Conclusion
Intel has launched its Intel Core 14th Gen Desktop S-series Processor Family, and coming in as the more affordable option is the Intel Core i5-14600K CPU. The Intel Core i5-14600K has an RCP USD of $319 matching its predecessor, the Intel Core i5-13600K. The Intel Core i5-14600K is based on the same Raptor Lake architecture as found in its Intel Core i5-13600K and 13th Gen Processors.
The Intel Core i5-14600K is merely a refinement of that technology process and offers free clock speed boosts to P-cores and E-cores. It has the same 6 P-core and 8 E-core count with 20 Threads, as well as the same 24MB of L3 cache and 20MB of L2 cache. The P-core Max Turbo at up to 5.3GHz and the E-core Max Turbo at 4.0GHz. It has the same Max Turbo Power of 181W rating.
Since the Intel Core i5-14600K fits right into socket LGA 1700, it also works with Intel’s Z600 and Z700 series chipsets which can combine with DDR4 or DDR5. To get the most out of these CPUs DDR5 is the best way to go, with either a lower-cost Z790 motherboard such as the ASUS TUF GAMING Z790-PRO WIFI we tested with today, or even a B760-based motherboard.
Pricing and Performance
We tested system benchmarks, and games with the Intel Core i5-14600K against the closest launch price MSRP competition to AMD, the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X. The Ryzen 7 7700X was a good CPU to include in comparisons today because it launched at an MSRP of $399, but is on sale directly from AMD.com today for $349. This puts it squarely in line with the suggested $319 pricing of the Intel Core i5-14600K, with a $30 difference making the 14600K actually the cheaper option, potentially. The Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-core/16-thread CPU going up against the 6 P-core/8 E-core/20-thread Intel Core i5-14600K in our testing.
The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X launched with an MSRP of $299 and is currently $249 directly from AMD.com right now. This also puts it in the sights of the Intel Core i5-14600K, especially when it is closer to its launch pricing with the 14600K only being between $20-$70 more expensive. The Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core/12-thread CPU going up against the 6 P-core/8 E-core/20-thread Intel Core i5-14600K in our testing, so the 14600K seems quite a bit more capable on paper already at this price point compared to the 7600X.
Let’s get this fact off the table real quick, the Intel Core i5-14600K does not offer a substantial performance uplift over the previous Intel Core i5-13600K. It was never going to, it is simply a clock-bumped CPU, it offers more P-core and E-core maximum boost clocks, and with this increase in clock speed comes the appropriate performance uplift for multi-core/thread and single-core/thread performance uplifts. It just is what it is, and it was never going to be different.
In our benchmarks, we found that the Intel Core i5-14600K offers between a 2%-5% performance uplift over the 13600K, that is it, it is what it is. It looks like greater gains were experienced in single-core/thread workloads, rather than multi-core workloads, which makes sense due to the P-cores having a higher boost than the E-cores.
The real benefit is how the Intel Core i5-14600K compares to the competition, namely the Ryzen 7 7700X. Though we have the Ryzen 5 7600X in there, the real meat on the bone is with the 7700X comparison. In Geekbench the 14600K was 15% faster than the 7700X in multi-core testing. In 3DMark max-threads the 14600K was 19% faster than the 7700X, and 50% faster than the 7600X. Even in single-core performance, it was faster than the 7700X and 7600X.
In Cinebench the 14600K was 26% faster than the 7700X and 65% faster than the 7600X. In single-core, it was again the fastest CPU. This trend continued in Blender with the 14600K up to 20% faster than the 7700X and blowing the 7600X out of the water. In V-Ray the 14600K was 12% faster than the 7700X and 47% faster than the 7600X. Encoding video was very strong on the 14600K with it providing a big boost to rendering over the 7700X and 7600X.
Gaming performance was also interesting to look at. If Starfield is any indication of where games are going in terms of CPU performance, then Intel is in a good position here. The 13600K and 14600K wiped the floor with the 7700X and 7600X in this game. We saw clear CPU bottlenecks with the 7700X and 7600X at 1440p to 1080p. The 14600K is able to fly past them and offer 20% higher performance than the 7700X and 7600X at 1080p, that is rather significant.
We also saw big gains in Counter Strike 2 at 4K and 1440p with the 14600K being 10% faster at 4K and 15% faster at 1440p, also significant. Even Cyberpunk, which is generally GPU dependent, showed the 14600K being 4% faster than the 7700X and 10% faster than the 7600X. The Ryzen 5 7600X also seemed to tank in CoDMW2, where the 14600K surpassed it by 13%.
Final Points
The Intel Core i5-14600K performs against the Intel Core i5-13600K just as you would think it should for a CPU with a clock speed increase. There are no surprises here, so the results should not be surprising. Do not miss the fact that the main focus is toward the competition at this price point, not strictly on how the 14600K compares to the 13600K. Don’t miss the forest through the trees on this one.
If you have a 13th Gen Processor from Intel, stick with it, this is not an upgrade path. If you have a 12th Gen Processor from Intel stick with it, this is not an upgrade path. You are better off waiting for the next-generation desktop CPU from Intel. If you are on an older platform, 11th Gen or older, then the Intel Core i5-14600K could be a good upgrade path for you. You have options with this CPU, such as a lower-cost B760 motherboard, or even a value-oriented Z790 motherboard like the ASUS TUF GAMING Z790-PRO WIFI motherboard we tested with today. Throw in some affordable DDR5, and you are off to the races.
The real competition at this price range is the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 5 7600X. Our testing shows that if you are focused on multi-thread workloads, and have productivity and content creation in mind, or you multi-task a lot, then the Intel Core i5-14600K is going to be a better all-arounder CPU. It is just simply going to be faster. Our testing shows that it pwns multi-threading performance when compared to the Ryzen 7 7700X. We’d even go as far as to say that the Intel Core i5-14600K is an upgrade path from the Ryzen 5 7600X. You can get over a 50% performance uplift with the 14600K compared to the 7600X, that’s certainly enough of a performance uplift in multi-threaded workloads to warrant an upgrade.
When it comes to games, it’s more of a mixed bag. It is greatly going to depend on the game, and your GPU performance, as to what degree of performance you see. Our game testing provides a lot of evidence for the Intel Core i5-14600K being faster in games than the Ryzen 7 7700X or Ryzen 5 7600X. Certainly, if Starfield or Counter Strike 2 are your bag, there is a lot of proof that the 14600K is going to be a lot faster. Other games have no differences, but even a game like Cyberpunk 2077 which is GPU heavy showed the 14600K being faster. It all of course hinges on the fact that you also have a fast GPU.
Overall, for the price, we think the Intel Core i5-14600K is a very well-balanced CPU. Consider as well the KF variant will cost a little less as well, making it more competitive to the competition. The 14600K offers incredible multi-threading performance compared to the competition at this price point. It also offers overall better gaming performance. You will find that it does not offer any real advantages over the Intel Core i5-13600K but since it costs the same this means you are basically getting a clock speed bump at the same price. When you look at the competition, at this price point, the 14600K looks very appealing for a performance advantage on all fronts.
