AMD could be a in big trouble if the latest rumors about Intel’s highly anticipated 14th Gen Raptor Lake refresh processors are true, first with a core count-boosted Core i7-14700K and now it looks like Intel is increasing core counts for the rest of its Core i5 and Core i7 desktop processors.
Discussed on RedGamingTech and posted on ITHome (via Videocardz), the new information points at processors such as the Core i5-14600K, Core i5-14400 and Core i7-14700 all getting core count increases. For example, the Core i5-13600K, which is already a powerful CPU and has 14 cores in total (six P-cores and 8 E-cores), but the Core i7-14600K is rumored to have two more P-cores at eight in total.
This is significant because the core count boost in on the powerful P-cores or Performance cores, which deal with the bulk of heavy workloads and also impact gaming performance. The Core i7-14700K is rumored to be getting more efficient cores, which is perhaps less exciting, but should result in more multi-threaded performance. This could make the Core i5-14600K and absolute monster of a CPU and a real threat to AMD’s Ryzen 7000 CPUs.
The Core i5-13400 has proven to be a popular CPU as have the likes of the 12400, 11400 and 10400 before it, and it too looks set to benefit in core count, seeing its E-cores rise from four to eight with the Core i5-14400. At the low end, the Core i5-13100 has four performance cores, but the Core i5-14100 is rumored to have six, which would be a huge statement from Intel and a move that could really shore up performance here with a six-core CPU being the minimum core count for Intel’s Core i5 desktop line-up for the first time.
This is all down to Intel using the same eight P-core/16 E-core die, which is allowing Intel to increase core counts without completely redesigning the CPU or introducing a new architecture. it’s certainly more of an upgrade than many expected, with Raptor Lake refresh not the original plan and instead a stop gap thanks to the delayed Meteor Lake.
There’s more good news here, though, as motherboards that support Intel’s 12th and 13th Gen CPUs and use 600 or 700-series chipsets should be compatible with the 14th Gen CPUs too. Buying a 13th Gen CPU has been a questionable investment due to the LGA1700 socket originally meant to die with its 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs. Instead, owners of both 12th and 13th Gen CPUs find themselves with an unexpected but welcome upgrade path.
It’s a shame we won’t be seeing a new architecture from Intel on desktop this year, but it does at least look like it’s not just frequencies that are getting a boost, but core counts too, and in some instances these could definitely improve gaming performance too.
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