Intel 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh Confirmed As Up To 17 % Faster

We’re maybe just six to eight weeks away from Intel announcing its highly anticipated 14th Gen Raptor Lake refresh processors, which will replace current 13th Gen models, but motherboard manufacturer MSI has let slip some exciting details. the new 14th Gen CPUs, which could make for a good upgrade for owners of older or slower 12th or 13th Gen models, boast up to 17 % more performance.

A product training video reveals that as previously reported, the Core i7-14700K will indeed be getting a core count increase, seeing its Efficient Cores boosted from eight to 12 compared to the Core i7-13700K. This is still four fewer than the flagship Core i9-14900K and Core i9-13900K, but it’s where MSI is getting its 17% from. Previous rumors have also confirmed this, but this now looks set in stone with MSI revealing the details.

The 13% figure is from the increased multi-threaded performance those extra cores provide. It’s an interesting move by Intel as it could mean the Core i9-14900K appears less appealing with just a few extra cores and slightly higher frequencies being the only reasons to consider its undoubtedly higher price tag.

Just as interestingly, the 14th Gen Raptor Lake CPU performance on average was only three percent faster than the 13th Gen models. This is also to be expected since despite earlier exciting rumors, Intel is not boosting core counts on other CPUs that we know of. The only increases in performance will likely come from expected core frequency increases, with previous rumors of cores count increases for the likes of the Core i5-14600K debunked and definitely put to rest with this leak, which shows the Coire i5-14600K with six Performance Cores and eight Efficient Cores – the same as the Core i5-13600K.

Other things we know about the CPUs are that they will be compatible with current and previous 700 and 600-series chipset motherboards – in other words most if not all LGA1700 socket motherboards, although they may require a BIOS update. We also know that CPU coolers that fitted 12th and 13th Gen CPUs will also work with 14th Gen Raptor Lake refresh models, and the new CPUs will also support either DDR4 or DDR5 memory depending on which motherboard you chose.

As yet we have no idea about pricing, exact frequencies or power consumption for the new CPUs, but some motherboard manufacturers have hinted at higher power consumption and designing a refreshed range of Z790 motherboards to cater for them. For now, we’ll have to keep an eye on any more information appearing between now and the expected October launch.