Intel’s newest 14th-gen Core desktop processors, “Raptor Lake Refresh,” eliminate the AI NPU and complicated tiling gadget throughout the contemporary 14th-gen “Meteor Lake” cellular chips. However AI is getting used right here, in particular to lend a hand what avid gamers care about: making improvements to sport efficiency and CPU clock speeds.
As anticipated, Intel’s “refreshed” Raptor Lake chips be offering modest efficiency enhancements over their predecessors, whilst ushering in eventual platform upgrades like Thunderbolt 5. However there are boosts, akin to a tweaked Intel 7 procedure that pushes turbo clock speeds as much as 6GHz with the brand new Core i9-14900K and a brand new “Software Efficiency Optimization (APO)” characteristic that looks to optimize the CPU for a specific sport.
However — and that is essential, given inflation — Intel is protecting pricing (virtually) stable. Costs in Intel’s 14th-gen Core desktop S-series line will vary from $589 for the 24-core, 32-thread Core i9-14900K all the way down to the $294 14-core, 20-thread Core i5-1400KF, for a complete of six new processors. That is the 1/3 directly technology through which Intel has left its processor costs nearly unchanged, together with the 13th-gen Raptor Lake and the 12th-gen Alder Lake chip, whose slowest chip used to be priced at $264.
In all probability now not strangely, Intel’s now not providing many direct generation-over-generation comparisons with its personal processors, despite the fact that it decided on a couple of content-creation benchmarks to focus on with its Core i7-14700K. There, efficiency enhancements vary from 3 p.c (Adobe Lightroom) to 18 p.c (Autodesk). In keeping with Roger Chandler, vp and common supervisor of Intel’s fanatic PC and workstation industry, the Core i7 options the most productive multithreaded efficiency on a Core i7 ever.
Intel executives stated the chipmaker had about 130 companions and consumers for the Thirteenth-gen release, and be expecting the similar for the debut of the 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh chips.
Intel’s 14th-gen Core desktop: Slight velocity, core rely will increase
Like Raptor Lake, Intel’s Raptor Lake Refresh is an Intel 7 chip. Another way, it’s the similar. Raptor Lake Refresh makes use of the similar die and revision as Raptor Lake; the one distinction is the core rely.
Then again, Intel has “optimized and delicate each our silicon and our procedure, which has enabled us to get upper frequencies out of the field,” Aarohi Patel, an Intel product advertising engineer, stated throughout a press briefing.
Right here’s a brief abstract of the brand new 14th-gen desktop Core processors. The rather inexpensive -F variants forego the built-in GPU for the ones consumers who plan to make use of a discrete GPU anyway. The entire new those new 14th-gen Core chips run at a processor base energy of 125W.
- Core i9-14900K (8 P-cores, 3.2GHz/5.6GHz; 16 E-cores, 2.4GHz/4.4GHz): $589, $564 for -F variant
- Core i7-14700K (8 P-cores, 3.4GHz/5.5GHz; 12 E-cores, 2.5GHz/5.5GHz): $409, $384 for -F variant
- Core i5-14600K (6 P-cores, 3.5GHz/5.3GHz; 8 E-cores, 2.6GHz/4.0GHz): $319, $294 for -F variant
Each the 14th-gen Core i9 and Core i7 processors toughen over the Thirteenth technology, albeit in several tactics. The entire Raptor Lake Refresh chips come with the similar UHD 770 built-in GPU because the prior technology.
It’s now not sudden that Intel decided on the Core i7-14700K as some degree of comparability, as that chip displays essentially the most marked architectural enhancements over the Thirteenth-gen Alder Lake. (“It used to be the place we had the largest alternative so as to add further cores, so we did,” Chandler stated.)
The Core i9-14900K/F stays unchanged at 24 cores and 32 threads; so does the Core i5-14600K, at 14 cores and 20 threads. The brand new 14th-gen Core i7-14700K/F, alternatively, comprises 20 cores and 28 threads. That’s an advantage in comparison to the Thirteenth-gen Core i7-13700K/F, which in-built 16 cores and 24 threads. The entire new Core i7-14700K/F cores are E-cores.
However the Core i9-14900K/F are the one two chips with an larger clock velocity in comparison to their Thirteenth-gen opposite numbers: The Core i9-14900K’s P-core clock velocity larger from 3.0GHz to three.2GHz, whilst the E-core frequency larger from 2.2GHz to two.4GHz.
Right here’s an Intel-supplied diagram of the six new 14th-generation Raptor Lake Refresh processors with further element.
Intel
Have in mind, Turbo Spice up Max Era 3.0 identifies the processor’s quickest cores and routes duties to them, particularly very particular single-threaded jobs. Intel Thermal Pace Spice up can observe 100MHz of extra spice up clock if the chip’s thermal tolerance can take it — as an example, in case your PC used to be close down in a single day and has simply booted. It’s a “bursty” characteristic, despite the fact that, so it’s going to briefly activate and switch off.
As famous above, the PL1 state (or the quantity of energy the chip consumes most often) is 125W. In its turbo/spice up or PL2 state, the chip consumes 253W, the similar as Alder Lake.
Platform enhancements are at the method
Those new 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh chips might be backwards suitable with current 600- and 700-series motherboards, so that you must be capable of slot them into current motherboards with minimum adjustments, but even so the standard BIOS updates. “Normally, it must be a continuing improve,” Chandler stated.
Then again, Intel’s Chandler known two key coming near near additions to the 14th-gen platform: Wi-Fi 7, and Thunderbolt 5. Wi-Fi 7 will permit wi-fi speeds that exceed stressed throughput at over 40Gbps, and the primary Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) routers are already rolling out. (It’s value noting that Wi-Fi 7 continues to be a “draft” usual, which hasn’t been utterly ratified, so it is a rather dangerous acquire.) Particularly, Wi-Fi 6e might be built-in, whilst motherboard makers who need to upload Wi-Fi 7 choices can achieve this however with a discrete element. (Ditto for Bluetooth; Bluetooth 5.3 is built-in, whilst Bluetooth 5.4, which gives advanced one-to-many communications options, calls for a discrete chip.) Intel might be the use of its “Killer” branding on those.
Thunderbolt 5 isn’t moderately right here but, both, however it too will be offering speeds in way over 80Gbps — or even as much as 120Gbps — doubtlessly changing HDMI and DisplayPort show connectors, and connecting to exterior SSDs and graphics playing cards. It’s anticipated to debut in 2024, alternatively, after the primary 14th-gen desktop methods have shipped.
Then again, Intel stated after the release of the 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh chips that Thunderbolt 5 would now not be a part of the platform, in any respect. “Whilst some processors within the Intel Core 14th Gen processor circle of relatives will come with strengthen for Thunderbolt 5, Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processors, in particular, is not going to strengthen it,” a spokesman stated in an e mail. “Then again, we’ll be sharing further main points on Intel Core 14th Gen CPUs that strengthen Thunderbolt 5 at a later date.”
Mark Hachman / IDG
What’s attention-grabbing is that Intel it sounds as if expects 20Gbps USB 3.2 (Gen 2×2) to head mainstream as neatly. Despite the fact that Intel presented this selection with Raptor Lake, it’s nonetheless a relative rarity: USB-C ports normally be offering 10Gbps and that’s it. Why must you care about 20Gbps USB-C? As a result of that’s just about the standard for external gaming SSDs, which is usually a very horny product to shop for in case your gaming rig has ever run out of area at the major power.
Reminiscence strengthen stays for each DDR4 and DDR5, with as much as DDR5-5600 and DDR4-3200 strengthen for the Core i5, i7, and i9 merchandise, an Intel spokesman stated by the use of e mail.
In all probability essentially the most intriguing addition, despite the fact that, is what Intel calls Software Efficiency Optimization, or APO. Have in mind Intel’s Dynamic Tuning Era? That 2018 generation dynamically juggled energy between the CPU and the GPU, to eke out as a lot efficiency as conceivable. APO sits inside of that framework, consistent with Intel, and along the Thread Director technology that assigns duties to the E-cores and P-cores. (Not like Meteor Lake, Thread Director returns to the addiction of assigning new duties to the P-cores because it did in Raptor Lake, by the way.) Intel refers to APO as a “scheduling coverage.”
What’s the variation? It’s a little bit obscure. APO can “discover actual utility instantiation, and direct and keep an eye on the thread sort,” consistent with Patel. Thread Director operates at a better degree, taking route from the running gadget.
Right here’s the base line: APO is largely like a GPU motive force improve for the CPU, permitting what executives referred to as a “great efficiency bump” in video games like Metro: Exodus (16 p.c building up) and Rainbow Six: Siege (13 p.c building up), consistent with Chandler. Whilst it’s enabled via default, it may be disabled, despite the fact that it’s now not transparent what advantages you’d see from doing that.
Intel executives stated that there aren’t any side effects from turning on APO. Sadly, it’s being tuned for particular video games, and now not non-gaming packages like Photoshop. (That would occur, however there aren’t any promises.) It’ll additionally want particular strengthen from Intel, so video games simply gained’t be enhanced via default. “We see this as a chance to if truth be told spice up the efficiency for person video games with no need an general efficiency affect on different packages,” Chandler stated.
Oh, and APO gained’t paintings with benchmarks, both — or in case you or any person else adjustments the title of the executable record, Chandler stated.
Intel 14th-gen desktop efficiency: Don’t be expecting an excessive amount of
Since that is “Raptor Lake Refresh,” there aren’t any architectural enhancements; the design of the chips stays the similar, so any enhancements arrive simply in advanced clock velocity. That signifies that efficiency enhancements must be minimum.
Intel
“There is not any structure exchange,” Patel stated. “So the IPC [instructions per clock] is strictly very similar to what we had earlier than.”
Intel, strangely, didn’t unencumber gen-over-gen comparisons for any video games performed at the 14th-gen Core. In keeping with Chandler, the advance could be within the “mid unmarried digit, possibly higher unmarried digit” vary, with the exception of the results of APO. As a substitute, Intel eager about comparisons to the contest, AMD, and attempted to turn the starker demarcation between its Twelfth- and 14th-gen processors as a substitute.
Intel
Intel additionally offered its personal analysis of ways its 14th-gen Core i9-14900K compares to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, with modest enhancements around the board. It did the similar with a collection of Ryzen 9X and 9X3D chips, as neatly.
So far as the generational enhancements are involved, Intel restricted them to the slide observed underneath. There’s all the time a certain quantity of cherry-picking that is going on with benchmarks, however this appears lovely particular.
Even if Intel didn’t at once evaluate the Thirteenth-gen and 14th-gen chips, we will do the maths: That’s a three.6 p.c building up within the Autodesk workload at the some distance left, expanding to 17.6 p.c (Autodesk) and 15.6 p.c (Adobe After Results) at the some distance proper. Lots of the generational enhancements, alternatively, seem a lot nearer.
Intel
Overclocking makes use of AI as a weapon
With Raptor Lake, Intel endured to music its Excessive Tuning Software (XTU), including one-click overclocking, advanced visualizations, and eXtreme Memory Profile 3.0. Now, with Raptor Lake Refresh, XTU is getting non-public. Intel is including what it calls “AI Lend a hand,” the place AI meets overclocking. AI Lend a hand is a preview characteristic inside of XTU, which may also be downloaded from Intel’s web site.
AI Lend a hand will necessarily scan your gadget, working out the person elements, voltages, and tool settings and recommending overclocking settings by the use of a “easy step by step UI” which can be adapted for your gadget. There may be one catch: XTU with AI lend a hand might be introduced first for Core i9-14900K/KF processors, with strengthen increasing to different 14th-gen unlocked processors sooner or later. It’ll now not be added to older chips. (Then again, Intel Velocity Optimizer will proceed to be introduced along AI Lend a hand, consistent with Dan Ragland, a major engineer in Intel’s overclocking lab — which would be the software 14th-gen Core i7 and i5 consumers can use as a substitute.)
The AI Lend a hand software used to be skilled via gadget studying, inferencing masses of CPUs, plus mixtures of motherboards, coolers, or even customized liquid cooling. All this is used as a base for its suggestions — despite the fact that your personal reviews might fluctuate, Intel executives stated.
Intel could also be providing larger overclocking frequencies for P-cores and E-cores, upper DDR5 XMP speeds in way over 8,000 megatransfers in line with 2nd, P-core thermal throttling, and a third-party overclocking software, FoundationTK.com, that’s in line with XTU as neatly.
Ragland, an admitted overclocking fanatic, stated that he most popular XMP 6600 and two DIMMs in line with channel for pairing with the brand new Raptor Lake Refresh chips, and consumers will be capable of to find new XMP modules on Intel’s web site at release. Confidently, they’ll be as prime as XMP 8000, he stated.
What’s subsequent?
Is Intel doing the rest greater than treading water? We’ll must look ahead to our personal assessment to peer.
Then again, Intel’s Raptor Lake Refresh doesn’t seem that a lot more than simply that — a refresh — however with some attention-grabbing approaches to eking out additional efficiency enhancements via AI. Whether or not or now not this leaves the door open for AMD to reply is one thing we’ll have to be informed within the coming months.
This tale used to be up to date at 9:37 PM to notice that Thunderbolt 5 might not be a part of the 14th-gen Core desktop platform.
