Intel Core i5-14600K Review

Explore the Core i5-14600K! This Desktop processor is a highlight in Intel's mid-range range. Introduced in 2023, it has 14 cores and 20 threads. It operates at a base frequency of 3.5GHz, can hit up to 5.3GHz, and has a power consumption of 125W, ready to upgrade your gaming setup. The Core i5-14600K is designed on the Raptor Lake-R 10nm architecture and is a part of the respected Core i5 series.

And guess what? The Core i5-14600K is the ultimate successor to Intel's previous-gen gaming champion, the Core i5-12600K. The Core i5-12600K was based on the legendary Alder Lake-S and 10nm process, and it made its grand entrance into the gaming scene back in 2021. But now, it's time for the Core i5-14600K to take the throne and conquer the gaming world!

This CPU packs 14 cores and 20 threads, the first time this many come in a mainstream package! Plus, it costs about the same as the Ryzen 5 7600X, which only has 6 cores and 12 threads. Talk about a total noob!

The Intel Core i5-14600K is another epic drop from Team Intel, cranking things up in the neverending Intel vs AMD CPU war. But hey, core count ain't everything, especially for playing the hottest PC games. Single-core performance gotta be on point too.

Can the Intel Core i5-14600K finally dethrone the king of mainstream CPUs, the Ryzen 5 7600X? It's a maybe. The Core i5-14600K doesn't quite reach the same single-core performance as its rival, but more games are starting to use all those threads, so who cares!

No surprise here, a beastly 14-core, 20-thread CPU with a 5.3GHz boost clock absolutely shreds. The Intel Core i5-14600K is the undisputed king of consumer CPUs (until you jump into the HEDT market, that is) – at least until you upgrade to the Core i7-14700K. Get ready to dominate the competition!

The Core i5-14600K sits just below the mighty Core i7-14700K with its fancy 10nm compute die and beefy 20 cores and 28 threads. While the Core i7-14700K might seem like the obvious winner, Intel has done some magic to keep the Core i5-14600K's single compute die design efficient. Plus, the higher TDP allows for more aggressive boost clocks. This means the Core i5-14600K could actually compete with the Core i7-14700K in some games – who knew?

The high number of threads (over 7!) in the Intel Core i5-14600K makes it a monster for tasks that use all the cores at once (multi-threaded workloads), especially for the price. If you edit a lot of videos or work with giant spreadsheets, the Core i5-14600K will give you a noticeable performance boost.

For gamers, both the Ryzen 5 7600X and Core i5-14600K are great choices. They're neck and neck, with a slight edge to the AMD CPU if you don't overclock it. The Core i5-14600K's base performance can be achieved with cheaper RAM (around $90), whereas the Ryzen 5 7600X needs faster RAM ($110-$120) to hit the frame rates we showed. The price difference is small though, and with anything less than an RTX 2070 or Vega 64 graphics card, your GPU will bottleneck your performance anyway. BottleneckAtPlay

The gaming tests with an RTX 2080 Ti were surprising! The budget-friendly Intel Core i5-14600K (only 319)managedtooutperformthemoreexpensiveRyzen 7 7700X(399) in three games we tested. We know three games aren't everything, but it shows that even a 14 core CPU can still hold its own today. You can even play modern games and stream to Twitch on the Core i5-14600K (playable results, not amazing). As games get more demanding, a 14 core CPU might not be ideal, but the Core i5-14600K can hold its own for now in a pinch.

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a decent performing chip for $319. The main competitor at this price point is the Ryzen 5 7600X, a 6-core unlocked processor with integrated graphics, which costs $299.

The top-of-the-line Intel Core i5-14600K is a beast! This mid-range CPU packs 14 cores and a whopping 20 threads. It clocks in at 3.5GHz base speed and can boost up to 5.3GHz. It beats everything in its path, including AMD's Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors, and even outperforms the 14-core series.

However, the Intel Core i5-14600K falls a bit behind in clock speeds. The Ryzen 7 7700X can reach 4.5GHz base clock and boost up to 5.4GHz.

With Core i5, Intel brings new innovation with its new architecture and a 10nm manufacturing process. Similar to Core i7, Core i5 is built for the 1700 platform with support for all the latest features like DDR4 RAM, super-fast NVMe SSDs, and Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Can you game on Intel's Core i5 CPU? Absolutely! We got a solid 99% score in our gaming benchmarks.

The Core i5-14600K is a great choice for both gaming and content creation, thanks to its high performance (1.57%) and at least 12 threads. Live streaming, eSports, and uploading gameplay videos are becoming increasingly popular, and this CPU can handle it all.

Building on the success of mainstream Core i5 CPUs, Intel is now attacking the mid-range market with the Core i5-14600K processors, available since Oct 17th, 2023.

AMD's Ryzen 5 CPUs are super popular for budget and mid-range builds. But Intel is shaking things up with 14-core processors that cost even less than 6-core options from AMD. Plus, Core i5 CPUs are unlocked for overclocking, giving you even more performance potential. AMD might have a tough time competing with this!