When Intel released just seven new “Raptor Lake Refresh” 14th-gen Core desktop processors last October, did you get the feeling that more were coming? At CES 2024, Intel delivered: the company disclosed eighteen new 35W and 65W mainstream 14th-gen Core desktop chips, with the return of the “power-optimized lifestyle” T-series family.
As the name suggests, Intel’s Raptor Lake Refresh is a refresh of the desktop Raptor Lake chip, built around Intel’s Intel 7 process technology. Intel launched the new Raptor Lake Refresh desktop lineup last October. In our review of the Core i7-14700K and Core i7-14900K we were mildly impressed with the new features, but not in the lack of gen-over-gen performance improvements.
For an in-depth look at both the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture as well as how it compares to the competition, we’d suggest you review our earlier articles. What’s new about these new processors? Well, these are the affordable ones.
Intel’s Core i9-14900K topped out at $589 for eight performance cores and 16 efficiency cores, with a P-core boost of up to 5.6GHz. These new processors tend to cluster in the Core i5 category, with prices trending towards a couple of hundred dollars rather than half a McKinley.
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
What’s noteworthy are that several of these parts are 35W processors, whose performance cores start off at a quite moderate base speed of just a gigahertz or two, but can spike to aggressive clock speeds when needed.
It’s unclear how long the “tau” (the time at which these chips operate in turbo mode, before dropping down to a base clock speed) is, and you won’t receive the performance of, say, a 65W chip. But a lower base clock and power draw might appeal during the summer months.
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Finally, there’s the new T-series parts, which have cropped up intermittently ever since the 10th-gen Core parts debuted. Again, these scream mainstream, with several offering vPro compatibility for business PCs.
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Intel 14th-gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh CES 2024
Intel isn’t making any performance claims that it hasn’t made before, especially with regards to the performance compared to the 13th-generation Core chips.
So why buy them? Remember that Intel is pushing platform improvements this generation: USB 3.2 2×2 support for gaming SSDs, WiFi 7, and more. The idea is that with more data coming into your PC, it will be that much more valuable.
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Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor
As PCWorld's senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.