Intel Core i7-14700K review: The only meaningful Raptor Lake Refresh upgrade

Intel's Core i7 processors were once seen as the pinnacle of performance, although the company then introduced i9 CPUs, and AMD started getting really, really good again. That trend continues, though, with the Core i7-14700K, which is the only 14th-generation Raptor Lake Refresh offering that got substantial improvements over its predecessors.

Granted, there's still not much that has changed, but with the i7-14700K, you get four more efficiency cores (E-cores), which nets some multi-core improvements. We've noted in our testing that it is a fairly power-hungry chip that gets quite hot, but for those with the chops to cool it, it's an excellent option if you're looking to upgrade from an older 12th-generation CPU. At its best, Intel's 14th generation will make the 13th generation cheaper while also serving as a nice alternative to AMD.

About this review: The Intel Core i7-14700K was sent to us by Intel for the purposes of this review, and it did not have any input into its contents.

Pricing and availability

The Intel Core i7-14700K is available for purchase starting Oct. 17. The KF version, which doesn't include integrated graphics, starts at $384. With integrated graphics, it goes up to $409.

Specifications

An increase in boost frequency and a few more E-cores

With the Intel Core i7-14700K being a refresh of last generation's i7, there aren't many changes and improvements, though the i7 gets more of them than the others. There's a minor bump in boost frequency along with four more E-cores, which is more than can really be said for the other Raptor Lake Refresh processors. The cache is the same, and the fabrication process is still Intel 7.

Looking at the above table, it's clear that the i7-14700K is the biggest jump forward of the lot. With four more E cores at the helm, we expect there to be a slightly larger jump forward in processing performance for this particular chip and in Intel's Core i5-14600K.

Our testing setup

We tested the Intel Core i7-14700K 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

Peak performance in sustained multi-core loads

The Intel Core i7-14700K is the best CPU out of the three of these Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs. It draws a lot of power at 280W under heavy loads, and while AMD's offerings idle at higher wattages, their maximum speed is at a much lower wattage.

The Intel Core i7-14700K peaks at a power draw of 279W under load in Cinebench R23's multi-core test. However, the sustained performance was greatly hampered by our cooling. The i7-14700K struggled even with our NZXT Kraken Z53 at 100% speed, and so wattage dropped as the CPU throttled. As a result, these results are not indicative of overall performance and are lower than you would expect. We switched over to the Noctua NH-D15, and while the results were better (33,270) and at a higher wattage, it still hit 100 degrees Celsius almost immediately.

In Cinebench R23, it achieved a multi-core score of 31,544 with the Kraken Z53, which is still pretty respectable and higher than what you would expect to see last generation. The Intel Core i7-14700K peaks at a higher max turbo wattage than Intel advertises, hitting 280W in our testing, however brief. Regardless, it's clear that this is both a power-hungry chip and one that's really thermally prohibitive for many people.

Peak performance in sustained single-core loads

In single-core, the Intel Core i7-14700K peaks at 61 degrees Celsius with a maximum wattage of 93W. It scores 2,112 in single-core in Cinebench R23, which puts it around the typical results of the last generation. The big improvements in the i7-14700K come from its additional efficiency cores and higher clock speeds, though.

Geekbench 6: The best upgrade of Raptor Lake Refresh

While it would appear our results were also hit by our cooler struggling to tame the i7-14700K, it's impressive that it already manages to score decently better than last year's i7 while being unable to maintain good enough cooling. Some other testers appear to be exceeding a score of 20,000 in their testing, so it would appear that it's certainly capable of a lot better.

CPU-Z

How does the 14700K compare to the best of AMD?

We collected data from over 1,000 benchmarks done on the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 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 anybody can perform a Geekbench test, so they're not representative of real-world peak performance.

However, since these results are taken from "normal" users, the 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.

Should you buy the Intel Core i7-14700K?

You should buy the Intel Core i7-14700K if:

• You need extra power
• You have adequate cooling
• You have the budget for a more powerful card

You shouldn't buy the Intel Core i7-14700K if:

• You don't have adequate cooling or don't want to upgrade your cooling
• You want a clear upgrade path in the future

The Intel Core i7-14700K is the most interesting of the new CPUs from Intel, as it at least makes some tangible changes, even if they're not that big. You'll get four more E-cores, and faster clock speeds, and that's all there really is to it. If you want big changes from Intel, wait for the next generation, but it's almost certain you'll get a new motherboard with that upgrade.

Intel's biggest achievements for this generation are only to be found in laptops, and while the i7-14700K is a great upgrade if you're on an older 12th-generation CPU and want to make your motherboard last a couple more years, there's no reason to upgrade otherwise. Like the rest of this refreshed Raptor Lake lineup, there really isn't much of substance.

Where Intel's advancements really lie are in Meteor Lake, which is several leaps ahead of Raptor Lake. 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.