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Intel

Intel Core i9-14900K, the best gaming processor at the moment

We pushed this CPU to its limits with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

Vladimir Arteaga Figueroa

The fourteenth generation of Intel processors arrived in the last quarter of 2023 and we have already been using the Intel Core i9-14900K for several weeks, in fact the review of the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER was performed with this microprocessor. After several exhaustive tests, we finally present you the results to finally see if it will continue to retain the gaming crown.

Retaining the gaming crown

Maintaining the title of best in class is no easy feat, especially since AMD has done an impressive job with the Ryzen 9 7950x3D, putting it on par with the Intel Core i9-13900K. As we can see from our tests with the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, it can push just about any GPU to the limit. Therefore, we decided to run the tests with almost the same configuration as the thirteenth generation.

Intel Core i9-14900K specifications are:

  • Core count: 24
  • Number of performance cores: 8
  • Number of Efficient Cores: 16
  • Number of threads: 32
  • Maximum Turbo Frequency: 6 GHz
  • Intel Thermal Velocity Boost clock speed: 6 GHz
  • Intel Turbo Boost Technology 3.0 maximum frequency: 5.80 GHz
  • Power Core Max Turbo Frequency: 5.60 GHz
  • Efficiency Core Max Turbo Frequency: 4.40 GHz
  • Performance-core base frequency: 3.20 GHz
  • Efficient core base frequency: 2.40 GHz
  • Cache: 36MB Intel Smart Cache
  • Total L2 Cache: 32MB
  • Base Processor Power: 125W
  • Maximum turbo performance: 253W
  • Maximum memory size (depending on memory type) 192 GB
  • Memory types: DDR5 5600 MT/s and DDR4 3200 MT/s
  • Maximum Number of Memory Channels: 2
  • Maximum memory bandwidth: 89.6GB/s
  • ECC memory support: Yes
  • Processor Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 770
  • Graphics base frequency: 300 MHz
  • Maximum Dynamic Graphics Frequency: 1.65 GHz
  • Supported sockets: FCLGA1700

PC configuration we tested: Intel Core i9-14900K

  • RAM: 32 GB Kingston Fury DDR5 at 5600 MHz
  • Motherboard: Z790 AORUS Elite AX
  • Cooling system: Aorus Waterforce X240
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
  • SSD: Kingstone Fury Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2

Test Methodology

The test focused on the default values (without overclocking) in games with their own benchmark at 4K resolution, without DLSS with all values in ultra and raytracing enabled if the game has it, to have a reference to its predecessor and see the percentage difference.

Cyberpunk 2077: 71.83 FPS

Full screen

Dirt 5: 176 FPS (7% more than Intel Core i9-13900K)

Full screen

Dying Light 2: 109 FPS (60% more than Intel Core i9-13900K)

Full screen

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition: 158 FPS (1% lower than Intel Core i9-13900K)

Full screen

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: 106 FPS (6% higher than Intel Core i9-13900K)

Full screen

Returnal: 84 FPS

Full screen

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: 177 FPS (2% lower than Intel Core i9-13900K)

Full screen

The Callisto Protocol: 81 FPS

Full screen

As we can see in some video games, there was only a difference of between 6% and 7% compared to its predecessor, although there was a brutal exception with Dying Light 2 of almost 60% improvement. Titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition and Shadow of the Tomb Raider saw a drop of 1% and 2% respectively, which is almost at the same level as the Intel Core i9-13900K.

Stability

Throughout the testing process, there were no stability issues with the Windows 11 operating system.

Other features

This processor is still part of the Raptor Lake family, which already has PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 as standard, although if we still have Z690 motherboards or systems with DDR4 memory, we can take advantage of it. Like last year, if we want to explore the overclocking section, we need to have a good liquid cooling system.

Conclusion

The Intel Core i9-14900K manages to keep the brand's crown as the best processor for gaming, although the improvement over the previous version is small, with a few exceptions. More than a major upgrade, it is a small facelift to get a little more out of graphics cards like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 when playing in 4K over 60 frames per second without DLSS. That it still supports Z690 sockets and DDR4 memory adds value as a starting point in a PC build.

Best

  • The fastest processor for gaming
  • DDR4 and DDR5 memory support
  • PCIe 5.0
  • Overclockability

Worst

  • Requires a good cooling system
  • High power consumption
  • Little difference to Intel Core i9-13900K

Score: 9