Intel Core i5-14600K review: Pushing the limits of Raptor Lake's best gaming SKU

Intel's i5 processors are, by design, the middle ground of price versus performance. They're strategically placed below the i7's and the i9's of the world to be a more budget-friendly option that caters to creatives and gamers alike. And that hasn't changed with Intel's 14th generation of chips. Intel Core i5-13600K was one of the best CPUs to put in a gaming PC in 2023, and the Core i5-14600K doubles down on that winning formula for the next year.

That's not to say that the i5-14600K is a perfect CPU, although it's hard to deny that it's a great last hurrah of sorts for Raptor Lake, especially given that Meteor Lake won't be coming to the desktop. This is a CPU that will likely show its age in a few years' time thanks to next-generation hardware that Intel will likely have next year, but for now, it's an excellent upgrade for those coming from a 12th-generation i5 looking to save money and avoid an upgrade to their board.

About this review: The Intel Core i5-14600K was sent to us by Intel for the purposes of this review, and it did not have any input into the contents.

Pricing and availability

The Intel Core i5-14600K is available for purchase starting Oct. 17. The KF version, which doesn't include integrated graphics, costs $294. With integrated graphics, it goes up to $319.

Testing the Intel Core i5-14600K

An increase in boost frequency and not much else

Being a refresh of the 13th-generation i5, the Intel Core i5-14600K features a minor bump in frequency and no other changes, which shouldn't really come as much of a surprise. The cache is the same, the fabrication process is still Intel 7, and it has the same core count. The biggest change is in core boost frequencies.

Looking at the above table, it's hard not to be disappointed, even though Raptor Lake has been a great architecture for Intel. The i5-13600K wasn't a bad chip whatsoever, and tweaking it to make it even a little better is always a good thing. It definitely doesn't mean you should upgrade from a 13th-generation CPU to an equivalent 14th-generation one, but an upgrade from a 12th-generation option (so that you can retain the same socket) isn't out of the question.

Our testing setup

The Intel Core i5-14600K was tested on an Asus Z790 ROG Maximus Dark Hero motherboard with 32GB of DDR5 6000MHz RAM. We tested this and other processors with an NZXT Z53 Kraken 240mm AiO for cooling. All of these benchmarks were run on Windows 11 with an AMD 7900XTX installed.

All data for this review was collected by using HWInfo and processing that data. HWInfo polls sensors every two seconds by default. The fans on the NZXT Kraken Z53 were also set to 100% to combat any potential thermal limitations and to measure the raw performance of the CPU.

Power consumption and thermals

Low idle wattage and cooler temperatures

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a great CPU, both in terms of performance and wattage. In both multi-core and single-core, you can see that its idle wattage is incredibly low. Immediately after we ran our tests, it dropped to 10W, and we observed continuous basic usage in the likes of web browsing to not exceed 40W. Idle temperatures with the Z53 Kraken were in the mid-to-high 20 degrees Celsius when the fans were on maximum.

Where the i5-14600K falters, though, is under load. Partially due to fabrication size, it's an expensive chip to run at full pelt, thanks to its 181W TDP. While AMD's offerings idle at higher wattages, their maximum speed is at a much lower TDP.

Peak performance in sustained multi-core loads

The Intel Core i5-14600K peaks at a power draw of 177W under load in Cinebench R23's multi-core test, which pushes this CPU right up next to its TDP of 181W. It also maxed out at 84 degrees Celsius under load with our AiO configuration, which makes sense for a lower-powered chip like this.

In Cinebench R23, it achieved a multi-core score of 23,763, which is pretty respectable and higher than what you would expect to see last generation. Those frequency boosts do net an improvement without an increase in power draw, it seems. In Cinebench 2024, it scores 1,318 in multi-core.

Peak performance in sustained single-core loads

In single-core performance, the Intel Core i5 13600K peaked at 47 degrees Celsius with a maximum wattage of 58W. It scored 119 in single-core in Cinebench 2024, which puts it, as expected, a bit higher than the typical results of the last generation.

Geekbench 6: A great upgrade from most Alder Lake CPUs

We collected data from over 1000 benchmarks done on the Intel Core i5-13600K and Intel i7-12700K platforms on Geekbench to get a sense of the median performance a normal user will get with these CPUs. Our test bench, as a result, is a somewhat unrealistic standard in comparison, as Geekbench tests that anybody can do aren't representative of peak performance.

On the contrary, because these results are taken from "normal" users, these tests are most likely indicative of the standard user and not a highly focused test bench built with the sole purpose of extracting performance out of hardware. Even then, we still see a fairly standard performance improvement of 5.4%, going from the i5-13600K to the 14600K.

What's especially interesting is that the i5-14600K outperformed the i7-12700K by a significant margin. While it makes sense, given the i5 has two more efficiency cores (E-cores) and is significantly newer with higher boost clock speeds and more L2 cache, those on Alder Lake will likely see an improvement when jumping to the 14th-generation i5. Even the 12th-generation Gen i9 is similar in raw performance despite its eight performance cores (P-cores) versus the six of the 14600K, higher clock speeds, and increased cache.

Competition

How does the 14600K fare against the best from AMD?

We again evaluated the Intel Core i5-14600K against other CPUs in aggregating Geekbench results, and it pits the Intel Core i5-14600K squarely in line with, or slightly better than, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

However, these results are nowhere near as close when comparing both of these CPUs in Cinebench. This data, collected by XDA's Matthew Connatser on his test bench in equal conditions for all three CPUs, shows that the Intel Core i5-14600K tears ahead of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D when it comes to multi-core processing to the tune of roughly 37%.

The truth is that the Ryzen 9 7800X blows the 14600K out of the water, but we expected that. The 7800X3D's 3D V-Cache is great for gamers, but even our testing found both CPUs are quite on par when it comes to gaming. That means the 14600K has much better general performance that will reflect well in productivity-related tasks and generally even gaming performance. It sounds like a better deal, especially since it also costs less.

Should you buy the Intel Core i5-14600K?

You should buy the Intel Core i5-14600K if:

• You have a 12th-generation Intel CPU and don't want to buy anything but a new CPU
• You want a great all-rounder
• You're on a tighter budget

You shouldn't buy the Intel Core i5-14600K if:

• You need the best of the best for intensive processing
• You want a clear upgrade path in the future

Everything that we liked about the 13600K is the same here, and it's hard to really say anything other than this CPU is just a slightly better version of that model. It's a good CPU, but if you're looking for something groundbreaking from Intel, this isn't it. These are very likely to be the last LGA 1700 CPUs, and if you're looking to get a bit more mileage out of your motherboard and you already have a 12th-generation processor, then Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh is exactly what you should be looking toward.

The Intel Core i5-14600K seems to be the right chip at the wrong time. It doubles down on an already excellent CPU from Intel that's a top choice for those looking to game on a modest budget, but the technology will already have aged considerably by this time next year. With Meteor Lake skipping desktop for this generation, Intel was forced to go back to its tried and tested Raptor Lake and doll it up a little bit for its 14th generation.

The Intel Core i5-14600K seems to be the right chip at the wrong time.

However, Meteor Lake is several leaps ahead of Raptor Lake, except that it's on laptops and not desktops. It's produced on a smaller fabrication process for better power efficiency and lower thermals, uses new packaging technologies, has an AI NPU engine, and even includes smaller improvements like Wi-Fi 7. The best thing about Raptor Lake Refresh is that anyone on a 12th-generation CPU can upgrade without upgrading their board, but otherwise, Intel's Arrow Lake looks like it will be the next major leap forward for Team Blue.

There's a lot to be said for Intel's competitive pricing on its 14th-generation CPUs. Starting at $294 for the KF variant of this CPU, it's significantly cheaper than the starting price of the 7800X3D that it bests. Even if you're looking at making a new build and are weighing Team Red and Team Blue, Intel's 14th-generation is an enticing lineup. In the best-case scenario, it'll push the 13th generation's prices down a little bit, making the last generation even more value-focused than it already was.