We are less than a week away from the highly anticipated launch of Intel’s upcoming desktop processor series, known as the 14th Gen Core, commonly referred to as Raptor Lake Refresh. Intel is gearing up to unveil six different SKUs, encompassing both K and KF models. One particular processor from this lineup that stands out is the i5-14600K, a 14-core CPU, and it holds significance as the most budget-friendly unlocked model with a 125W power rating.
As reported by ECSM, this processor boasts a configuration of 6 P-Cores and 8 E-Cores, summing up to 14 cores and 20 threads. This configuration closely mirrors that of the Core i5-13600K, with the only distinction being a slightly lower maximum clock speed. Instead of the previous 5.1 GHz, Intel has bumped it up by 200 MHz, reaching an impressive 5.3 GHz. This marks the highest achievable clock speed for the Performance cores of this CPU without the reliance on Turbo Boost 3.0 or Thermal Velocity Boost technology.
It’s essential to note that the CPU in question is identified as an Engineering Sample (ES). This designation suggests that its performance might vary from the final version of the CPU. In the current context, the CPU appears to maintain a stable clock speed of 5.3 GHz, albeit with a CPU package power consumption peaking at 160W. ECSM has pointed out that the voltage levels seem somewhat high, surpassing 1.4V+. However, this could be attributed to this specific sample or the testing platform, and it’s worth mentioning that manual adjustments can still be made.
The i5-14600K is slated for release on October 17th. While Intel has not officially disclosed the pricing for this CPU, it is expected to be very close, if not identical, to the pricing of the 13600K, given the notable performance improvement.
