Intel Core i5-14600K review: Everything You Need to Know
Intel launched its affordable and powerful Raptor Lake chips last year, which took the market by storm, so this year they have announced the refreshed 14th Gen lineup with increased clock speeds and some more improvements. We lauded the Core i5-13600K and the performance it gave in the mid-range now, except for this 14600K, which delivers a similar kind of upskilled performance over the older 13600K.
Based on the same Intel 7 process, the new Core i5-14600K isn’t the most exciting out of the lineup, but it is indeed promising because it has a price of around Rs. 30k in India. Yes, you still get 14 cores to get all the work done smoothly. Now boasting up to 5.3 GHz in clock speeds, expect a slight improvement in gaming as well as productivity workloads. However, is it worth buying in 2023 and beyond? Let’s find out:
Intel Core i5-14600K Specifications
| Model | Core i5-14600K |
| Product Collection | Intel Core i5 Processors (14th Gen) |
| Code Name | Products formerly RAPTOR LAKE |
| Vertical Segment | Desktop |
| Lithography | Intel 7 |
| Use Conditions | PC/Client/Tablet, Workstation |
| CPU Specifications | |
| Total Cores | 14 |
| # of Performance-cores | 6 |
| # of Efficient-cores | 8 |
| Total Threads | 20 |
| Max Turbo Frequency | 5.3 GHz |
| Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency | 5.3 GHz |
| Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency | 4 GHz |
| Performance-core Base Frequency | 3.5 GHz |
| Efficient-core Base Frequency | 2.6 GHz |
| Cache | 24 MB Intel® Smart Cache |
| Total L2 Cache | 20 MB |
| Processor Base Power | 125 W |
| Maximum Turbo Power | 181 W |
| Supplemental Information | |
| Marketing Status | Launched |
| Launch Date | Q4’23 |
| Embedded Options Available | No |
| Memory Specifications | |
| Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type) | 192 GB |
| Memory Types | Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s |
| Max Number of Memory Channels | 2 |
| Max Memory Bandwidth | 89.6 GB/s |
| ECC Memory Supported ‡ | Yes |
| GPU Specifications | |
| Processor Graphics ‡ | Intel® UHD Graphics 770 |
| Graphics Base Frequency | 300 MHz |
| Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency | 1.55 GHz |
| Graphics Output | eDP 1.4b, DP 1.4a, HDMI 2.1 |
| Execution Units | 32 |
Test Config Specifications:
- Motherboard: ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Lightning Wifi
- CPU: Intel Core i5-14600K
- RAM: 32GB (2X16) Corsair Vengeance Performance DDR5 Memory
- Primary SSD: Western Digital SN850 500GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Secondary/Game SSD: 480GB Crucial SATA SSD, WD Green 960GB SATA SSD
- Power Supply: Antec HCG-1000-EXTREME PSU
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
- CPU Cooler: DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX L360 ARGB
- Cabinet: Cooler Master MasterBox K501L
- OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Productivity
If you are someone who is looking to do video editing, Blender, or other productivity workloads, the Core i5-14600K seems to be a sensible choice. With a slight improvement in scores compared to its predecessor and coming in at a similar price range, new users won’t mind buying this one.
However, if you already have a 12th Gen or 13th Gen Core i5, then it’s not worth upgrading, but for people who want a capable CPU for long-term use, now that you get up to 5.3GHz of boost clock on this, this is a sensible choice altogether.
Here are some synthetic benchmarks for your reference:
As you see in the tests, the Core i5-14600K holds up quite nicely against the other CPUs, and the performance from this mid-range chip is quite good. Not so much improvement from its predecessor but for those who want to buy a new CPU, definitely this is one of the options.
Gaming
In gaming, those high single-core boost clock speeds do help in providing great gaming scores, continuing the legacy that the Core i5-12600K started. Though the best motherboards for these CPUs are not the cheapest, yes, a good motherboard like this ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Lightning Wifi can unlock the true potential of this overclockable Intel chip.
Here is a quick reference to gaming benchmarks with this Core i5-14600K:
From the gaming benchmarks, it’s also evident that the CPU can handle powerful GPUs easily and give you good results in most of the demanding games as well. Though the performance difference between the 13600K and 14600K in gaming is negligible, in 2023 and beyond, the raw CPU performance seems to be adequate.
Verdict
Now, should you go for this new 14-core Intel Core i5-14600K? Well, if you are planning to buy a new CPU for your desktop, then this is a nice choice but not if you are upgrading from 12th or 13th Gen. For the price, the processor provides great value, though the platform costs are higher and may not be upgradeable long-term. Overall, the Core i5-14600K gives value-for-money daily performance without sacrificing anything.
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