Everything seems to indicate that the upcoming Core i5-14600K will be one of the best CPUs for gaming. The Raptor Lake Refresh chip capitalizes on Intel's rewarming treatment to offer faster clock speeds.
The core design on the Core i5-14600K has not changed from its predecessor. The 10nm processor still wields six P-cores and eight E-cores, a very familiar layout we've seen on the existing Core i5-13600K. As a result, the Core i5-14600K rocks 14 cores and 20 threads. As usual, only the P-cores leverage Hyper-Threading. Cache-wise, the Core i5-14600K retains the 24MB of L3 cache and 20MB of L2 cache from the Core i5-13600K for 44MB of total cache. What we can look forward to is the improved clock speeds.
According to a leaked CPU-Z screenshot courtesy of hardware sleuth HXL, the Core i5-14600K has a 5.3 GHz boost clock. However, we should approach the information cautiously since the chip is an ES (engineering sample) silicon. However, given how close we are to Raptor Lake Refresh's launch, the final boost clock speed is unlikely to change. Compared to the current Core i5-13600K, the Core i5-14600K has a 200 MHz higher boost clock.
Core i5-14600K Specifications
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Price | Cores / Threads (P+E) | P-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | E-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | Cache (L2/L3) | PBP / MTP | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i5-4600K / KF* | ? | 14 / 20 (6+8) | 3.5 / 5.3 | ? / 4.0 | 44MB (20+24) | 125W / ? | ? |
| Core i5-13600K / KF | $319 (K) - $294 (KF) | 14 / 20 (6+8) | 3.5 / 5.1 | 2.6 / 3.9 | 44MB (20+24) | 125W / 181W | DDR4-3200 / DDR5-5600 |
| Core i5-12600K / KF | $289 (K) - $264 (KF) | 10 / 16 (6+4) | 3.7 / 4.9 | 2.8 / 3.6 | 29.5MB (9.5+20) | 125W / 150W | DDR4-3200 / DDR5-4800 |
*Specifications are unconfirmed.
The CPU-Z screenshot doesn't list the Core i5-14600K's base clock speeds. However, a previous leak suggests that the P-cores on the Core i5-14600K reportedly run at 3.5 GHz, the same as the ones on the Core i5-13600K. The base clock for the E-core is unknown, but the exact source claims that the E-core boosts to 4 GHz, a 100 MHz improvement over the current Core i5-13600K.
According to the Core Temp 1.18 screenshot, a popular utility for monitoring processor temperatures, the Core i5-14600K maintains the 125W PBP (Processor Base Power). Sadly, it doesn't tell us anything about the MTP (Maximum Turbo Power), the more critical power metric, since it represents the power consumption during Turbo Boost. For reference, the Core i5-13600K has a 181W MTP. With the Core i5-14600K practically being a higher-clocked Core i5-13600K, the new chip could potentially push the MTP to around 200W.
The Core i5-14600K will debut alongside the Core i9-14900K and Core i7-14700K to replace the existing Raptor Lake K-series processors trio. Luckily, you won't need a new motherboard since the new chips are just reheated Raptor Lake parts and slide right into the LGA1700 socket. Raptor Lake Refresh is likely the last generation of processors on the LGA1700 socket before Intel transitions to the LGA1851 socket for Arrow Lake in 2024.
Your LGA1700 motherboard should support the upcoming Raptor Lake Refresh processors since motherboard vendors have released new firmware to accommodate the processor months before the launch. You don't have to throw away your CPU cooler or DDR5 memory. TeamGroup's JEDEC-compliant DDR5-6400 implies that Raptor Lake Refresh natively supports DDR5-6400.
The Intel Innovation 2023 event will occur between September 19 and 20, which we think is a great place to announce Raptor Lake Refresh. The 10nm chips are rumored to hit the market in October, so it's an excellent time to promote them at the Intel Innovation 2023 event.
