it the only CPU in the lineup confirmed to have an increased core count.
More information has surfaced since, revealing that all SKUs are receiving a 200MHz frequency boost to their Turbo clocks. The range-topping Core i9 14900K/KF will have a peak operating frequency of 6GHz. The Core i7 14700K/KF will feature a 5.6GHz clock ceiling, and 5.3GHz will be the maximum clock for the Core i5 14600K/KF.
Other non-K SKUs also receive this clock frequency boost, which is said to offer anywhere up to 5% increased performance, depending on the application. For the core i7 part, the additional E-cores may result in a performance uplift of up to 10%, again depending on the application.
Intel’s 14th Gen CPU launch, unlike previous generations, does not have a new chipset, so motherboard vendors are refreshing their existing Z790 lineup instead. Current Z690/Z790 motherboards will receive BIOS updates for the new CPUs.
Of particular interest to enthusiasts and gamers is the improved DDR5 compatibility. Some boards, like the Z790 Tachyon X, claim DRAM support for DDR5 12000 MT/s (6,000MHz). Outside of overclocking motherboards, regular end users should benefit from the more capable CPU IMC with some 4-DIMM boards said to offer DDR5 8,267 support.
As for the not-so-good news, the 14th Gen Core CPUs will launch with a price hike anywhere between 11% and 15%. This is from an online retailer’s listing, however, so a healthy level of scepticism is required. However, if true, such pricing may dampen enthusiasm for the parts and cause end users to turn to the current 12th and 13th Gen offerings instead. More information will follow as we get closer to Intel’s Innovation 2023 event.