Intel’s new generation of Desktop CPUs is finally here!

October 19, 2023 – Intel® recently announced the release of their 14^th generation desktop processors, which are based on a slightly improved Intel’s Raptor Lake CPU architecture (Raptor Lake Refresh).

As in the previous generation, also these CPUs sport the Performance Hybrid Architecture, where a single die contains two core microarchitectures that optimize performance by distributing workloads.

These new CPUs are primed for fast access (up to 32 GT/s) to discrete graphics cards, storage, and peripheral devices with up to 16 PCI Express 5.0 lanes.

With up to 24 cores (8 Performance-cores and 16 Efficient-cores) and up to 32 threads, Intel® Core i9 processors are the true stars of the show, with their performance cores capable of reaching 6.0 Ghz (read here about the meaning of performance cores, efficiency cores, threads, and CPU speed if you are unfamiliar with these terms).

This is, according to Intel®, “the highest-performing CPU core ever built by Intel, designed to handle single-threaded, lightly threaded, or burst workloads like 4K gaming and 3D design”.

Intel® Core i7 processor Efficient-cores have also been increased, with now up to 20 cores (8 P-cores + 12 E-cores) and 28 threads.

	Intel® Core™ i9K and i9KF	Intel® Core™ i7K and i7KF	Intel® Core™ i5K and i5KF
Max Turbo Frequency [GHz]	Up to 6.0	Up to 5.6	Up to 5.3
Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency [GHz]	Up to 5.8	Up to 5.6	N/A
Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency [GHz]	Up to 5.6	Up to 5.5	Up to 5.3
Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency [GHz]	Up to 4.4	Up to 4.3	Up to 4.0
Processor Cores (P-cores + E-cores)	24 (8P + 16E)	20 (8P + 12E)	14 (6P + 8E)

One of the highlights of this new generation of CPUs is the new Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost, which automatically increases the clock frequency of performance cores in Intel® Core i9 processors by up to 100 MHz (provided the processor is at a temperature ≤ 70°C and enough power is available).

And with the release of these new CPUs, the overclocking team at Asus has just broken a new world record for the fastest CPU. The record was achieved using an Intel® Core i9-14900KF cooled down with liquid helium at -400°F (-240°C), so don’t try this at home! (if you are not familiar with overclocking here is a simple explanation).

The highest speed the Asus team could reach and maintain on a performance core was 9043.92 GHz, 35.92 GHz higher than that achieved almost a year ago on an Intel Core i9-13900KF (i.e. a CPU from the previous generation). This would translate into a 4% performance increase, which may not look like much but it all adds up.

This new generation of processors also supports discrete Intel® Wi-Fi 7 for faster wireless internet connections (5 Gig).