Intel® is back and is delivering gamers an extraordinary dose of power to help them go #BeyondPerformance! The brand has introduced the Intel® Core™ 14th Gen desktop processors, which offer gamers the best platform to game on! Representing a sizable leap in processing power, efficiency, and user experience, these processors promise to level up your gaming experience. Intel® touts the new #14thGen processors as the World’s Best Desktop Experience,1 and it’s hard to argue with that. In this article, we delve into the new desktop processors, explore their capabilities, and enhancements, and learn why these processors are ideal for any gamer who chooses to #GameWithIntel!
The desktop advantage
While modern-day laptops are extremely powerful and capable systems, the sheer size and versatility of the desktop make them the ideal gaming or creator system. Desktop allows users the flexibility they need to create their setup. Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors support a wide range of components. So buyers can choose from a range of motherboards, coolers, graphics cards, and RAM sticks.
The role of CPUs in gaming
Everyone knows why a GPU is important for gaming, but there has not been enough conversation about why a CPU is important.
The CPU is the brain of the computer. The better it is, the smoother and more enjoyable your gaming experience will be as it handles all the behind-the-scenes work to bring the game to life on your screen.
Games have a lot of things going on – characters moving, environments changing, and so on. The CPU processes all this information quickly so you can see the game in action without any lag. Sometimes you might want to have other programs running in the background while gaming, like a chat app or a music player. The right CPU handles all these tasks simultaneously, ensuring everything runs smoothly. A good CPU ensures winning performance in everything you do.
Something for everyone
The new Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors are designed to be used by all. It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned expert in the field of PC building, or a newbie looking to build a new PC. The new processors let you make the most of their capabilities regardless of your experience level. For example, the new Intel® AI Assist with the Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) makes it very easy to overclock your system. It will automatically adjust system settings to ensure that the process of overclocking does not harm the PC. Intel® notes this allows it to deliver the world’s best overclocking experience.2
Make the right choice
Like with previous generations, the Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors boast three main stacks, namely the Core™ i9, Core™ i7, and Core™ i5. Further, the new lineup also features six new unlocked desktop CPUs. Understanding the differences between these stacks is crucial for users seeking peak performance based on their workloads.
Intel® Core™ i9: The i9 processors, exemplified by the i9-14900K, stand at the pinnacle of the 14th Gen lineup. With a clock speed of up to 6.0GHz, with 24 cores, and 32 threads, this high-performance processor is designed for raw power. It incorporates Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, PCIe 5.0 & 4.0 interfaces, and a substantial 36MB cache.
Intel® Core™ i7: The Intel® Core™ i7 processors such as the Core™ i7-14700K, provide a more balanced option with a total of 16 cores (8 P-cores and 8 E-cores) and 24 processing threads. With a clock speed of 5.2 GHz, the Core™ i7 is ideal for multitasking, delivering significant performance gains in multi-threaded workloads. In fact, with the right combination of cooling, overclocking, and GPU, Core™ i7 processors can offer gamers everything they would want with their PC. Further, since it also offers more E-Cores, it is also ideal for multitasking and provides optimum value to users with respect to its cost.
Intel® Core™ i5: The Intel® Core™ i5 processors like the Core™ i5-14600K, offer good performance for everyday and business users. With 14 cores and 20 threads, the Core™ i5 is a reliable option for easily running demanding applications. This makes this an excellent choice for PC builders looking for value. As such, it is a great starting point for novice PC builders who are just getting started.
So what’s new?
These processors are designed to meet the needs of the modern gamer. As such, these can not only handle gaming but can also take on other tasks such as multitasking, and streaming, and excel in diverse content creation tasks, such as rendering, video editing, animation, and image editing. This is made possible thanks to a new and improved version of the Performance Hybrid Architecture Intel® has been using with the past few generations of processors. Of course, aside from this, you also get the Intel® Thread Director and Intel® Smart Cache.
In case you didn’t know, the Performance Hybrid Architecture has been at the centre of Intel’s newest processors. This architecture features more powerful P-Cores for raw power and is optimised for single-threaded performance. The E-Cores, smaller in size, enhance multi-core performance-per-watt, catering to background processes. The Intel® Thread Director delegates tasks between P-Cores and E-Cores, ensuring smooth gaming experiences. With the Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors, the P-Cores are even more powerful and can easily handle high-performance tasks like gaming, animating, editing, and more, while the additional E-Cores deliver superior multitasking.
Meanwhile, the Intel® Thread Director, which delegates tasks between cores, is now better than ever. It helps ensure your gaming sessions are free from any interruptions. By intelligently distributing workloads between the P-Cores and E-Cores, any background tasks will not have a major impact on your gaming experience.
As if this wasn’t enough, the new processors now offer up to 36MB of Intel® Smart Cache. This helps to accelerate CPU performance resulting in smoother gameplay and faster load times.
The Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors also have a new feature called Intel® Application Optimization. This smartly manages resources to enhance software performance and offers benefits such as extra FPS when gaming. Currently available in games like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege and Metro Exodus, this feature is expected to expand to more games in the future.
Connectivity options galore
Of course, gaming isn’t just about pure performance. There is also connectivity. This not only lets gamers attach a myriad of peripherals and accessories to their setup but also lets them enjoy online games smoothly.
Aside from your standard suite of physical connectivity options, Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors also support Thunderbolt™ 4. This provides a blazing-fast data transfer rate of 40 gigabits per second. This enables gamers and content creators to connect multiple 240Hz monitors, move large game files rapidly, and enjoy seamless gaming experiences.3
In terms of wireless connectivity, the Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors support Intel’s first Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 products, as well as Intel® Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 providing lightning-fast wireless connectivity. This gives gamers the freedom to game with smooth, high-quality streaming.4
Gaming is better than ever!
It should be quite clear by now that the new Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors can not only elevate the gaming experience but do so in a way that can be enjoyed by enthusiasts and novices alike. With up to 24 cores and maximum clock speeds of 6.0GHz, users can get a 23% better overall gaming experience.5
Further, they can also experience up to 18% faster multitasking performance than the previous generation.6 It promises gamers the smoothest gameplay experience with zero lag, making it a complete package for all high-end tasks.
The multitasking capabilities will be greatly appreciated by streamers and content creators. They can get up to 100+ FPS gameplay while streaming and recording.7 Think of the new Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors as not just processors, but as keys to a world where your desktop transforms into a portal of unparalleled gaming prowess and limitless creative potential letting them #GameWithoutCompromise.
Check out more details on the latest lineup of Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors here.
Disclaimers
1. Based on the performance and unique features, (as of October 2023) of Intel Core 14th Gen processors, including in comparison to prior generation and competitive processor offerings. See www.intel.com/PerformanceIndex for details. Results may vary. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
2. Based on enhanced overclocking ability enabled by Intel’s comprehensive tools and unique architectural tuning capabilities of unlocked Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors. Overclocking may void warranty or affect system health. Learn more at www.intel.com/overclocking. Results may vary.
Based on a combination of attributes both performance and non-performance based contributing to the overall processor experience. Advantages of overclocking on unlocked Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processors include: Unmatched overclocking ability enabled by Intel’s comprehensive tools and unique architectural tuning capabilities. Highest memory overclocking frequency New “AI Assist Preview Edition” feature within Intel® XTU XMP for both DDR4 & DDR5 Your results may vary. Overclocking may void warranty or affect system health. For details see intel.com/overclocking. Additional details at intel.com/performanceindex.
3. Minimum solution requirements, mandatory certification, and a 40 Gbps connection which provides the fastest connection as compared to other current PC Client bidirectional I/O connection technologies like eSATA and USB. Must be connected via Thunderbolt 3 or newer accessory to enable full performance. See www.intel.com/PerformanceIndex (connectivity) for details. Results may vary. Discrete Intel® Thunderbolt™ 4 (Maple Ridge) is only validated and supported from Intel® 600 and 700 Series Chipset PCIe lanes.
4. ‘Best in Class wired and wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi 6′: Intel® Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) products support optional 160 MHz channels, enabling the fastest possible theoretical maximum speeds (2402 Mbps) for typical 2×2 802.12ax PC Wi-Fi products. Premium Intel® Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) products enable 2-4Xfaster maximum theoretical speeds compared standard 2×2(1201 Mbps) or 1×1 (600 Mbps) 802.12ax PC Wi-Fi products, which only support the mandatory requirement of 80 MHz channels. Gigabit Wi-Fi Requirements: To achieve speed of over 1 Gbps requires Gig internet service, router/gateway with either Wi-Fi 6 or 12ac with 160 MHz channel support, and PC with Intel® Wireless 9260/9560 or Intel® Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) AX200/AX201.
5. Based on testing as of October 2023. (1) As measured by Starfield on Intel® Core™ 14th Gen i9-14900K vs. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, through repeatable workload measurement in average FPS, at 1080p High settings.; (2) As measured by Total War: WARHAMMER III Intel® Core™ 14th Gen i9-14900K vs. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, through benchmark score (average FPS) via Mirror of Madness Benchmark at 1080p High settings. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
6. As of October 2023, based on the 6GHz Max Turbo Frequency of Intel Core 14th Gen i9-14900K, which is the fastest client processor at volume. (2) Based on testing as of October 2023. Multi-threaded performance measured via the time in seconds to complete an Autodesk 3ds Max Toon Shader Arnold Render workload, for Intel® Core™ 14th Gen i7-14700K vs 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-13700K. See www.intel.com/performanceindex for details. Results may vary. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
7. As measured by Game, Stream, Record workflow with Total War: WARHAMMER III and Open Broadcaster Software on Intel® Core™ 14th Gen processor 14900K.
