Core i9-14900K vs. Core i9-13900K: what was Intel pondering?

Intel’s new Core i9-14900K is a troublesome processor to guage. It brings the identical variety of cores and the identical structure as last-gen’s Core i9-13900K, however Intel asserts that the brand new chip delivers some efficiency enhancements. Is that true, and is it price ditching last-gen’s flagship for what Intel claims is its greatest processor?

The Core i9-14900K fixes a few of the weaker areas of the Core i9-13900K. Nevertheless, as you may learn in our Intel Core i9-14900K evaluate, the brand new processor does little or no to justify spending the next value for largely the identical efficiency.

Pricing and availability

Each the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-14900K include the identical really helpful value from Intel: $590. These are flagship chips, and you must count on to spend near $600 for both processor. The Core i9-13900K has the good thing about being older, although.

You’ll be able to generally discover it for round $560, with it typically dropping all the way down to $540 when on sale. There’s a superb probability the value will drop additional within the weeks following the discharge of the Core i9-14900K. We see that with last-gen components on a regular basis. Intel’s Core i9-12900K, for instance, is now available for $375 regardless of being a $550 processor only a 12 months in the past.

The Core i9-14900K is listed at $590, however it’s already promoting for extra. As we’ve seen with Intel’s final two flagships, the Core i9-14900K will doubtless promote between $620 and $640 for at the least just a few months. Presently, the processor is promoting for $630.

As is normally the case with evaluating two processors, you’ll must weigh the efficiency towards the value you discover every chip at. Between the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-14900K, there’s anyplace from a $10 to $100 distinction relying on what occurs after the launch mud has settled. If solely $10 or $20 separates the chips, it’s price getting the brand new processor. Nevertheless, within the doubtless case there’s a spot of $70 or extra, you’re already getting many of the efficiency with the cheaper Core i9-13900K.

Specs

There’s not a lot to speak about by way of specs with the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-14900K as a result of, on paper, they give the impression of being virtually similar. Each processors use the Intel 7 node, they usually include 24 cores break up throughout eight efficiency cores and 16 effectivity cores, totaling 32 threads.

The one distinction is clock velocity. The Core i9-14900K can increase to 6GHz out of the field, whereas the Core i9-13900K tops out at 5.8GHz. As well as, the Core i9-14900K comes with a 200MHz increase to each the bottom and increase clock speeds of the efficiency cores and effectivity cores.

Every little thing else is similar, together with the 36MB of L3 cache, 32MB of L2 cache, and 253 watts of most turbo energy. It’s a disgrace there wasn’t at the least a bump to cache, particularly with AMD’s 3D V-Cache processors nonetheless dominating gaming charts. There would doubtless be a greater incentive to spend up for the Core i9-14900K in that case.

Productiveness efficiency

For uncooked CPU energy, the Core i9-14900K doesn’t enhance a lot on the Core i9-13900K. In our assessments, there have been some circumstances the place it was barely worse. In Cinebench R23’s multi-core take a look at, the Core i9-14900K was about 3% slower than the Core i9-13900K. Not a superb begin.

To be clear, that is most likely as a result of a distinction in silicon — primarily based on different assessments, it seems we now have a very speedy Core i9-13900K. However even that rationalization solely brings the Core i9-14900K as much as par. It’s arduous to justify spending extra for similar efficiency, a lot much less a regression in efficiency. There wasn’t a regression in single-core efficiency, however each processors put up principally the identical end result.

That’s not the one take a look at the place we noticed largely similar efficiency. In Blender 3.4, there are solely marginal variations between the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-14900K. You may swap the names on this chart and there could be no distinction within the conclusion. That’s additionally not good for the Core i9-14900K.

These are the weakest assessments for the Core i9-14900K, nevertheless. In a transcoding take a look at like Handbrake, the Core i9-14900K managed to complete the duty 8% quicker than the Core i9-13900K. That’s doubtless the upper increase clock velocity at work. It’s not an enormous enchancment, however the further increase may be price it in case you do a variety of video enhancing.

In 7-Zip, the Core i9-14900K exhibits the clearest enchancment. On the again of higher compression efficiency, it ended up 15% quicker than the Core i9-13900K. Decompression is normally extra necessary, particularly in duties like gaming, however it’s good to see Intel make some enhancements on this benchmarks that’s usually dominated by AMD processors.

One other space the place the Core i9-14900K exhibits a lead is Y-Cruncher, although it’s not as stark as in 7-Zip. In calculating 500 million digits of Pi, the Core i9-14900K was capable of full the duty 9% quicker when utilizing a single core, and 14% quicker when utilizing each core.

The most important efficiency bounce got here in Jetstream 2. This web-based benchmark confirmed the Core i9-14900K round 16% forward of the Core i9-13900K. That’s an enormous bounce for web-based functions, however you don’t normally purchase a flagship CPU for net apps.

That’s the most important downside for the Core i9-14900K. It exhibits some enhancements, however not within the areas the place it issues most. As an example, in PugetBench for Photoshop, the Core i9-14900K posted virtually similar numbers to the Core i9-13900K.

Gaming efficiency

Intel has highlighted the gaming enhancements of the Core i9-14900K over the earlier technology, prone to shut the hole with chips just like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. And there are some clear enhancements right here, even when they aren’t large enough to justify a brand new flagship CPU.

At a excessive stage, the Core i9-14900K was 20% quicker than the Core i9-13900K in 3DMark Time Spy. We’re wanting particularly on the CPU rating of this take a look at as nicely. That’s an enormous bounce, however sadly, it solely applies to this artificial take a look at.

If we take a look at Hitman 3, that lead shrinks to about 10%. That’s nonetheless a good bounce in gaming efficiency, however it’s a far cry from what we noticed in 3DMark. Equally, in F1 2022, the Core i9-14900K confirmed an enchancment of about 9%.

The most important increase is available in Far Cry 6, the place we noticed the Core i9-14900K outpace the Core i9-13900K by near 33%. It’s price declaring the place that the Core i5-13600K even confirmed the next rating than the flagship, so there may very well be shenanigans with how duties have been scheduled throughout the efficiency and effectivity cores. We’ve seen that beforehand with Intel’s hybrid structure.

Though the Core i9-14900K exhibits efficiency enhancements at 1080p with Excessive graphics settings, you doubtless received’t be utilizing this processor for 1080p gaming with lowered settings. If we take a look at Pink Useless Redemption 2 with its Extremely preset, you may see the Core i9-14900K truly ended up just a few frames slower than the Core i9-13900K. This graphically demanding recreation is an effective reminder that your graphics card will play a extra important position in general gaming efficiency as you improve your decision and graphics settings.

Which is greatest?

Presently, these upgrading from a Twelfth-gen or older CPU ought to go along with the Core i9-14900K. It’s about $50 costlier than the Core i9-13900K, and it brings some stable efficiency enhancements. That is the restrict for the Core i9-14900K, although.

When the Core i9-13900K inevitably slips in value additional, it’s the higher possibility. It affords many of the efficiency of its 14th-gen counterpart for a lower cost. As well as, these already utilizing a Core i9-13900K have little or no purpose to improve. The Core i9-14900K is quicker, however not by sufficient to justify spending greater than $600 on a brand new CPU.

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