Intel Core i9-14900K: The most powerful for desktop

Intel Core i9-14900K in detail

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Intel Core i9-14900K in detail

The chip and its configuration are unchanged from the Core i9-13900K. The Core i9-14900K is still built physically on a 24 core B0 stepping. Eight “performance”/P cores with HyperThreading support (two threads per core) complement the sixteen “efficient”/E cores. So this is a 32-thread processor, as is the competing Ryzen 9 7950X. It has already been faced by the older Raptor Lake (13900K) and the Core i9-14900K naturally has higher ambitions. They are to be met mainly thanks to higher boost clock speeds.

As for the all-core boost (multi-threaded applications, games), it has increased by 200 MHz (to 5.7 GHz) between generations, similar to the boost for single-threaded applications. The latter has climbed up to 6 GHz. In the previous generation, for example, Asus tried to reach them using “AI Overclocking” techniques, but now it’s an integral part that works on all motherboards. There is also some increase in speed (by 100 MHz, to 4.4 GHz) on the E cores.

The PL2 value for the Core i9-14900K stays at 253 W (as with the Core i9-13900K or the Core i7-14700K), but without power limits, record power draw can naturally be expected, as CPU core clock speeds across all types of workloads were increased with the same manufacturing node (Intel 7 Ultra). Analysis of Golden Raptor Cove (on which the P cores are based) and Gracemont (E cores) architectures, see our earlier articles (1, 2.

The Core i9-14900K will be one of the most powerful processors for the Intel LGA 1700 platform. Specifically the second most powerful at worst, if the Ci9-14900KS model actually comes out later. The new LGA 1851 platform is already in the pipeline for forthcoming processors (Intel Arrow Lake-S). The new platform will most likely only support DDR5 memory, while Raptor Lake Refresh is still compatible with the older and especially cheaper DDR4 standard. And the latter won’t be a bottleneck, as tests of the Core i9-12900K with 3600 MHz modules have shown.

Like all of the Raptor Lake Refresh processors, the Core i9-14900K includes exclusive Intel Application Optimization support (covering the entire 14th generation Intel Core) for select programs, including games. What it is and how this software extension works, we described in more detail in the prologue to the Core i5-14600K review.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Gaming tests

We test performance in games in four resolutions with different graphics settings. To warm up, there is more or less a theoretical resolution of 1280 × 720 px. We had been tweaking graphics settings for this resolution for a long time. We finally decided to go for the lowest possible (Low, Lowest, Ultra Low, …) settings that a game allows.

One could argue that a processor does not calculate how many objects are drawn in such settings (so-called draw calls). However, with high detail at this very low resolution, there was not much difference in performance compared to FHD (which we also test). On the contrary, the GPU load was clearly higher, and this impractical setting should demonstrate the performance of a processor with the lowest possible participation of a graphics card.

At higher resolutions, high settings (for FHD and QHD) and highest (for UHD) are used. In Full HD it’s usually with Anti-Aliasing turned off, but overall, these are relatively practical settings that are commonly used.

The selection of games was made considering the diversity of genres, player popularity and processor performance requirements. For a complete list, see Chapters 7–16. A built-in benchmark is used when a game has one, otherwise we have created our own scenes, which we always repeat with each processor in the same way. We use OCAT to record fps, or the times of individual frames, from which fps are then calculated, and FLAT to analyze CSV. Both were developed by the author of articles (and videos) from GPUreport.cz. For the highest possible accuracy, all runs are repeated three times and the average values of average and minimum fps are drawn in the graphs. These multiple repetitions also apply to non-gaming tests.

Computing tests

Let’s start lightly with PCMark 10, which tests more than sixty sub-tasks in various applications as part of a complete set of “benchmarks for a modern office”. It then sorts them into fewer thematic categories and for the best possible overview we include the gained points from them in the graphs. Lighter test tasks are also represented by tests in a web browser – Speedometer and Octane. Other tests usually represent higher load or are aimed at advanced users.

We test the 3D rendering performance in Cinebench. In R20, where the results are more widespread, but mainly in R23. Rendering in this version takes longer with each processor, cycles of at least ten minutes. We also test 3D rendering in Blender, with the Cycles render in the BMW and Classroom projects. You can also compare the latter with the test results of graphics cards (contains the same number of tiles).

We test how processors perform in video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve Studio 17. We use a PugetBench plugin, which deals with all the tasks you may encounter when editing videos. We also use PugetBench services in Adobe After Effects, where the performance of creating graphic effects is tested. Some subtasks use GPU acceleration, but we never turn it off, as no one will do it in practice. Some things don’t even work without GPU acceleration, but on the contrary, it’s interesting to see that the performance in the tasks accelerated by the graphics card also varies as some operations are still serviced by the CPU.

We test video encoding under SVT-AV1, in HandBrake and benchmarks (x264 HD and HWBot x265). x264 HD benchmark works in 32-bit mode (we did not manage to run 64-bit consistently on W10 and in general on newer OS’s it may be unstable and show errors in video). In HandBrake we use the x264 processor encoder for AVC and x265 for HEVC. Detailed settings of individual profiles can be found in the corresponding chapter 25. In addition to video, we also encode audio, where all the details are also stated in the chapter of these tests. Gamers who record their gameplay on video can also have to do with the performance of processor encoders. Therefore, we also test the performance of “processor broadcasting” in two popular applications OBS Studio and Xsplit.

We also have two chapters dedicated to photo editing performance. Adobe has a separate one, where we test Photoshop via PugetBench. However, we do not use PugetBench in Lightroom, because it requires various OS modifications for stable operation, and overall we rather avoided it (due to the higher risk of complications) and create our own test scenes. Both are CPU intensive, whether it’s exporting RAW files to 16-bit TIFF with ProPhotoRGB color space or generating 1:1 thumbnails of 42 lossless CR2 photos.

However, we also have several alternative photo editing applications in which we test CPU performance. These include Affinity Photo, in which we use a built-in benchmark, or XnViewMP for batch photo editing or ZPS X. Of the truly modern ones, there are three Topaz Labz applications that use AI algorithms. DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI. Topaz Labs often and happily compares its results with Adobe applications (Photoshop and Lightroom) and boasts of better results. So we’ll see, maybe we’ll get into it from the image point of view sometime. In processor tests, however, we are primarily focused on performance.

We test compression and decompression performance in WinRAR, 7-Zip and Aida64 (Zlib) benchmarks, decryption in TrueCrypt and Aida64, where in addition to AES there are also SHA3 tests. In Aida64, we also test FPU in the chapter of mathematical calculations. From this category you may also be interested in the results of Stockfish 13 and the number of chess combinations achieved per unit time. We perform many tests that can be included in the category of mathematics in SPECworkstation 3.1. It is a set of professional applications extending to various simulations, such as LAMMPS or NAMD, which are molecular simulators. A detailed description of the tests from SPECworkstation 3.1 can be found at spec.org. We do not test 7-zip, Blender and HandBrake from the list for redundancy, because we test performance in them separately in applications. A detailed listing of SPECWS results usually represents times or fps, but we graph “SPEC ratio”, which represents gained points—higher means better.

Processor settings…

We test processors in the default settings, without active PBO2 (AMD) or ABT (Intel) technologies, but naturally with active XMP 2.0.

… and app updates

The tests should also take into account that, over time, individual updates may affect performance comparisons. Some applications are used in portable versions, which are not updated or can be kept on a stable version, but this is not the case for some others. Typically, games update over time. On the other hand, even intentional obsolescence (and testing something out of date that already behaves differently) would not be entirely the way to go.

In short, just take into account that the accuracy of the results you are comparing decreases a bit over time. To make this analysis easier for you, we indicate when each processor was tested. You can find this in the dialog box, where there is information about the test date of each processor. This dialog box appears in interactive graphs, just hover the mouse cursor over any bar.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Methodology: how we measure power draw

Measuring CPU power consumption is relatively simple, much easier than with graphics cards. All power goes through one or two EPS cables. We also use two to increase the cross-section, which is suitable for high performance AMD processors up to sTR(X)4 or for Intel HEDT, and in fact almost for mainstream processors as well. We have Prova 15 current probes to measure current directly on the wires. This is a much more accurate and reliable way of measuring than relying on internal sensors.

The only limitation of our current probes may be when testing the most powerful processors. These already exceed the maximum range of 30 A, at which high accuracy is guaranteed. For most processors, the range is optimal (even for measuring a lower load, when the probes can be switched to a lower and more accurate range of 4 A), but we will test models with power consumption over 360 W on our own device, a prototype of which we have already built. Its measuring range will no longer be limiting, but for the time being we will be using the Prova probes in the near future.

The probes are properly set to zero and connected to a UNI-T UT71E multimeter before each measurement. It records samples of current values during the tests via the IR-USB interface and writes them in a table at one-second intervals. We can then create bar graphs with power consumption patterns. But we always write average values in bar graphs. Measurements take place in various load modes. The lowest represents an idle Windows 10 desktop. This measurement takes place on a system that had been idle for quite some time.

   

Audio encoding (FLAC) represents a higher load, but processors use only one core or one thread for this. Higher loads, where more cores are involved, are games. We test power consumption in F1 2020, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Total War Saga: Troy in 1920 × 1080 px. In this resolution, the power consumption is usually the highest or at least similar to that in lower or higher resolutions, where in most cases the CPU power draw rather decreases due to its lower utilization.

Like most motherboard manufacturers, we too ignore the time limit for “Tau”, after which the power consumption is to be reduced from the PL2 boost limit (when it exceeds the TDP) to the TDP/PL1 value, recommended by Intel, in our tests. This means that neither the power draw nor the clock speed after 56 seconds of higher load does not decrease and the performance is kept stable with just small fluctuations. We had been considering whether or not to respect the Tau. In the end, we decided not to because the vast majority of users won’t either, and therefore the results and comparisons would be relatively uninteresting. The solution would be to test with and without a power limit, but this is no longer possible due to time requirements.

We will pay more attention to the behavior of PL2 in motherboard tests, where it makes more sense. We always use motherboards with extremely robust, efficient VRM, so that the losses on MOSFETs distort the measured results as little as possible and the test setups are powered by a high-end 1200 W BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro 12 power supply. It is strong enough to supply every processor, even with a fully loaded GeForce RTX 3080, and at the same time achieves above-standard efficiency even at lower load. For a complete overview of test setup components, see Chapter 5 of this article.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Methodology: temperature and clock speed tests

When choosing a cooler, we eventually opted for Noctua NH-U14S. It has a high performance and at the same time there is also the TR4-SP3 variant designed for Threadripper processors. It differs only by the base, the radiator is otherwise the same, so it will be possible to test and compare all processors under the same conditions. The fan on the NH-U14S cooler is set to a maximum speed of 1,535 rpm during all tests.
Measurements always take place on a bench-wall in a wind tunnel which simulates a computer case, with the difference that we have more control over it.

System cooling consists of four Noctua NF-S12A PWM fans, which are in an equilibrium ratio of two at the inlet and two at the outlet. Their speed is set at a fixed 535 rpm, which is a relatively practical speed that is not needed to be exceeded. In short, this should be the optimal configuration based on our tests of various system cooling settings.

It is also important to maintain the same air temperature around the processors. Of course, this also changes with regard to how much heat a particular processor produces, but at the inlet of the tunnel it must always be the same for accurate comparisons. In our air-conditioned test lab, it is currently in the range of 21–21.3 °C.

Maintaining a constant inlet temperature is necessary not only for a proper comparison of processor temperatures, but especially for unbiased performance comparisons. Trend of clock speed and especially single-core boost depends on the temperature. In the summer at higher temperatures, processors may be slower in living spaces than in the winter.

For Intel processors, we register the maximum core temperature for each test, usually of all cores. These maximum values are then averaged and the result is represented by the final value in the graph. From the outputs of single-threaded load, we only pick the registered values from active cores (these are usually two and alternate during the test). It’s a little different with AMD processors. They don’t have temperature sensors for every core. In order for the procedure to be as methodically as possible similar to that applied on Intel processors, the average temperature of all cores is defined by the highest value reported by the CPU Tdie sensor (average). For single-threaded load, however, we already use a CPU sensor (Tctl/Tdie), which usually reports a slightly higher value, which better corresponds to the hotspots of one or two cores. But these values as well as the values from all internal sensors must be taken with a grain of salt, the accuracy of the sensors varies across processors.

Clock speed evaluation is more accurate, each core has its own sensor even on AMD processors. Unlike temperatures, we plot average clock speed values during tests in graphs. We monitor the temperature and clock speed of the processor cores in the same tests, in which we also measure the power consumption. And thus, gradually from the lowest load level on the desktop of idle Windows 10, through audio encoding (single-threaded load), gaming load in three games (F1 2020, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Total War Saga: Troy), to a 10-minute load in Cinebench R23 and the most demanding video encoding with the x264 encoder in HandBrake.

To record the temperatures and clock speed of the processor cores, we use HWiNFO, in which sampling is set to two seconds. With the exception of audio encoding, the graphs always show the averages of all processor cores in terms of temperatures and clock speed. During audio encoding, the values from the loaded core are given.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Test setup

* We use the following BIOSes on motherboards. For Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi v0502 – Intel Raptor Lake/v1501 – Intel Raptor Lake Refresh, MSI MEG X670E Ace v1.10NPRP, for MEG X570 Ace v1E, for MEG Z690 Unify v10, for MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 v11, for MEG Z590 Ace v1.14 and for MEG Z490 Ace v17.

Note: The graphics drivers we use are Nvidia GeForce 466.77 and the Windows 10 OS build is 19045 at the time of testing.

Processors of other platforms are tested on MSI MEG Z690 Unify, MAG Z490 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4, Z590 Ace and Z490 Ace motherboards, MEG Z690 Unify (all Intel) and MEG X570 Ace, MEG X670E Ace (AMD).

      

      

On platforms supporting DDR5 memory, we use two different sets of modules. For more powerful processors with an “X” (AMD) or “K” (Intel) in the name, we use the faster G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo memory (2×16 GB, 6000 MHz/CL30). In the case of cheaper processors (without X or K at the end of the name), the slower Kingston Fury Beast modules (2×16 GB, 5200 MHz/CL40). But this is more or less just symbolic, the bandwidth is very high for both kits, it is not a bottleneck, and the difference in processor performance is very small, practically negligible, across the differently fast memory kits.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

3DMark

We use 3DMark Professional for the tests and the following tests: Night Raid (DirectX 12), Fire Strike (DirectX 11) and Time Spy (DirectX 12). In the graphs you will find partial CPU scores, combined scores, but also graphics scores. You can find out to what extent the given processor limits the graphics card.

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Low; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset Low; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: low; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Borderlands 3

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Very Low; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: None; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Counter-Strike: GO

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; lowest graphics settings and w/o Anti-Aliasing, API DirectX 9; Test platform script with Dust 2 map tour.

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; high graphics settings and w/o Anti-Aliasing, API DirectX 9; Test platform script with Dust 2 map tour.

   

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; high graphics settings; 4× MSAA, API DirectX 9; Test platform script with Dust 2 map tour.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; very high graphics settings; 4× MSAA, API DirectX 9; Test platform script with Dust 2 map tour.

   

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Cyberpunk 2077

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Low; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: custom (Little China)

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: custom (Little China).

   

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: custom (Little China).

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: custom (Little China).

   

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

DOOM Eternal

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Low; API Vulkan; extra settings Present From Compute: off, Motion Blur: Low, Depth of Field Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: custom.

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API Vulkan; extra settings Present From Compute: on, Motion Blur: High, Depth of Field Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: custom.

   

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API Vulkan; extra settings Present From Compute: on, Motion Blur: High, Depth of Field Anti-Aliasing: on; test scene: custom.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra Nightmare; API Vulkan; extra settings Present From Compute: on, Motion Blur: High, Depth of Field Anti-Aliasing: on; test scene: custom.

   

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

F1 2020

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Ultra Low; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off, Anisotropic Filtering: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off, Skidmarks Blending: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

   

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA, Skidmarks Blending: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA, Skidmarks Blending: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Metro Exodus

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Low; API DirectX 12; no extra settings test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Extreme; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Disclaimer: The performance of this game changes and improves frequently due to continuous updates. We verify the consistency of the results by re-testing the Ryzen 9 5900X processor before each measurement. In case of significant deviations, we discard the older results and start building the database from scratch. Due to the incompleteness of the MFS results, we do not use MFS to calculate the average gaming performance of the processors.

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Low; API DirectX 11; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: custom (Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air Traffic: AI, February 14, 9:00) autopilot: from 1000 m until hitting the terrain.

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset Low; API DirectX 11; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: custom (Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air Traffic: AI, February 14, 9:00) autopilot: from 1000 m until hitting the terrain.

   

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 11; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA; test scene: custom (Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air Traffic: AI, February 14, 9:00) autopilot: from 1000 m until hitting the terrain.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 11; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA; test scene: custom (Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Air Traffic: AI, February 14, 9:00) autopilot: from 1000 m until hitting the terrain.

   

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Lowest; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Highest; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA; test scene: built-in benchmark.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Total War Saga: Troy

Test environment: resolution 1280 × 720 px; graphics settings preset Low; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 2560 × 1440 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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strong>Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Overall gaming performance

To calculate average gaming performance, we normalized the Intel Core i7-11900K processor. The percentage differences of all other processors are based on this, with each of the games contributing an equal weight to the final result. To see exactly what the formula we use to arrive at each value looks like, see „New average CPU score measuring method“.

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Gaming performance per euro

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

PCMark

Geekbench

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Speedometer (2.0) and Octane (2.0)

Test environment: We’re using a portable version of Google Chrome (91.0.472.101) 64-bit so that real-time results are not affected by browser updates. GPU hardware acceleration is enabled as each user has in the default settings.

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Note: The values in the graphs represent the average of the points obtained in the subtasks, which are grouped according to their nature into seven categories (Core language features, Memory and GC, Strings and arrays, Virtual machine and GC, Loading and Parsing, Bit and Math operations and Compiler and GC latency).

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Cinebench R20

Cinebench R23

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Blender@Cycles

Test environment: We use well-known projects BMW (510 tiles) and Classroom (2040 tiles) and renderer Cycles. Render settings are set to None, with which all the work falls on the CPU.

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LuxRender (SPECworkstation 3.1)

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Adobe Premiere Pro (PugetBench)

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests. App version of Adobe Premiere Pro is 15.2.

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

DaVinci Resolve Studio (PugetBench)

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests, test type: standard. App version of DaVinci Resolve Studio is 17.2.1 (build 12).

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests. App version of Adobe After Effects is 18.2.1.

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

HandBrake

   

Test environment: For video conversion we’re using a 4K video LG Demo Snowboard with a 43,9 Mb/s bitrate. AVC (x264) and HEVC (x265) profiles are set for high quality and encoder profiles are “slow”. HandBrake version is 1.3.3 (2020061300).

x264 and x265 benchmarks

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SVT-AV1

Test environment: We are encoding a short, publicly available sample park_joy_2160p50.y4m: uncompressed video 4096 × 2160 px, 8bit, 50 fps. Length is 585 frames with encoding quality set to 6 which makes the encoding still relatively slow. This test can make use of the AVX2 i AVX-512 instructions.

Version: SVT-AV1 Encoder Lib v0.8.7-61-g685afb2d via FFMpeg N-104429-g069f7831a2-20211026 (64bit)
Build from: https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases
Command line: ffmpeg.exe -i “park_joy_2160p50.y4m” -c:v libsvtav1 -rc 0 -qp 55 -preset 6 -f null output.webm

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Audio encoding

Test environment: Audio encoding is done using command line encoders, we measure the time it takes for the conversion to finish. The same 42-minute long 16-bit WAV file (stereo) with 44.1 kHz is always used (Love Over Gold by Dire Straits album rip in a single audio file).

Encoder settings are selected to achieve maximum or near maximum compression. The bitrate is relatively high, with the exception of lossless FLAC of about 200 kb/s.

Note: These tests measure single-thread performance.

FLAC: reference encoder 1.3.2, 64-bit build. Launch options: flac.exe -s -8 -m -e -p -f

MP3: encoder lame3.100.1, 64-bit build (Intel 19 Compiler) from RareWares. Launch options: lame.exe -S -V 0 -q 0

AAC: uses Apple QuickTime libraries, invoked through the application from the command line, QAAC 2.72, 64-bit build, Intel 19 Compiler (does not require installation of the whole Apple package). Launch options: qaac64.exe -V 100 -s -q 2

Opus: reference encoder 1.3.1, Launch options: opusenc.exe –comp 10 –quiet –vbr –bitrate 192

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Broadcasting

Test environment: Applications OBS Studio and Xsplit. We’re using the built-in benchmark (scene Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle) in F1 2020, in a resolution of 2560 × 1440 px and the same graphics settings, as with standard game performance tests. Thanks to this, we can measure the performance decrease if you record your gameplay with the x264 software encoder while playing. The output is 2560 × 1440 px at 60 fps.

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Adobe Photoshop (PugetBench)

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests. App version of Adobe Photoshop is 22.4.2.

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Adobe Lightroom Classic

Test environment: With the settings above, we export 42 uncompressed .CR2 (RAW Canon) photos with a size of 20 Mpx. Then we create 1:1 previews from them, which also represent one of the most processor intensive tasks in Lightroom. The version of Adobe Lightroom Classic is 10.3.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Affinity Photo (benchmark)

Test environment: built-in benchmark.

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Topaz Labs AI apps

Topaz DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI. These single-purpose applications are used for restoration of low-quality photos. Whether it is high noise (caused by higher ISO), raster level (typically after cropping) or when something needs extra focus. The AI performance is always used.

Test environment: As part of batch editing, 42 photos with a lower resolution of 1920 × 1280 px are processed, with the settings from the images above. DeNoise AI is in version 3.1.2, Gigapixel in 5.5.2 and Sharpen AI in 3.1.2.

XnViewMP

Test environment: XnViewMP is finally a photo-editor for which you don’t have to pay. At the same time, it uses hardware very efficiently. In order to achieve more reasonable comparison times, we had to create an archive of up to 1024 photos, where we reduce the original resolution of 5472 × 3648 px to 1980 × 1280 px and filters with automatic contrast enhancement and noise reduction are also being applied during this process. We use 64-bit portable version 0.98.4.

Zoner Photo Studio X

Test environment: In Zoner Photo Studio X we convert 42 .CR2 (RAW Canon) photos to JPEG while keeping the original resolution (5472 × 3648 px) at the lowest possible compression, with the ZPS X profile ”high quality for archival”.

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

WinRAR 6.01

7-Zip 19.00

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

TrueCrypt 7.1a

Aida64 (AES, SHA3)

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Y-cruncher

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Stockfish 13

Test environment: Host for the Stockfish 13 engine is a chess app Arena 2.0.1, build 2399.

Aida64, FPU tests

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FSI (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Kirchhoff migration (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Python36 (SPECworkstation 3.1)

SRMP (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Octave (SPECworkstation 3.1)

FFTW (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Convolution (SPECworkstation 3.1)

CalculiX (SPECworkstation 3.1)

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

RodiniaLifeSci (SPECworkstation 3.1)

WPCcfd (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Poisson (SPECworkstation 3.1)

LAMMPS (SPECworkstation 3.1)

NAMD (SPECworkstation 3.1)

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Memory tests…

… and cache (L1, L2, L3)

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The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Processor power draw curve

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Average processor power draw

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Performance per watt

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Achieved CPU clock speed

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

CPU temperature

The top model of the 14th generation of Intel Core (Raptor Lake Refresh-S) processors has outperformed everything that has come out for desktop computers so far. In speed, but also in power draw. On the one hand, the 6 GHz metric for single-threaded applications has been reached and the clock speeds are very high even under all-core boost, the side effect is that the Core i9-14900K’s power draw can sometimes spike up to 400 W.

Conclusion

The assignment for making the Core i9-14900K was apparently clear – to outperform more clearly (than the Core i9-13900K) the Ryzen 9 7950X, whatever the cost. This has been achieved, and until the launch of AMD’s Zen 5 processors, the most powerful model in the Raptor Lake Refresh family is the fastest you can get on mainstream platforms (Intel LGA 1700/AMD AM5). At least in terms of “raw” performance.

The only type of tasks in which the Core i9-14900K didn’t break through to the top spot on average, as is usual for this series, are games. Even the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is better at this. Overall (and also in terms of efficiency). Although the Ci9-14900K is a top-notch processor for gaming, it should be noted that with slightly lower gaming performance it has significantly higher power draw and is thus characterised by lower efficiency. Sure, after manual tuning it will be possible to narrow these differences significantly, but when it comes to operating without power limits while achieving the specified parameters (i.e. at 5.7 GHz on P cores for Core i9-14900K’s all-core boost), Intel’s processor is lagging behind in this regard.

But the power of the most powerful Core i9 lies in its “better” versatility. This is even compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which, due to its lower clock speeds (both all-core and SC boost), does not achieve higher application performance than the Ryzen 9 7950X, with which we’ll compare the Core i9-14900K in a following test. The raw multithreaded performance of the two competing processors (Core i9-14900K and Ryzen 9 7950X) is fairly evenly matched, though for 3D rendering, Intel’s solution will usually have a slight edge. Of course, the differences are so small that in some cases, on some motherboards, it can be the other way around. For video encoding, the Ryzen 9 7950X seems a little better prepared. The latter is always lower-power and therefore more power efficient at maximum output.

By the way, notice that in some places where CPUs experience jumps in load, the Core i9-14900K responds more aggressively than other models. There is a significant spike in peak power draw (213.8 W) from average (142.5 W) at the tipping point in, for example, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but also in the F1 2020 game and also between scenes in Cinebench R23.

In video editing, sometimes the Core i9 processor is faster, sometimes the Ryzen 9, it depends on the task – it’s individual. Both in Adobe Premiere Pro and in DaVinci Resolve (Studio). A similar scenario applies to Adobe After Effects and Intel’s (Core i9-14900K) “dominance” can only be stated for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Affinity Photo and XnView, which are photo editors. Ryzen 9 (7950X) excels in this environment in Zoner Photo Studio X (RAW to JPEG conversion) and in Topaz Labs AI applications, where AMD Zen 4 processors benefit from the implementation of AVX-512 instructions.

The Core i9-14900K processor is unrivalled in single-threaded applications, where it leaves the Ryzen 9 7950X behind virtually every time. Intel is typically 10–20% faster here (both on the web and in an office environment or when encoding audio recordings, which are also single-threaded tasks). Such results are again achieved at higher Intel processor power draw, but no longer fundamentally and efficiency in this case leans more towards the Core i9. And it should also be noted that 6 GHz is easier to achieve in practice than the “theoretical” 5.85 GHz of the Ryzen 9 7950X. Easier in that Intel’s maximum SC boost is easier to cool than AMD’s. Although for stable operation (6 GHz) of the Core i9-14900K you will also need an above-standard performance cooler. Power draw in a single-threaded load is only around 60 W, but because of the very small area (equivalent to two cores) on which it’s generated, temperature even with a cooler like the Noctua NH-U14S exceeds 80 °C.

Across all scenarios, the Core i9-14900K is an extremely powerful processor that never has any weak spots when it comes to speed. The one (weak point) is the very high power draw, which is even 400W at high load start, although you’ll then cool around 300W sustained. But that’s quite a lot, considering that the Ryzen 9 7950X with comparable computing performance draws at least 80W less power. However, the latter also needs to be intensively cooled, and the Core i9-14900K processor has the advantage of a “more heat-conductive” interface, but this will not reduce the operating costs. Either way, for those who need the best performance and other aspects are secondary, the Core i9-14900K is the number one choice in many situations.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

We are grateful to Datacomp e-shop for cooperation in providing the tested hardware

Special thanks also to Blackmagic Design (for DaVinci Resolve Studio license), Topaz Labs (for DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI licenses) and Zoner (for Photo Studio X license)

• Contents
• Intel Core i9-14900K in detail
• Methodology: performance tests
• Methodology: how we measure power draw
• Methodology: temperature and clock speed tests
• Test setup
• 3DMark
• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Borderlands 3
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Cyberpunk 2077
• DOOM Eternal
• F1 2020
• Metro Exodus
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War Saga: Troy
• Overall gaming performance
• Gaming performance per euro
• PCMark and Geekbench
• Web performance
• 3D rendering: Cinebench, Blender, ...
• Video 1/2: Adobe Premiere Pro
• Video 2/2: DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects
• Video encoding
• Audio encoding
• Broadcasting (OBS and Xsplit)
• Photos 1/2: Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
• Photos 2/2: Affinity Photo, Topaz Labs AI Apps, ZPS X, ...
• (De)compression
• (De)encryption
• Numerical computing
• Simulations
• Memory and cache tests
• Processor power draw curve
• Average processor power draw
• Performance per watt
• Achieved CPU clock speed
• CPU temperature
• Conclusion