Intel‘s next-generation Core processors are still on the horizon, but in the meantime, the company is gearing up for a refresh of its current generation, dubbed “Raptor Lake Refresh.” Anticipated to be the 14th Gen, these processors are set to launch in the coming months, and leaks about their technical specifications have already surfaced. Notably, the flagship processors in this lineup include the Core i9-14900K, Core i7-14700K, and Core i5-14600K.
It’s not uncommon to encounter situations like this, as Intel’s partners, OEMs, and other industry insiders often gain access to pre-production models well in advance of their official release. This early access allows them to develop and optimize their products around these upcoming processors. The leaked specifications for the Raptor Lake Refresh processors have been reported by Benchlife, a source known for providing accurate information about Intel’s processor lineup in the past. As a result, we can reasonably rely on the data presented in these leaks.
Intel Raptor Lake Refresh processors exposed
Upon learning of Intel’s plan to introduce a new generation “refresh” of their current processors, the general expectation was that the new chips would offer higher operating speeds, following the precedent set by previous releases. As anticipated, the upcoming Intel processors do indeed surpass the 6 GHz barrier in terms of speed.
According to leaked data, the Raptor Lake Refresh processors, particularly the K-series variants with unlocked multipliers for overclocking, are set to receive a significant boost in turbo speed. The Core i9-14900K will achieve an impressive 6 GHz, the Core i7-14700K will reach 5.6 GHz, and the Core i5-14600K will clock in at 5.3 GHz – all of these speeds are under turbo conditions.
Regarding the cores and threads, the Core i7-14700K will stand apart from its predecessor (the 13700K) by featuring a new 8 + 12 core configuration. This entails 8 hyperthreaded performance P cores and 12 low power E cores, totaling 20 cores and 28 threads. Additionally, this processor will also have a slight increase in “smart cache” memory, now reaching 33 MB compared to the 30 MB in the 13700K.
| Core i5-14600K | Core i7-14700K | Core i9-14900K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1700 | LGA1700 | LGA1700 |
| P-nuclei | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| E-cores | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| TDP | 125W | 125W | 125W |
| base speed | 3.5GHz | 3.4GHz | 3.2GHz |
| Intel Thermal Velocity Boost | N/A | N/A | Yeah |
| TVB frequency | N/A | N/A | 6GHz |
| Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | N/A | Yeah | Yeah |
| Turbo Boost Max Frequency | N/A | 5.6GHz | 5.8GHz |
| P Core Turbo | 5.3GHz | 5.5GHz | 5.7GHz |
| E Core Turbo | 4GHz | 4.3GHz | 4.4GHz |
| Intel SmartCache | 24MB | 33MB | 36MB |
Previous reports on the processors had suggested that the Core i5-14600K would have an increased count of P performance cores. However, based on the latest information, it appears that this will not be the case, and the Core i5 model will still feature only 6 performance cores, maintaining the same configuration as the original model (13600K), but with a 200 MHz higher operating speed.
As for the release timeline, the Intel Raptor Lake Refresh processors are expected to be launched in October of this year. Initially, only the K and KF models (without integrated GPU) will be available. Later on, there will be non-K variants with a TDP of 65W arriving at the beginning of the next year. Intel is anticipated to officially unveil all the details about these processors at the end of August during Gamescom in Cologne.