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Intel Core i9-14900KS debuts with 6.2 GHz max turbo frequency
3:35 pm | March 15, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

Intel introduced the Core i9-14900KS processor today with one major milestone – the processor now reaches 6.2 GHz turbo frequency, a first for stock desktop CPUs. The processor gains 200 MHz over the Core i9-14900K and Core i9-13900KS but keeps the rest of the specs, like 24 CPU cores and 32 Threads. The KS variant of the 14th-gen Intel chip has a higher base power limit of 150W, compared with the K version, but was already the same as the 13th-gen KS. The max turbo frequency across the board is 200 MHz higher; everything else remains the same – 36 MB cache, 192 GB supported RAM,...

Intel Core i9-14900K review: more of a Raptor Lake overclock than a refresh
4:00 pm | October 17, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Intel Core i9-14900K: Two-minute review

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a hard chip to justify, which is a weird thing to say about a processor that is arguably the best Intel has ever put out.

With very little fanfare to herald its arrival following the announcement of Intel Meteor Lake at Intel Innovation in September 2023 (and confirmation that Intel Meteor Lake is coming to desktop in 2024), Intel's 14th-generation flagship processor cannot help but draw parallels to the 11th-gen Rocket Lake chips that immediately preceded Intel Alder Lake.

The Core i9-11900K was something of a placeholder in the market until Intel could launch Alder Lake at the end of 2021. Those processors featured a new hybrid architecture and a more advanced 10nm process that helped propel Intel back to the top of our best processor list, despite strong competition from AMD.

With Intel Raptor Lake Refresh, we're back in placeholder territory, unfortunately. The performance gains here are all but non-existent, so we are essentially waiting on Meteor Lake while the i9-14900K absolutely guzzles electricity and runs hot enough to boil water under just about any serious workload with very little extra performance over the Intel Core i9-13900K to justify the upgrade.

The problem for the Core i9-14900K is that you can still get the i9-13900K.

It's not that the Core i9-14900K isn't a great processor; again, it's unquestionably the best Intel processor for the consumer market in terms of performance. It beats every other chip I tested in most categories with the exception of some multitasking workflows and average gaming performance, both of which it comes in as a very close runner-up. On top of that, at $589, it's the same price as the current Intel flagship, the Intel Core i9-13900K (assuming the i9-14900K matches the i9-13900K's £699 / AU$929 sale price in the UK and Australia).

The problem for the Core i9-14900K is two-fold: you can still get the i9-13900K and will be able to for a long while yet at a lower price, and the Intel Core i7-14700K offers performance so close to the 14th-gen flagship at a much lower price that the 14900K looks largely unnecessary by comparison. Essentially, If you've got an i7-13700K or i9-13900K, there's is simply nothing for you here.

If you're on an 11th-gen chip or older, or you've got an AMD Ryzen processor and you're looking to switch, this chip will be the last one to use the LGA 1700 socket, so when Meteor Lake-S comes out in 2024 (or even Lunar Lake-S, due out at the end of 2024 or early 2025), you won't be able to upgrade to that processor with an LGA 1700 motherboard. In other words, upgrading to an LGA 1700 for this chip is strictly a one-shot deal.

The only people who might find this chip worth upgrading to are those currently using a 12th-gen processor who skipped the 13th-gen entirely, or someone using a 13th-gen core i5 who wants that extra bit of performance and doesn't mind dropping $589 on a chip they might be upgrading from again in a year's time, which isn't going to be a whole lot of people. 

Unfortunately, at this price, it'll be better to save your money and wait for Meteor Lake or even Lunar Lake to drop next year and put the $589 you'd spend on this chip towards the new motherboard and CPU cooler you'll need once those chips are launched.

An Intel Core i9-14900K with its promotional packaging

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i9-14900K: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? US MSRP $589 (about £470/AU$855)
  • When is it out? October 17, 2023
  • Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Intel Core i9-14900K is available as of October 17, 2023, for a US MSRP of $589 (about £470/AU$855), which is the same as the Intel Core i9-13900K it is replacing. We don't have confirmation on UK and Australia pricing yet, though I've asked Intel for clarification and will update this review if and when I hear back from the company. If the 14900K keeps the same UK and Australia pricing as the Core i9-13900K, however, it'll sell for £699/AU$929 in the UK and Australia respectively.

Meanwhile, this is still cheaper than most of AMD's rival chips in this tier, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D, with only the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X coming in cheaper than the i9-14900K. 

This does make the Core i9-14900K the better value against these chips, especially given the level of performance on offer, but it's ultimately too close to the 13900K performance-wise to make this price meaningful, as a cheaper 13900K will offer an even better value against AMD's Ryzen 9 lineup.

  • Price score: 3 / 5

A masculine hand holding an Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i9-14900K: Specs & features

  • Faster clock speeds than i9-13900K
  • Some additional AI-related features

The Intel Core i9-14900K is the final flagship using Intel's current architecture, so it makes sense that there is very little in the way of innovation over the Intel Core i9-13900K.

Using the same 10nm Intel 7 process node as its predecessor and with the same number of processor cores (8 P-cores/16 E-cores), threads (32), and cache (32MB total L2 cache plus additional 36MB L3 cache), the only real improvement with the 14900K in terms of specs are its faster clock speeds.

All cores get a 0.2GHz increase to their base frequencies, while the P-core turbo boost clock increases to 5.6GHz and the E-core turbo clock bumps up to 4.4GHz from the 13900K's 5.4GHz P-Core turbo clock and 4.3GHz E-core turbo clock.

While those clock speeds are the official max turbo clocks for the two types of cores, the Core i9-14900K and Intel Core i7-14700K have something called Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, which increases the frequency of the best-performing core in the chip and gives it even more power within the power and thermal limits. That gets the Core i9-14900K up to 5.8GHz turbo clock on specific P-cores while active.

Additionally, an exclusive feature of the Core i9 is an additional Ludicrous-Speed-style boost called Intel Thermal Velocity Boost. This activates if there is still power and thermal headroom on a P-core that is already being boosted by the Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, and this can push the core as high as 6.0GHz, though these aren't typical operating conditions.

Both of these technologies are present in the 13900K as well, but the 14900K bumps up the maximum clock speeds of these modes slightly, and according to Intel, that 6.0GHz clock speed makes this the world's fastest processor. While that might technically be true, that 6.0GHz is very narrowly used so in practical terms, the P-Core boost clock is what you're going to see almost exclusively under load.

The Core i9-14900K has the same 125W TDP as the 13900K and the same 253W maximum turbo power as well, though power draw in bursts of less than 10ms can go far higher.

If this reads like a Redditor posting about their successful overclocking setup, then you pretty much get what this chip is about. If you're looking for something innovative about this chip, I'll say it again, you're going to have to wait for Meteor Lake.

The Core i9-14900K also has support for discrete Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, as does the rest of the 14th-gen lineup, as well as support for discrete Thunderbolt 5, both of which are still a long way down the road.

The only other thing to note is that there have been some AI-related inclusions that are going to be very specific to AI workloads that almost no one outside of industry and academia is going to be running. If you're hoping for AI-driven innovations for everyday consumers, let's say it once more, with feeling: You're going to have to wait for—

  • Chipset & features score: 3.5 / 5

An Intel Core i9-14900K slotted into a motherboard

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i9-14900K: Performance

  • Best-in-class performance, but only by a hair
  • Gets beat by AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and i7-14700K in gaming performance
  • Runs even hotter than the i9-13900K

If you took any elite athlete who's used to setting records in their sport, sometimes they break their previous record by a lot, and sometimes it's by milliseconds or fractions of an inch. It's less sexy, but it still counts, and that's really what we get here with the Intel i9-14900K.

On pretty much every test I ran on it, the Core i9-14900K edged out its predecessor by single digits, percentage-wise, which is a small enough difference that a background application can fart and cause just enough of a dip in performance that the 14900K ends up losing to the 13900K. 

I ran these tests more times than I can count because I had to be sure that something wasn't secretly messing up my results, and they are what they are. The Core i9-14900K does indeed come out on top, but it really is a game of inches at this point.

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

Across all synthetic performance and productivity benchmarks, the Core i9-14900K comes out on top, with the notable exception of Geekbench 6.1's multi-core performance test, where the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores substantially higher, and the Passmark Performance Test's overall CPU score, which puts the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D significantly higher. Given that all 16 cores of the 7950X and 7950X3D are full-throttle performance cores, this result isn't surprising.

Other than that though, it's the 14900K all the way, with a 5.6% higher geometric average on single-core performance than the 13900K. For multi-core performance, the 14900K scores a 3.1% better geometric average, and in productivity workloads, it scores a 5.3% better geometric average than its predecessor.

Against the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, the Core i9-14900K scores about 13% higher in single-core performance, about 1% lower in multi-core performance, and 5% better in productivity performance.

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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

Creative benchmarks reveal something of a mixed bag for the Core i9-14900K. In all cases, it beats its predecessor by between 2.6% to as much as 10.9%. Against the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and 7950X3D, the Core i9-14900K consistently loses out when it comes to rendering workloads like Blender and V-Ray 5, but beats the two best AMD processors by just as much in photo and video editing. And since 3D rendering is almost leaning heavily on a GPU rather than the CPU, AMD's advantage here is somewhat muted in practice.

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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

Gaming is another area where Intel had traditionally done well thanks to its strong single-core performance over AMD, but all that flipped with the introduction of AMD's 3D V-Cache. 

While the Intel Core i9-14900K barely moves the needle from its predecessor's performance, it really doesn't matter, since the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D manages to ultimately score an overall victory and it's not very close. The Core i9-14900K actually manages a tie for fourth place with the Intel Core i7-13700K, with the Core i7-14700K edging it out by about 4 fps on average.

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

Of course, all this performance requires power, and lots of it. The Core i9-14900K pretty much matched the maximum recorded power draw of the Core i9-13900K, with less of a watt's difference between the two, 351.097W to 351.933, respectively.

The Core i9-14900K still managed to find a way to run hotter than its predecessor, however; something I didn't really think was possible. But there it is, the 14900K maxing out at 105ºC, three degrees hotter than the 13900K's max. It's the hottest I've ever seen a CPU run, and I'm genuinely shocked it was allowed to run so far past its official thermal limit without any overclocking on my part.

  • Performance: 3.5 / 5

A masculine hand holding an Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i9-14900K: Verdict

  • The best chip for dedicated performance like video editing and productivity
  • There are better gaming processors out there for cheaper
  • The Intel Core i7-14700K offers a far better value
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

In the final assessment then, the Core i9-14900K does manage to win the day, topping the leaderboard by enough of a margin to be a clear winner, but close enough that it isn't the cleanest of wins. 

Overall, its single-core and productivity performance are its best categories, slightly faltering in creative workloads, and coming up short enough on gaming that it's not the chip I would recommend as a gaming CPU.

Like all Core i9s before it, the 14900K is the worst value of Intel's 14th-gen launch lineup, but it's better than its predecessor for the time being (though that advantage won't last very long at all), and it does manage to be a better value proposition than the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D, while matching the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, so all in all, not too bad for an enthusiast chip.

Still, the Intel Core i7-14700K is right there, and its superior balance of price and performance makes the Intel Core i9-14900K a harder chip to recommend than it should be.

Should you buy the Intel Core i9-14900K?

Buy the Intel Core i9-14900K if...

Don't buy it if...

Also Consider

If my Intel Core i9-14900K review has you considering other options, here are two processors to consider... 

How I tested the Intel Core i9-14900K

  • I spent nearly two weeks testing the Intel Core i9-14900K
  • I ran comparable benchmarks between this chip and rival flagship processors
  • I gamed with this chip extensively
Test System Specs

These are the specs for the test system used for this review:

Intel Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790E Tomahawk Wifi
AMD Motherboard: ASRock X670E Steel Legend
CPU Cooler:
MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO
Memory:
32GB SK Hynix DDR5-4800
SSD: Samsung 990 Pro
PSU: Thermaltake PF3 1050W ATX 3.0
Case: Praxis Wetbench

I spent about two weeks testing the Intel Core i9-14900K and its competition, using it mostly for productivity and content creation, with some gaming thrown in as well.

I used the standard battery of synthetic benchmarks I use for processor testing, and ran the same tests on rival chips from AMD as well as the other 14th-gen chips in the Raptor Lake Refresh launch lineup and 13th-generation Raptor Lake processors. For Intel chips, I used the same motherboard, RAM, SSD, and graphics card to ensure I was isolating just the CPU's performance across every chip. For AMD chips, I used a comparable AM5 motherboard so differences in the motherboard configuration and circuitry are mitigated to the largest extent possible.

I've been testing and reviewing computer hardware for years now, and with an extensive background in computer science, I know processors in and out, and I use that knowledge to ensure every chip is thoroughly tested.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2023

Intel Core i7-14700K review: salvaging Raptor Lake Refresh with i9-13900K performance
4:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Intel Core i7-14700K: One-minute review

The Intel Core i7-14700K is the workhorse CPU in the Intel's 14th generation launch line-up, and like any good workhorse, it's going to be the one to do the heavy lifting for this generation of processors. Fortunately for Intel, the Core i7-14700K succeeds in keeping Raptor Lake Refresh from being completely forgettable.

Of all the chips launched on October 17, 2023, the Core i7-14700K is the only one to get a substantive spec upgrade over its predecessor as well as a slight cut in price to just $409 (about £325/AU$595), which is $10 less than the Intel Core i7-13700K it replaces.

So what do you get for $10 less? Gen-on-gen, you don't get a whole lot of improvement (about 6% better performance overall compared to the 13700K), but that figure can be deceiving, since the Core i7-13700K was at the top of our best processor list for a reason. 

With the 13700K's performance being within striking distance of the Intel Core i9-13900K, that 6% improvement for the 14700K effectively closes the gap, putting the 14700K within just 3% of the 13900K overall, and even allowing it to pull ahead in average gaming performance, losing out to only the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

Fortunately for Intel, the Core i7-14700K succeeds in keeping Raptor Lake Refresh from being completely forgetable.

In terms of productivity and general performance, the Core i7-14700K shines as well, going toe to toe with the best AMD processors like the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, giving it a very strong claim on being the best Intel processor processor for most people.

Given its excellent mix of performance and price, the Intel Core i7-14700K could very well be the last Intel chip of the LGA 1700 epoch that anyone should consider buying, especially if you're coming from a 12th-gen chip. 

With the Core i9-13900K outperforming the Intel Core i9-12900K by as much as 25% in some workloads, someone coming off an i9-12900K or lower will find it hard to believe that an i7 could perform this well, but that's where we're at. And with the i7-14700K coming in about 30% cheaper than the Intel Core i9-14900K, while still managing to come remarkably close in terms of its performance, the Intel Core i7-14700K is the Raptor Lake Refresh chip to buy if you're going to buy one at all.

An Intel Core i7-14700K with its promotional packaging

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i7-14700K: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? US MSRP $409 (about £325/AU$595)
  • When is it out? October 17, 2023
  • Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Intel Core i7-14700K is available on October 17, 2023, with a US MSRP of $409 (about £325/AU$595), which is a slight decrease from its predecessor's MSRP of $419 (about £335/AU$610), and about 31% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900K and 32% percent lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. 

It's also cheaper than the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and just $10 more expensive than the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, putting it very competitively priced against processors in its class.

The comparisons against the Core i9 and Ryzen 9 are far more relevant, however, since these are the chips that the Core i7-14700K are competing against in terms of performance, and in that regard, the Intel Core i7-14700K is arguably the best value among consumer processors currently on the market.

  • Price score: 4 / 5

Intel Core i7-14700K: Specs & features

  • Four additional E-Cores
  • Slightly faster clock speeds
  • Increased Cache
  • Discrete Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 5 support

The Intel Core i7-14700K is the only processor from Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh launch line-up to get a meaningful spec upgrade.

Rather than the eight performance and eight efficiency cores like the i7-13700K, the i7-14700K comes with eight performance cores and 12 efficiency cores, all running with a slightly higher turbo boost clock for extra performance. The i7-14700K also has something called Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, which is a mouthful but also gives the best performing P-core an extra bump up to 5.6GHz so long as the processor is within power and thermal limits.

The increased core count also adds 7MB of additional L2 cache for the efficiency cores to use, further improving their performance over the 13700K's, as well as four additional processing threads for improved multitasking.

It has the same TDP of 125W and same Max Turbo Power rating of 253W as the 13700K, with the latter being the upper power limit of sustained (greater than one second) power draw for the processor. This ceiling can be breached, however, and processing cores can draw much more power in bursts as long as 10ms when necessary.

There is also support for discrete Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, as well as discrete Thunderbolt 5 wired connections, so there is a decent bit of future proofing in its specs.

  • Chipset & features score: 4 / 5

An Intel Core i7-14700K slotted into a motherboard

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i7-14700K: Performance

  • Outstanding performance on par with the i9-13900K
  • Best gaming performance of any Intel processor
  • More power hungry than predecessor, so also runs hotter

The Intel Core i7-14700K is arguably the best performing midrange processor on the market, coming within striking distance of the Core i9-13900K and Ryzen 9 7950X across most workloads, including very strong multi core performance thanks to the addition of four extra efficiency cores.

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

The strongest synthetic benchmarks for the 14700K are single core workloads, which puts it effectively level with the Core i9-13900K and often beating the Ryzen 9 7950X and 7950X3D chips handily. 

This translates into better dedicated performance, rather than multitasking, but even there the Core i7-14700K does an admirable just keeping pace with chips with much higher core counts.

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Creative benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Creative benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Creative benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Creative benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Creative benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Creative benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Creative benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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In creative workloads, the 14700K also performs exceptionally well, beating out the 13900K on everything except 3D model rendering, which is something that is rarely given to a CPU to do any when even the best cheap graphics cards can process Blender or V-Ray 5 workloads many times faster than even the best CPU can.

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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

In gaming performance, the Core i7-14700K scores a bit of an upset over its launch sibling, the i9-14900K, besting it in gaming performance overall, though it has to be said that it got some help from a ridiculously-high average fps in Total War: Warhammer III's battle benchmark. In most cases, the i7-14700K came up short of the 13900K and 14900K, but not by much.

And while it might be tempting to write off Total War: Warhammer III as an outlier, one of the biggest issues with the Core i9's post-Alder Lake is that they are energy hogs and throttle under load quickly, pretty much by design. 

In games like Total War: Warhammer III where there are a lot of tiny moving parts to keep track of, higher clock speeds don't necessarily help. When turbo clocks kick into high gear and cause throttling, the back-and-forth between throttled and not-throttled can be worse over the course of the benchmark than the cooler but consistent Core i7s, which don't have to constantly ramp up and ramp down. 

So the 14700K isn't as much of an outlier as it looks, especially since the 13700K also excels at Total War: Warhammer III, and it too beats the two Core i9s. Total War: Warhammer III isn't the only game like this, and so there are going to be many instances where the cooler-headed 14700K steadily gets the work done while the hot-headed i9-13900K and 14900K sprint repeatedly, only to effectively tire themselves out for a bit before kicking back up to high gear.

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

The additional efficiency cores might not draw as much power as the performance cores, but the additional power is still noticeable. The 14700K pulls down nearly 30W more watts than the 13700K, though it is still a far cry from the Core i9-13900K's power usage.

This additional power also means that the Core i7-14700K runs much hotter than its predecessor, maxing out at 100ºC, triggering the CPU to throttle on occasion. This is something that the i7-13700K didn't experience during my testing at all, so you'll need to make sure your cooling solution is up to the task here.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

An Intel Core i7-14700K with its promotional packaging

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i7-14700K: Verdict

  • Fantastic single-core performance
  • Intel's best gaming processor, and second overall behind the Ryzen 7 7800X3D
  • Best value of any midrange processor
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

Ultimately, the Intel Core i7-14700K is the best processor in the Raptor Lake Refresh line-up, offering very competitive performance for a better price than its predecessor and far better one than comparable chips one tier higher in the stack.

It's not without fault, though. It's not that much better than the i7-13700K, so everything I'm saying about the i7-14700K might reasonably apply to its predecessor as well. And honestly, the i7-14700K doesn't have too high a bar to clear to standout from its launch siblings, so it's performance might only look as good in comparison to the i9 and i5 standing behind it.

But, the numbers don't lie, and the Intel Core i7-14700K displays flashes of brilliance that set it apart from its predecessor and vault it into competition with the top-tier of CPUs, and that's quite an achievement independent of how the rest of Raptor Lake Refresh fares. 

A masculine hand holding an Intel Core i7-14700K

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Should you buy the Intel Core i7-14700K?

Buy the Intel Core i7-14700K if...

Don't buy it if...

Also Consider

If my Intel Core i7-14700K review has you considering other options, here are two processors to consider... 

How I tested the Intel Core i7-14700K

  • I spent nearly two weeks testing the Intel Core i7-14700K
  • I ran comparable benchmarks between this chip and rival midrange processors
  • I gamed with this chip extensively
Test System Specs

These are the specs for the test system used for this review:

Intel Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790E Tomahawk Wifi
AMD Motherboard: ASRock X670E Steel Legend
CPU Cooler:
MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO
Memory:
32GB SK Hynix DDR5-4800
SSD: Samsung 990 Pro
PSU: Thermaltake PF3 1050W ATX 3.0
Case: Praxis Wetbench

I spent about two weeks testing the Intel Core i7-14700K and its competition, primarily for productivity work, gaming, and content creation.

I used a standard battery of synthetic benchmarks that tested out the chip's single core, multi core, creative, and productivity performance, as well as built-in gaming benchmarks to measure its gaming chops. 

I then ran the same tests on rival chips from AMD as well as the other 14th-gen chips in the Raptor Lake Refresh launch line-up and 13th-generation Raptor Lake processors. For Intel chips, I used the same motherboard, RAM, SSD, and graphics card to ensure I was isolating just the CPU's performance across every chip. For AMD chips, I used a comparable AM5 motherboard so differences in the motherboard configuration and circuitry are mitigated to the largest extent possible.

I've been testing and reviewing computer hardware for years now, and with an extensive background in computer science, I know processors in and out, and I use that knowledge to ensure every chip is thoroughly tested.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2023

Intel Core i5-14600K review: wait for Meteor Lake
4:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Intel Core i5-14600K: Two-minute review

The Intel Core i5-14600K is not the kind of processor you're really going to want to upgrade to, despite technically offering the best value of any processor I've tested.

First, the good. This is one of the best processor values you're going to find on the market, no matter what happens with the price of its predecessor. Currently, it has the best performance for its $319 price tag (about £255/AU$465), and AMD's competing Ryzen 5 7600X isn't all that close. If you're looking to get the most bang for your buck today, then the Intel Core i5-14600K is it.

In terms of performance, this isn't a bad chip at all; I'd even say it's a great one if you take its predecessor out of the running, which will inevitably happen as its last remaining stock gets bought up. It doesn't have the performance of the Intel Core i7-14700K, but that's a workhorse chip, not the kind that's meant to power the best computers for the home or the best budget gaming PCs as these chips start making their way into prebuilt systems in the next couple of months.

For a family computer or one that's just meant for general, every day use, then this chip is more than capable of handling whatever y'll need it for. It can even handle gaming fairly well thanks to its strong single core performance. So, on paper at least, the Core i5-14600K is the best Intel processor for the mainstream user as far as performance goes.

The real problem with the i5-14600K is that its performance is tragically close to the Core i5-13600K's. And even though the MSRP of the Intel Core i5-13600K is technically higher than that of the Core i5-14600K, it's not going to remain that way for very long at all.

The real problem with the i5-14600K, and one that effectively sinks any reason to buy it, is that its performance is tragically close to the Core i5-13600K's.

As long as the i5-13600K is on sale, it will be the better value, and you really won't even notice a difference between the two chips in terms of day-to day-performance.

That's because there's no difference between the specs of the 14600K vs 13600K, other than a slightly faster turbo clock speed for the 14600K's six performance cores.

While this does translate into some increased performance, it comes at the cost of higher power draw and temperature. During testing, this chip hit a maximum temperature of 101ºC, which is frankly astounding for an i5. And I was using one of the best CPU coolers around, the MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO, which should be more than enough to keep the temperature in check to prevent throttling.

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Synthetic benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

Looking at the chip's actual performance, the Core i5-14600K beats the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and the Intel Core i5-13600K in single core performance, multi core performance, and with productivity workloads, on average. Other than its roughly 44% better average multi core performance against the Ryzen 5 7600X, the Core i5-14600K is within 3% to 4% of its competing chips.

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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Creative benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

In creative workloads, the Core i5-14600K again manages to outperform the Ryzen 5 7600X by about 31% on average, but it's just 2.4% better than its predecessor, and none of these chips are especially great at creative content work. If you're messing around with family albums or cutting up TikTok videos, any one of these chips could do that fairly easily. For heavier-duty workloads like video encoding and 3D rendering, the Intel chips hold up better than the mainstream Ryzen 5, but these chips really aren't practical for that purpose.

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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Gaming benchmarks for Intel 14th gen processors

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

On the gaming front, it's more of the same, though now at least the Ryzen 5 7600X is back in the mix. Overall, the Core i5-14600K beats its 13th-gen predecessor and AMD's rival chip by about 2.1% and 3.2% respectively.

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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

All of this comes at the cost of higher power draw and hotter CPU temperatures, though, which isn't good especially for getting so little in return. What you really have here is an overclocked i5-13600K, and you can do that yourself and save some money by buying the 13600K when it goes on sale, which is will.

An Intel Core i5-14600K against its promotional packaging

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Intel Core i5-14600K: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? US MSRP $319 (about £255/AU$465)
  • When is it out? October 17, 2023
  • Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Intel Core i5-14600K is available in the US, UK, and Australia as of October 17, 2023, for an MSRP of $319 (about £255/AU$465). 

This is a slight $10 price drop from its predecessor, which is always good thing, and comes in about $20 (about £15/AU$30) more than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, so fairly middle of the pack price-wise.

In terms of actual value, as it goes to market, this chip has the highest performance for its price of any chip in any product tier, but only by a thin margin, and one that is sure to fall very quickly once the price on the 13600K drops by even a modest amount.

Intel Core i5-14600K: Specs

Intel Core i5-14600K: Verdict

  • Best performance for the price of any chip tested...
  • ...but any price drop in the Core i5-13600K will put the 14600K in second place
  • Not really worth upgrading to with the Core i7-14700K costing just $90 more
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)
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Final benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600K

(Image credit: Future / Infogram)

Ultimately, the market served by this chip specifically is incredibly narrow, and like the rest of the Raptor Lake Refresh line-up, this is the last hurrah for the Intel LGA 1700 socket.

That means if you go out and buy a motherboard and CPU cooler just for the 14th-gen, it's a one time thing, since another generation on this platform isn't coming. It doesn't make sense to do that, so, if you're upgrading from anything earlier than the 12th-gen, it just makes so much more sense to wait for Meteor Lake to land in several months time and possibly get something really innovative.

If you're on a 12th-gen chip and you can't wait for Meteor Lake next year, the smartest move is to buy the i7-14700K instead, which at least gives you i9-13900K-levels of performance for just $90 more than the i5-14600K.

Ultimately, this chip is best reserved for prebuilt systems like the best all-in-one computers at retailers like Best Buy, where you will use the computer for a reasonable amount of time, and then when it becomes obsolete, you'll go out and buy another computer rather than attempt to upgrade the one you've got.

In that case, buying a prebuilt PC with an Intel Core i5-14600K makes sense, and for that purpose, this will be a great processor. But if you're looking to swap out another Intel LGA 1700 chip for this one, there are much better options out there.

Should you buy the Intel Core i5-14600K?

Buy the Intel Core i5-14600K if...

Don't buy it if...

Also Consider

If my Intel Core i5-14600K review has you considering other options, here are two processors to consider... 

How I tested the Intel Core i5-14600K

  • I spent nearly two weeks testing the Intel Core i5-14600K
  • I ran comparable benchmarks between this chip and rival midrange processors
  • I gamed with this chip extensively
Test System Specs

These are the specs for the test system used for this review:

Intel Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790E Tomahawk Wifi
AMD Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus X670E Extreme
CPU Cooler:
MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO
Memory:
32GB SK Hynix DDR5-4800
SSD: Samsung 990 Pro
PSU: Thermaltake PF3 1050W ATX 3.0
Case: Praxis Wetbench

I spent about two weeks testing the Intel Core i5-14600K and its competition, primarily for productivity work, gaming, and content creation.

I used a standard battery of synthetic benchmarks that tested out the chip's single core, multi core, creative, and productivity performance, as well as built-in gaming benchmarks to measure its gaming chops. 

I then ran the same tests on rival chips from AMD as well as the other 14th-gen chips in the Raptor Lake Refresh launch lineup and 13th-generation Raptor Lake processors. For Intel chips, I used the same motherboard, RAM, SSD, and graphics card to ensure I was isolating just the CPU's performance across every chip. For AMD chips, I used a comparable AM5 motherboard so differences in the motherboard configuration and circuitry are mitigated to the largest extent possible.

I've been testing and reviewing computer hardware for years now, and with an extensive background in computer science, I know processors in and out, and I use that knowledge to ensure every chip is thoroughly tested.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2023

MSI Prestige 13 Evo review: MSI goes for the premium ultrabook crown
1:37 pm | September 22, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Two-minute review

Make no mistake: the MSI Prestige 13 Evo is a premium laptop. This almost feels like the blueprint for the best ultrabooks, a supremely lightweight but still powerful laptop with a whole host of features and a sleek, minimalist aesthetic.

Coming in either white or gunmetal gray colorways, the Prestige 13 Evo is equipped with almost everything you could want from an ultrabook; a wide variety of physical ports, a large, responsive trackpad, and a selection of useful security features.

Weighing in at just 0.99kg (2.18lbs), this laptop sits in the same weight class as the popular LG Gram, and it's even lighter than the eminently portable M2 MacBook Air. With a 13.3-inch display and a thickness of just 1.7cm, it's phenomenally easy to pick the Prestige 13 Evo up and take it wherever you go - in fact, the AC adapter is also very lightweight, but you won't need to bring that everywhere since this ultrabook also offers some impressive battery life.

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo ultrabook pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

My immediate comparison point for any compact ultrabook like this is the Dell XPS 13, which has long sat among the best laptops out there. MSI's laptop is actually a bit closer in price to the XPS 13 Plus, which I recently reviewed - and I think it just about edges out Dell's competitor thanks to slightly better average performance and a more practical physical design.

The 13th-gen Intel Core CPU at the heart of this laptop more than pulls its weight, giving you the option of some light gaming and creative work alongside the usual productivity tasks we test for on ultrabooks. I was impressed by the smooth, responsive user experience and generally strong performance in our benchmarking suite - more on that later.

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo ultrabook pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

While the stripped-down appearance might not appeal to everyone (the XPS 13 Plus certainly has this one beat purely in terms of aesthetics), it's function over form here; and I personally like the straightforward design choices made by MSI.

If I had to level some criticisms at the MSI Prestige 13 Evo, they'd probably focus on the pricing. At $1,499 (£1,399.99, about AU$2,350) with apparently only one configuration available (though the baseline specs vary a bit between regions), it's undeniably expensive, matching the XPS 13 Plus model I reviewed. At this price point, the Prestige's relatively run-of-the-mill FHD+ display pales a bit in comparison to the 3.5K OLED screen of the Plus - and I mean pales in a literal sense, since it simply can't match the OLED's brightness and rich color density.

Other than the somewhat lackluster display, though, I have very little to dislike here; MSI has knocked it out of the park with this one, and I almost wish I could keep the Prestige 13 Evo forever - my own daily laptop is starting to look a little tired...

MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? $1,499.99 / £1,399.99 / about AU$2,350
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US and UK, no official Australian release yet

MSI's pricing can be somewhat arcane at the best of times, but I've done my best to work this one out for you. There appears to be only one standard model of the MSI Prestige 13 Evo available in western territories, but it's not quite identical across every region.

It looks like my review unit is a UK-only model, but the only significant difference here is that it uses 16GB of DDR5 memory instead of the 32GB found by default in the US-spec version. I've only listed the review model's specs below, but bear in mind that you'll be getting some extra RAM if you buy this laptop in the States.

Since MSI doesn't maintain its own storefronts in the US and UK, you'll need to purchase the Prestige 13 Evo from a reseller like Amazon - for any British readers, you should absolutely check out this deal at Scan.co.uk, which puts the laptop down to just £779.99, a frankly ridiculous deal. Over in the US, the 32GB version is mildly discounted to $1,299.99 at Amazon at the time of writing.

There doesn't appear to be any immediate availability in Australia, so my commiserations go out to our friends down under - your only option will be to import one.

  • Price score: 4 / 5

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo ultrabook pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Specs

As I noted above, our review unit appears to be UK-only; you can't buy the 32GB version here, and I couldn't find the 16GB model for sale anywhere in the US. I've listed the UK spec below, but other than the RAM, it's identical to the US model in every way.

The Intel Core i7-1360P processor has become a staple of many premium ultrabooks recently, and you get plenty of high-speed storage thanks to the 1TB M.2 SSD. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 ensure you're getting the best in wireless connectivity too. Barring the middling display, this is a solid selection of specs.

  • Specs score: 4.5 / 5

MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Design

  • Minimalist exterior
  • Lots of ports and security features
  • Display really should be a bit better

As far as ultrabooks go, the MSI Prestige 13 Evo isn't particularly exciting - but that's not to say it's bad. The design is straightforward, with a robust screen hinge that gently angles the keyboard towards you when opened and a large touchpad at the bottom.

The exterior construction is plastic (to further serve the goal of reducing the overall weight) but thankfully it doesn't feel cheap, with sturdy rubber feet and minimal flex in the casing when you press firmly on the keyboards.

Speaking of the keyboard - it's a little cramped for my liking, with the bottom-right keys in particularly feeling a tad squished together, but I'm conscious that I have pretty large hands (I'm 6'3", if you were wondering) and most users probably won't have any trouble typing on the Prestige 13 Evo. My partner - who has regular-sized hands - tried it out, and reported no problems with the keyboard. The keys themselves have a good amount of travel and the touchpad feels firm and responsive.

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo ultrabook pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

I mentioned higher up that the display here is sub-par. For the avoidance of doubt, I don't mean it's a poor-quality display exactly, because the maximum brightness and color reproduction are more or less what I'd expect from an IPS panel at this resolution. The anti-glare coating works fine in well-lit environments and I definitely do like the 16:10 aspect ratio, which gives you more screen space for scrolling and the esoteric 1200p resolution.

My beef is more with the fact that if I spend this much on a laptop, I'd expect a slightly better display. Plenty of ultrabooks at this price point offer either higher-resolution screens or superior panel types like OLED or AMOLED; with its bog-standard 60Hz refresh rate and middling contrast, this one failed to impress me even if it was fine in practice for everyday work.

At least the screen bezels are pleasingly thin - with just enough room along the top for a 1080p webcam, something that I did lampoon the Dell XPS 13 Plus for lacking in that review. At this price point, 720p just doesn't cut it. The microphone array and dual speakers are also good, if not mind-blowing.

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo ultrabook pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Mediocre screen aside, the Prestige 13 Evo excels in virtually every other area when it comes to design. MSI has pleasingly declined to worship at the altar of the MacBook and instead opted for a wide range of physical ports: no USB hub required here, as we've got two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, one conventional USB-A, HDMI video out, a microSD card reader (an increasingly rare inclusion on ultrabooks) and of course the humble 3.5mm audio jack.

The only thing missing here is an Ethernet port, but that shouldn't be necessary thanks to best-in-class WiFi 6E and the latest Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity. Wired internet is mostly reserved for gaming laptops these days, anyway.

Lastly, the Prestige 13 Evo rounds out its feature set with a selection of excellent privacy and security add-ons. We've got a fingerprint scanner built into the power button, an IR camera for facial recognition logins via Windows Hello, and dedicated buttons for shutting off your webcam and microphone - backed up by a physical shutter you can slide over the webcam itself for maximum digital privacy.

These features will best serve professional users who use their laptops to handle potentially sensitive data, but shouldn't be overlooked by less security-focused users; the speedy convenience of Windows Hello is always good.

  • Design score: 4.5 / 5

MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Performance

  • Intel Core i7-1360P is strong
  • Slightly outperforms some rivals with similar specs
  • Light gaming definitely an option here
MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Laptop benchmarks

Here's how the MSI Prestige 13 Evo performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Night Raid: 18,320; Fire Strike: 5,419; Time Spy: 1,772
GeekBench 6: 2,458 (single-core); 9,643 (multi-core)
25GB File Copy:
1,659MBps
Handbrake 1.6: 10m 41s
CrossMark: Overall: 1,665; Productivity: 1,617; Creativity: 1,746; Responsiveness: 1,577
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p, High): 37.9fps; (1080p, Low): 54.2fps
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 12 hrs 3 mins

I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of the MSI Prestige 13 Evo - even though I've seen the same Intel Core i7-1360P CPU powering other laptops I've reviewed.

Here, the processor seems to be operating at its maximum potential: I saw strong performance across the board in both synthetic benchmarks and practical tests, with the processor even managing to offer some entry-level gaming capabilities in Civilization VI and Valorant - both relatively undemanding titles in terms of hardware requirements, but still great games.

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo ultrabook pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

General use is speedy and lag-free; I could open a dozen tabs in Google Chrome with Steam and Spotify running in the background and didn't experience any slowdown whatsoever.

In synthetic benchmarks like GeekBench 6, the i7-1360P demonstrated excellent single-core performance and solid multi-core results, putting it head and shoulders above its 12th-generation Intel counterparts. The SSD is also relatively speedy at about 1.65GB/s - not the fastest laptop drive I've ever seen, but quick enough to make moving files around a breeze.

It's probably worth noting that the 32GB version available in the US might benefit from its larger memory in certain RAM-intensive workloads, so if you're aiming to do stuff like code compiling, that might be a good pick over ultrabooks with the standard 8GB or 16GB of memory.

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo ultrabook pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Naturally, the lack of a dedicated graphics card means you won't be doing any high-end gaming or 4K video editing tasks on this laptop, but that's fine - it's a small sacrifice to make for the incredibly thin-and-light design.

Thermal performance is also excellent here; the Prestive 13 Evo has a large perforated section on the underside for venting excess heat, and the interior thermal solution clearly works well - it barely even got warm throughout our testing process.

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Battery

  • Solid battery life, not quite best-in-class
  • More than 10 hours of regular use
  • Compact charger

Battery life is a make-or-break area for many ultrabooks, but thankfully the Prestige 13 Evo delivers. You can get more than 10 hours of everyday use on a single charge, and using features like Windows 11's built-in battery saver mode can let you stretch that time even further.

The battery does drain a little faster if you're doing anything more demanding - for example, playing videos at maximum brightness with the speakers turned up - but overall I was very pleased with the longevity of this ultrabook. It doesn't quite match up to Apple's MacBooks, but it's at least in the same ballpark as the M1 MacBook Air.

The bundled AC adapter is relatively compact too, connecting via USB-C. Strangely, the Prestige 13 Evo also has a proprietary power connector, which was compatible with a different MSI laptop charger I had lying around. With the EU aiming to make USB-C the standard for charging our devices, that sort of port will soon be a distant memory.

  • Battery score: 4 / 5

The MSI Prestige 13 Evo pictured on a wooden desk with AC adapter.

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the MSI Prestige 13 Evo?

Buy it if...

You want solid Windows performance
Barring the powerful M-series silicon found in Apple's MacBook Air, this is some of the best performance you can get from a compact ultrabook - good job putting Intel's 1360P to work, MSI.

You don't want to use a USB hub
If laptop makers could stop removing everything except USB-C ports from their devices, I'd be very grateful. The port selection on offer here is strong, with HDMI output for connecting a second display being particularly welcome.

Don't buy it if...

You want a great display
While it's far from a complete disaster, at this price point I was really hoping to see a better screen than this. The maximum brightness is good but colors look a little bit washed out compared to other laptops I've seen in the same price range.

MSI Prestige 13 Evo: Also consider

If the MSI Prestige 13 Evo has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...

How I tested the MSI Prestige 13 Evo

  • Replaced my everyday laptop
  • Tested productivity work, web browsing, gaming
  • Used for a full day on battery power

As usual, I swapped out my normal HP Spectre x360 for the MSI Prestige 13 Evo as my everyday work laptop, doing all my typical tasks on it - word processing, video meetings, and web browsing - for several days. I only ever charged it overnight, and didn't run into any battery-related difficulties whatsoever.

I also used it casually, taking it out into the backyard on a nice evening to watch some Netflix with my partner and on a different occasion using it to play some Into The Breach, a game I will probably always be quietly addicted to.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2023

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D review: a fantastic premium performer, but its price holds it back
8:17 pm | September 13, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D: One-minute review

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D is the middle child of the current 3D V-Cache processors from Team Red alongside the 7800X3D and the 7950X3D. It launched alongside the rest of the line back in February of this year and offers heightened gaming performance, but comes at a price. 

Without a doubt, it is one of the best processors for gaming on the market. But even as gamers are going to be able to get the most out of this chip, it's productivity performance isn't too bad either. 

Armed with a significantly lower TDP than the rest of the current AMD Zen 4 lineup, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D packs in 12 cores and 24 threads on a 120W TDP with a base clock speed of 4.4 GHz out of the box, and that's honestly the core appeal of this chip. 

It's more power efficient and offers better raw gaming performance than its non-3D counterpart, but the addition of AMD's 3D V-cache means it can hold up with far pricier processors as well. 

It should be stated that overall, you're falling into one of two camps with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D, as it is impressive for gaming, but won't necessarily set the world on fire with the creativity or productivity side of things at the higher end of the spectrum. 

The raw gaming performance at its $599 / £479.99 / AU$859.99 price point is decent, but chances are if you're spending this much on a CPU purely for gaming, you could argue that an extra $100 / £130 / AU$279 for the top-end 7950X3D could be a better bet instead. 

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D: Price and availability

  • Comparable price to the Intel Core i9-13900K
  • $50 /  £50 / AU$64 more than base 7900X

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D was released on February 28, 2023, and currently retails for $599 / £479.99 / AU$859.99. 

That's around $100 / £130 / AU$279 less than the flagship AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D which features 16 cores and 32 threads. As a point of comparison, this AMD processor comes in a little cheaper than the Intel Core i9-13900K in the UK and Australia, where it currently sells at £699 / AU$929, and is just $10 more expensive in the US. 

That is only one side of the story, though. That's because the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D requires an upgrade to the latest AM5 socket, which means an entirely new motherboard as well as the exclusive use of DDR5 RAM, and the best DDR5 RAM isn't cheap (even if it has come down in price). 

Essentially, you'll be building an entirely new system around the chip as there's no more backward compatibility with AM4 as we saw with the two previous Ryzen processor generations (though the best CPU coolers for AM4 processors will still work with the new AMD chips). 

This is owing to AMD's transition from a PGA to LGA socket, which just means that the processor no longer has pins the way previous generations did, much like with the best Intel processors

  • Price score: 3.5 / 5

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D: Chipset & features

Close up on the Ryzen 9 7900X3D

(Image credit: Future)
  • Improved power efficiency 
  • Zen 4 3D V-cache for under $600 / £500 / AU$900

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D features a lot of the same broad strokes as its non-3D variant. You're getting the same 12 cores and 24 threads on the AM5 socket with a total boost clock of up to 5.6GHz. The core difference here, however, is the 3D V-Cache which doubles the stock version's 64MB L3 Cache for a total of 128MB. 

The higher the L3 cache is, the better gaming or intensive processing workloads can perform, that's because it's the largest level of cache available on a processor.

Added cache aside, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D is also significantly more power-efficient than any current non-3D Zen 4 processors available, as it clocks in with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 120W, which is much lower than the substantially higher 170W of its stock variant. 

While a higher TDP usually relates to higher performance, the inclusion of the added 3D V-cache means that the processor can access a larger pool of superfast cache memory, which is even more useful when gaming than just throwing raw power at the problem. With its own dedicated extra cache, there are fewer fetch operations to the PC's main memory, so the chip runs more efficiently, and potentially cooler under load. 

This is reflected when contrasted against the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X's core clock speed of 4.7 GHz to the 3D variant's 4.4 GHz. It's a little slower out of the box despite the overclocking potential being the same, however, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D is still far faster than any of the current Alder Lake or Raptor Lake processors in terms of the raw speed. 

Ultimately, the reduced memory latency means that you're getting a chip that runs cooler, draws less power, and performs better thanks to the addition of the second generation of AMD's V-cache. 

  • Design & features score: 4 / 5

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D: Performance

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D up close

(Image credit: Future)

You won't be shocked to hear that the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D is one of the most capable CPUs for gaming that I've ever used, holding its own against the flagship 7950X and the Intel Core i9-13900K. 

This is evidenced by some of the most impressive synthetic scores to date in industry-standard programs such as GeekBench 6, PCMark10, and Cinebench R23, among others, and you can see how the Ryzen 9 7900X3D compares to competing high-end processors below. 

Where the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D falls behind the Intel Core i9-13900K and the 7950X3D in terms of the productivity benchmarks, the gap is greatly closed with the raw gaming performance. Turning to the gaming benchmarks, this chip's 3D V-cache makes all the difference in demanding titles such as F1 2022, Returnal, and Total War: Warhammer 3

As with our other CPU reviews, the games tested in the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D review are tested at 1080p at the lowest graphics settings in order to isolate the processor's contribution to gaming performance. Below, you can see how this chipset compares to the best AMD processor and best Intel processor respectively. 

Compared to the more expensive chipsets, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D absolutely holds its own with the 7950X3D and the 13900K, with the largest gap visible seen with how AMD's flagship handles Returnal. This is likely due to the fact that the 7950X3D utilizes an additional four cores and eight threads, and Total War series has always been Intel's strongest gaming benchmark, which remains the case here. 

Still, with the Ryzen 9 7900X3D, we're still talking about an absolute powerhouse of a CPU, with framerates well above 100fps in demanding games, and upwards of 400fps in tamer titles. Realistically, you can expect this chip to be an absolute behemoth for 1080p, though you'll get diminishing returns at 1440p and 4K if you don't have the beefiest video card in your rig that can keep up with the processor. 

Overall, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D is an impressive processor for the money which is definitely geared more toward gaming than productivity or creativity tasks. If you're purely interested in playing games then this processor offers strong price-to-performance at the $600 / £480 / AU$860 mark, but with the Ryzen 9 7950X3D so close in price, a lot of buyers out there are likely to be torn. 

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also Consider

If my AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D review has you considering other options, here are two more processors to consider.

Intel Core i9-13900K
There's very little that we can fault the Raptor Lake flagship on with its performance. That's due to the excellent Raptor Cove and Gracemont cores with its hybrid architecture that makes it a processor that's difficult to beat outside of its expensive price point. 

Read the full 5-star Intel Core i9-13900K review

How I tested the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D

  • Used in main gaming PC rig for almost a month 
  • Played a variety of titles including those benchmarked 
  • Industry standard synthetic benchmark tests 
Test system specs

CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken Elite 360
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4090
DDR5 RAM: 32GB (2 x 16GB) Kingston Fury Beast RGB @ 6,000 MHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX
SSD: Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB
PSU: Corsair RM1000x
Case: NZXT H9 Flow

I tested the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D inside of a newly built machine utilizing Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RAM, an Nvidia RTX 4090, and a brand new RM1000X PSU. The chip was utilized heavily for gaming in the benchmarked titles as well as in games such as Mortal Kombat 11, Cyberpunk 2077, and Tekken 7.

I've also been using the machine as my main computer for both work and play and have racked up dozens of hours word processing as well as with media playback. Through the real-world testing, the benchmarking, and the stress testing, I came to my four-star conclusion on the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D as a recommended CPU for gaming.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2023

Intel Core i5-13600K: the best everyday CPU around
1:00 am | May 6, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Intel Core i5-13600K: Two-minute review

The Intel Core i5-13600K follows up one of the top budget chips ever and manages to improve on just about everything across the board, except for the price.

When Intel announced its Raptor Lake processors, a lot of us were a bit dismayed that the price of the Core i5 went up by nearly 15% over the Intel Core i5-12600K that preceded it. That chip was arguably the best processor ever made for budget gaming PCs and those who need good performance without a whole lot of extras at a fair price.

At $329 (about £280 / AU$475), the Intel Core i5-13600K puts itself just outside of the budget class of processors. And that's a shame because otherwise, this is the best processor for the vast majority of people and even for a lot of those who tell themselves that they absolutely must have something more powerful like the Intel Core i7-13700K.

Across the general lineup of performance tests I threw at this chip, it pretty much came out on top in every one of them, beating out the competing AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and substantially outperforming the Core i5-12600K. Getting into the nitty-gritty, the Ryzen 5 7600X puts up a much better fight against the i5-13600K than I was expecting, beating the 13600K to a rough draw by the end.

That does mean that if you're looking for a budget gaming CPU, you're probably going to be better off with the Ryzen 5 7600X since you can save a bit of money in the process. But that savings can easily be gobbled up and then some by the extra cost to upgrade to DDR5 RAM, which the i5-13600K still lets you skip in favor of the aging DDR4 RAM that most people still have. So there is definitely a trade-off to be made in either case.

Ultimately though, there's just no denying that the Intel Core i5-13600K has better specs and performance at this price range, give or take a little spare change. So this is a very easy processor to recommend to just about anybody who isn't a gamer or creative professional.

Intel Core i5-13600K: Price & availability

An Intel Core i5-13600K

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
  • MSRP: $329 (about £280 / AU$475)
  • More expensive than competing Ryzen 5 7600X

The Intel Core i5-13600K is on sale now for $329 (about £280 / AU$475). This puts it at about 10% more expensive than the competing AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and about 14% more expensive than the Core i5-12600K.

Considering that the Intel Core i9-13900K didn't get a price increase over its 12th-gen counterpart, the price hike here is probably the biggest disappointment with this chip. Enthusiast users are used to spending the extra money to have the best right out the gate, so they could absorb some of the price inflation rather than let it fall squarely on the one chip that most people are going to use.

This is especially bad considering that AMD's competing chip is right there for a good bit less. There are performance considerations here, obviously, and we'll get to those soon. Still, at this level, the performance difference is not so great as to really justify taking the best Intel processor in the budget class and pushing it into the lower mid-range for a few extra bucks.

  • Price score: 3.5 / 5

Intel Core i5-13600K: Chipset & features

An Intel Core i5-13600K

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
  • Overclockable
  • Supports DDR4 and DDR5

The Intel Core i5-13600K is Intel's second-gen big.LITTLE mainstream processor, following up the i5-12600K, and there have been some big improvements on the architecture side.

My test bench specs

These are the systems I used to test desktop CPU performance for both AMD and Intel systems in this review:

CPU Cooler: Cougar Poseidon GT 360 AIO
Graphics card:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
SSD:
Samsung 980 Pro SSD @ 1TB
Power Supply:
Corsair AX1000 80-Plus Titanium (1000W)
Case:
Praxis Wetbench

Intel motherboard and RAM:
Motherboard:
MSI MPG Z690 Carbon Wifi
DDR5 RAM: 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum @ 5,200MHz & 32GB Kingston Fury Beast @ 5,200MHz 

AMD motherboard and RAM:
Motherboard:
ASRock X670E Taichi
DDR5 RAM: 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum @ 5,200MHz & 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo @ 5,200MHz

While Intel Meteor Lake chips still use the same 10nm "Intel 7" process as the previous 12th-gen Alder Lake chips, the 13th-gen chips improve on the previous architecture in a number of key ways. 

In addition to more cache memory, there have been some improved clock speeds on the high-end, so that the i5-13600K runs slightly slower at base frequency while boosts slightly higher than the 12600K — though both Intel chips have a lower base and boost frequency than the competing AMD Ryzen 5 7600X.

In terms of core counts, the i5-13600K doubles the efficiency cores over the i5-12600K, for a total of 14 cores and 20 threads to the i5-12600K's 10 cores and 16 thread. This is also substantially more than the Ryzen 5 7600X, which is a straight six-core/12-thread chip with all its cores being full-power performance cores.

And while the rated 125W TDP for the i5-13600K remains the same as with the 12600K, it pulls substantially more power under load than its predecessor in my tests, so plan your build accordingly.

Finally, like its predecessor, the Core i5-13600K supports both PCIe 5.0 and DDR4 and DDR5 RAM, so you can either upgrade to new DDR5 RAM or stick with the best RAM of the DDR4 generation, which definitely helps defray the cost of an upgrade.  

  • Chipset & features score: 4 / 5

Intel Core i5-13600K: Performance

An Intel Core i5-13600K

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
  • Fantastic all around performance
  • Decent gaming chip
  • Low performance per watt rating

The Intel Core i5-13600K is the best processor all-around for most people right now, though that does come with a number of caveats.

Generally, the Core i5-13600K outperforms both the Core i5-12600K and Ryzen 5 7600X by a substantial amount, and while the Ryzen 5 7600X holds its own against the i5-13600K, it's a qualified success rather than a straightforward win.

When it comes to synthetic performance, the Intel Core i5-13600K simply overpowers both chips with a larger number of cores, faster clocks, and raw power wattage. Overall, the Core i5-13600K performs about 42% better than the Ryzen 5 7600X and about 26% better than the Core i5-12600K.

In creative workloads, the Core i5-13600K is a great option for folks on a budget who want to dabble in some creative work like 3D rendering or photo editing. But with only six performance cores, using the best graphics card possible will be far more determinative in most cases. That said, the Core i5-13600K outperforms the Ryzen 5 7600X by about 21% and the 12600K by about 12%.

In my gaming performance tests, the Ryzen 5 7600X actually scores a technical win here, chalking up an extra 2 fps on average over the 13600K, but this might as well be a wash. The 13600K does manage a very solid improvement over its predecessor though, getting as much as 34% higher fps, but landing a solid 20% average performance improvement.

In the end, the Core i5-13600K outperforms the Ryzen 5 7600X by about 40%, while improving on the Core i5-12600K's performance by about 25%. As far as bottom line results go, this would make this processor a slam dunk, but one thing keeps this chip from true greatness: its power consumption.

While the 13600K has the lowest minimum power draw of the three chips tested with 1.973W (an 18% lower power consumption than the 12600K's minimum of 2.415W), it also maxes out at an astonishing 204.634W, which is about 83% more power to achieve a roughly 40% better performance.

This chip also draws 65% more power than the Core i5-12600K for a roughly 25% better performance. These are hardly signs of efficiency, and it continues the exact wrong trend we saw with Intel Alder Lake. For comparison, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X has a max power draw of 211.483W, and its 3D V-Cache variant has an incredibly tight 136.414W power draw in my AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D review

So yeah, it's not hard to put up the kind of numbers that the Core i5-13600K does when Intel turns the electron firehose to full on its processor. Considering how this is the ideal chip for a budget build, that build will now have to factor in a bigger PSU than it should account for a burst of power demand from a chip "rated" for 125W. 

Is this a dealbreaker? Not yet, but if Intel thinks it can keep the top spot by just keeping its foot on the gas while AMD is making real investments in power efficiency within a single generation of processors, this won't be good for Intel in the long run.

  • Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Intel Core i5-13600K?

An Intel Core i5-13600K

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also Consider

If my Intel Core i5-13600K review has you considering other options, here are two processors to consider... 

How I tested the Intel Core i5-13600K

  • I spent nearly two weeks testing the Intel Core i5-13600K
  • I ran comparable benchmarks between this chip and rival processors
  • I gamed with this chip for several days

I spent an extensive amount of time testing the Core i5-13600K over the past two weeks, including using the processor in my primary work and gaming machine at home.

In addition to general work tasks and gaming, I used the processor extensively for content creation work like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Blender 3D modeling.

I also ran an extensive battery of benchmark tests on this chip and rival CPUs a customer might consider, using as close to identical hardware as possible in order to gather sufficient comparable data to determine how the chips performed in real-life and simulated workloads.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed May 2023

Intel Core i7-13700K review: Raptor Lake for the midrange
11:30 pm | April 6, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Intel Core i7-13700K: Two-minute review

While the Intel Core i9-13900K gets all the tech accolades, the Intel Core i7-13700K is truly the shoulders of Intel Raptor Lake's success, and it's not hard to see why.

For starters, the Intel Core i7-13700K, like the rest of the Raptor Lake launch lineup, offers a fair degree of versatility when it comes to your hardware. Specifically, the ability to continue to use DDR4 RAM, unlike archrival AMD's Zen 4, which forces you to buy the more expensive memory and toss your old memory sticks in the responsibly-recycle-your-electronics bin.

Like its launch siblings, the i7-13700K is also a pretty thirsty chip, and while it doesn't raise to the level of the frankly scandalous power consumption of the i9-13900K, the i7-13700K is far from a teetotaler when it comes to electrons. 

The corollary is obviously the issue of heat management, which is a recurring problem with Intel chips since the launch of Alder Lake back in 2021. These problems remain, and while they aren't as severe as they were with Alder Lake, don't expect to skate by with anything less than a solid power supply unit and one of the best CPU coolers you can get your hands on.

Leaving that aside, probably the most important point in the i7-13700K's column is its price. With an MSRP of $419 / £399 / AU$669, you're getting a very solid bargain for a chip of this quality, and it's a great value proposition since this chip will likely carry you pretty far down the road while grinding out some serious work in the process.

And even as AMD is making some truly impressive moves with its 3D V-Cache technology (check out my AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D review for more details on that innovation), Intel is charting its own course with its spin on Arm's big.LITTLE architecture, with some truly impressive results.

As such, the i7-13700K is an absolute workhorse of a CPU that will get you through every task you throw at it with a fair amount of ease, even if it doesn't do any one thing especially well. Instead, it will give you more than satisfying performance across the board so you don't have to worry that you are making too much of a compromise in gaming performance for some better productivity workflows. 

It's the kind of chip that you can quite easily build just about any kind of system around so long as you're serious about getting stuff done, but want to leave room for flexibility and doing a lot of everything reasonably well. If that's what you're after, the Intel Core i7-13700K is the best processor for the job. 

Intel Core i7-13700K: Price & availability

An Intel Core i7-13700K against its retail packaging

(Image credit: Future/John Loeffler)
  • Recommended retail price: $419 / £399 / AU$669
  • Between Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 7 7800X3D in price

The Intel Core i7-13700K is available now in the US, UK, and Australia for a suggested retail price of $419, £399, and AU$669, respectively. This puts it about 29% cheaper than the Core i9-13900K, about 6.6% cheaper than AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and about 5% more expensive than AMD's non-3D Ryzen 7 7700X.

This is also a drop in price over the previous generation i7-12700K, which has an official MSRP of $460, or about £395 or AU$667, so it's a boon to get some price deflation for a change.

Of course, if you haven't already upgraded to Intel Alder Lake, the cost of the processor will also have to factor in the cost of the motherboard since Raptor Lake runs on the LGA 1700 platform introduced with Intel's 12th-gen chips.

By now, CPU coolers should have all the hardware you need to fit your old cooler onto the new chip. However, there have been some issues with this in the past, and improper cooling is going to lead your brand-new processor to get throttled pretty quickly, tanking its performance and defeating its purpose altogether.

How much that will all add up to in your shopping basket is a hard one to answer, but it won't be as simple as just paying for the chip if you're upgrading from an AMD system or an 11th-gen Intel system or older.

  • Price score: 4 / 5

Intel Core i7-13700K: Chipset & features

An Intel Core i7-13700K inserted into a motherboard

(Image credit: Future/John Loeffler)
  • Overclockable
  • Supports DDR4 and DDR5

The Intel Core i7-13700K is Team Blue's second major attempt at a higher-performant big.LITTLE chip, and there have been some very solid improvements in the architecture to be sure.

My test bench specs

These are the systems I used to test desktop CPU performance for both AMD and Intel chips in this review:

Intel
CPU Cooler:
Cougar Poseidon GT 360 AIO
Graphics card:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
DDR5 RAM:
32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum @ 5,200MHz & 32GB Kingston Fury Beast @ 5,200MHz
Motherboard:
MSI MPG Z690 Carbon Wifi
SSD:
Samsung 980 Pro SSD @ 1TB
Power Supply:
Corsair AX1000 80-Plus Titanium (1000W)
Case:
Praxis Wetbench

AMD
CPU Cooler:
Cougar Poseidon GT 360 AIO Cooler
Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
DDR5 RAM: 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum @ 5,200MHz & 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo @ 5,200MHz
Motherboard: ASRock X670E Taichi
SSD: Samsung 980 Pro SSD @ 1TB
Power Supply: Corsair AX1000 80-Plus Titanium (1000W) Case: Praxis Wetbench

Raptor Lake is fabbed on Intel's "Intel 7" node, which is the company's new branding for its 10nm Enhanced SuperFin process, which Intel maintains performs equivalent to a 7nm chip fabbed by TSMC. Given the performance scores posted by Intel 7 versus, say, AMD Zen 4's TSMC 7nm chips, you can't exactly call Intel a liar here. To be clear, it is still a 10nm chip at its core, but the i7-13700K is as fast or faster than comparable 7nm chips for sure.

It also has a deceptively low "base" TDP of just 125W, which is a wattage you will rarely see while this chip is under load. It can max out at 253W in Turbo mode, which is what you'll be in when you play the PC games or render a complex 3D scene, so expect numbers that high on the regular.

Like the rest of the Raptor Lake lineup, the i7-13700K supports DDR5 RAM (up to 128GB) and has a max memory bandwidth of 89.6GB/s. It can also support DDR4 RAM as well for all those holdouts out there who are waiting til the last minute to get aboard the DDR5 bandwagon.

There's a 24MB main L2 cache, along with an additional 30MB "smart cache" to bring the total up to 54MB. This is fully 50MB lower than what the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is offering, so cache-intensive workloads like 1080p gaming are going to bottleneck quicker on the i7-13700K than on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

The i7-13700K also comes with integrated Intel UHD graphics and DirectX12 support. And while it can push up to 8K@60Hz, don't expect to game or anything on this chip. It's absolutely not a full APU that can power a cheap gaming PC on its own.

Finally, the Intel Core i7-13700K is fully overclockable, something that AMD's 7800X3D or Ryzen 9 7950X3D can't boast (though limited overclocking through presets on AMD Ryzen 7000-series 3D V-Cache chips is possible).

  • Chipset & features score: 4 / 5

Intel Core i7-13700K: Performance

An Intel Core i7-13700K inserted into a motherboard

(Image credit: Future/John Loeffler)
  • Fantastic all around performance
  • Excels at productivity and creative work
  • Competent gaming chip

The performance of the Core i7-13700K is among its best selling points, though not because it's breaking any real records. What makes the i7-13700K so attractive is that it does everything well enough that you really won't find anything to complain about, especially if you're not comparing a dozen chips side by side like I've been doing all month.

Across general CPU benchmark tests, the i7-13700K consistently outperforms the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, including nearly 55% better multicore performance in CinebenchR23, and almost 43.5% better multicore performance in Geekbench 5. It also racks up 35.11% better 3DMark Timespy CPU performance and 30.28% better V-Ray 5 CPU performance. 

The closest the Ryzen 7 7700X comes to the Core i7-13700K is in Geekbench single-core performance, where it effectively ties the Intel chip, though CinebenchR23's single-core scores show the 13700K with a healthy lead.

Similarly, against the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the Core i7-13700K puts up very strong numbers in synthetic tests, including a nearly 71% better multicore performance in CinebenchR23 and a nearly 49% better multicore performance in Geekbench 5. Like with the 7700X, the single core performance is closer, with the i7-13700K coming up with a roughly 7.5% better score in Geekbench 5, but the i7-13700K pulls clearly into the lead with a nearly 22% better CinebenchR23 single core score. 

In creative workflows, the Core i7-13700K outperforms both of AMD's midrange Ryzen 7 offerings to a fairly substantial degree. There isn't much difference between the two Ryzen 7 chips in terms of creative performance, and whether its rendering performance in Blender, Adobe Photoshop and Premiere performance, or video encoding, the i7-13700K averages about 13-18% better creative workload performance than the competing Ryzen 7 chips.

For gaming, the Core i7-13700K comes out on top in nearly every title we tested against the Ryzen 7 7700X. The only game where it lagged behind was in F1 2022, but that was only its minimum fps, with the 13700K bottoming out at 329 fps compared to the 7700X's 375 fps, for a roughly 12% slower fps floor. The 13700K still came out on top with an average fps of 454, compared to the 7700X's 423 fps, or about 7.5% better average fps. 

Everywhere else, the 13700K is the clear winner over the Ryzen 7700X, with 10.57% higher fps floor on average and a 13.53% higher average fps overall.

But the Ryzen 7700X isn't AMD's gaming-focused chip. That would be the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and here the Core i7-13700K has some very real competition. Only in our Total War: Warhammer III Battle benchmark tests did the i7-13700K score a win. The 13700K achieves a floor of 527 fps and an average of 605 fps compared to Ryzen 7 7800X3D's 464 minimum fps and 552 average fps for a 13.77% and 9.7% higher minimum and average frame rate, respectively.

Everywhere else though, the i7-13700K comes up short, sometimes by nearly 25%. Overall, the i7-13700K is about 9% slower than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, in both minimum fps and average fps tests.

Overall, there's no question that the Intel Core i7-13700K is the best processor in its class, especially for those who need a CPU that can do a lot of things and do them very well. While it might not have the unbridled horsepower of the Core i9-13900K, it's definitely more than enough for most users who need a certain degree of performance without going overboard. And while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the best gaming processor of the three midrange chips on offer, it's not so much better than the Core i7-13700K needs to be ashamed of itself, especially when it is so much better at everything else than the competition.

That level of performance has to come from somewhere though, and if there's a serious defect in the i7-13700K it's its power consumption. Boy howdy does this chip absolutely binge on electricity. It's not as bad as the Core i9-13900K's peak 332W power draw, but it's not far behind with a 282.028W peak recorded during testing.

On the plus side, its minimum power draw is just 8.227W, compared to the 7700X's 17.341W and the 7800X3D's 16.783W, so this chip is going to use a lot less power when it's idling than the competition. If you're going to be using this chip for extended periods though, the 7700X only maxes out at 143.910W, while the 7800X3D is downright temperate with just 75.652W max power draw during our tests.

This pretty much locks the i7-13700K out of the running as a low-profile, low-power system processor unless you undervolted it to keep it within a smaller PSU's power rating. That will ultimately defeat the purpose of this chip though, and if you're looking to go for a low-power build, you're best bet is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Intel Core i7-13700K?

An Intel Core i7-13700K in a man's hand

(Image credit: Future/John Loeffler)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also Consider

If my Intel Core i7-13700K review has you considering other options, here are two processors to consider... 

How I tested the Intel Core i7-13700K

An Intel Core i7-13700K inserted into a motherboard

(Image credit: Future/John Loeffler)
  • I spent nearly two weeks testing the Intel Core i7-13700K
  • I ran comparable benchmarks between this chip and rival processors
  • I gamed with this chip for several days

I spent an extensive amount of time testing the Core i7-13700K over the past two weeks, including using the processor in my primary work and gaming machine at home.

In addition to general work tasks and gaming, I used the processor extensively for content creation work like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Blender 3D modeling.

I also ran an extensive battery of benchmark tests on this chip and rival CPUs a customer might consider, using as close to identical hardware as possible in order to gather sufficient comparable data to determine how the chips performed in real-life and simulated workloads.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2023

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review: my new favorite Chromebook
8:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition: Two-minute review

Honestly, I wish I was allowed to put more items in that ‘Pros’ list up there. The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition (which, I will admit, is something of a mouthful) genuinely might be the best Chromebook I’ve ever reviewed. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. It’s, uh… wait, it’s a thousand bucks?

Yes, the entry price is sure to make some folks’ wallets shrivel in horror, but don’t run for the hills just yet. That $999 price tag is still less than the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook that currently sits at the top of our carefully-curated best Chromebooks list - and while Framework’s entry doesn’t quite offer the same level of performance, it does plenty to justify the cost.

For those unfamiliar with Framework, it’s a company that specializes in ‘fixing’ consumer electronics - not physically repairing them but fixing the broken nature of our transient, wasteful consumption of technological goods. Hardware - in particular, laptops - is becoming less and less repairable and long-lasting. Planned obsolescence is a huge problem, with kit designed to essentially become redundant after just a few years so you’re forced to drop more cash on a newer model.

To hell with all that, says Framework - and I couldn’t agree more. Laptops should be user-repairable and user-upgradable; I should be able to crack open my MacBook Air to slap in a bigger drive, faster memory, or a new battery, not be beholden to the whims (and fees) of a teenaged Apple store ‘genius’.

The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Back when we reviewed the original Windows-powered ‘DIY edition’ of the Framework Laptop, we praised its design, repairability, and performance - and I fully believe that Chrome OS is the perfect home for this sort of device.

Since it relies mainly on web apps and cloud computing, Chrome OS demands less system resources from your laptop, allowing Framework to outfit this Chromebook with a relatively tame Intel Core i5 CPU and 8GB of RAM. On a Windows laptop, I might look at those specs with that price tag and scoff; here, it makes a lot more sense. Sure, you’re still paying a hearty sum, but the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition’s solid performance and unique features make it more than worth the money in my eyes.

In keeping with previous non-Chrome models (and Framework’s overall design ethos), this Chromebook is constructed and packaged using recycled materials, contains easily replaceable internal components, and - best of all - features hot-swappable ‘expansion cards’ that enable you to customize your laptop’s port selection in seconds.

I’m gonna say it: this is the future of laptops. Buy one, buy your kid one, buy your grandma one. I want Framework to succeed so badly; because we’re in a downward spiral of tech hardware consumption that’s only going to get worse for us all.

I don’t like doomsaying, but the numbers don’t lie. We now produce 50 million metric tons of e-waste annually - and a lot of that is down to laptops, tablets, and phones that (by design!) can’t be repaired by consumers. I hope that one day, all the best laptops will be like this one. It’s time for change. It’s time for Framework.

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review: Price and availability

  • Base price of $999 (around £800 / AU$1,500)
  • Expansion cards range from $9 to $149
  • Only available in the US at time of writing

I’m not going to claim that the Framework Chromebook is one of the best cheap laptops, although it does offer a lot for the asking price. $999 is fairly expensive for a Chromebook, no doubt. But with a 12th-gen Intel processor, 2K display, and generally solid construction, it’s already well on the way to marking itself as solid value for money.

Customizability is a big selling point here. I’ll get more into it later, but the upshot of the ‘expansion card’ system is that the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition effectively has four Thunderbolt 4 ports - something that’s still missing from plenty of Chromebooks.

These cards vary in price from $9 for a simple USB-A or USB-C port to $149 for a hefty 1TB slot-in drive, which can be easily removed to take with you. You can buy them from Framework’s own online marketplace, along with a variety of other components for replacing or upgrading your laptop’s internals.

The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

As you’ll learn in the Design section further down, Framework hasn’t skimped on quality. In addition to Thunderbolt 4 support, we’ve got a Full HD webcam, the latest Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and a robust brushed aluminum outer casing. It certainly feels the way a premium Chromebook should.

It’s worth noting that the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition isn’t available outside the US at present, hence the pricing estimates provided above for the UK and Australia. There’s currently no news on whether this model will make it to other regions, but if you opt to import one you can purchase regional keyboards - since that’s user-replaceable too!

  • Price: 4 / 5

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review: Specs

There's only one configuration of the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition available for you to buy - but due to the nature of the laptop, you can upgrade and customize it to an impressive degree.

The default configuration uses a 12th-gen Intel Core i5-1240P with 8GB of DDR4 and a 256GB SSD. The laptop essentially has four Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, but these are hidden beneath the casing for you to slot the expansion cards into them, letting you decide exactly which ports you want and how you want them positioned.

While the SSDs, RAM, keyboard, screen bezel, and obviously the expansion cards are available to purchase and upgrade individually, you can't buy a specific CPU for Framework's laptops. Instead, the company sells integrated mainboards that incorporate a processor, motherboard, and cooling solution. You can now get 13th-gen Intel models, as Framework has started to make new configurations for its Windows laptops - and those are fully backwards-compatible with this version.

The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review: Design

  • Almost unmatched build quality for a Chromebook
  • Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
  • Swappable ports are amazing

Not content with just making a Chromebook that was sustainably designed and user-friendly, Framework also had to flex a little, didn’t they? This is one of the best Chromebooks out there in terms of physical design, mirroring the best aspects of the regular Framework Laptop but with a few Google-inspired twists.

The outer shell is clean, brushed aluminum with the Framework logo stamped in black on the lid along with the ubiquitous Chromebook logo in the top corner - though here it’s in greyscale, so as not to detract from the laptop’s straightforward aesthetic. Opening it up, we’ve got a pleasingly large trackpad and a black keyboard with soft white LED backlighting. 

The keys themselves are a good size and well-spaced, making typing on the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition feel nice and comfortable even for extended periods. The Chromebook keyboard layout may feel a little alien to Windows users at first, with the caps lock and Esc key replaced by the ‘Everything Button’ and lock key, but it’s an otherwise easy adjustment.

The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

The display is frankly far beyond what I’ve seen in the vast majority of Chromebooks I’ve tested, a 3:2 aspect ratio ‘productivity screen’ with a 2K resolution that matches the great display on the aforementioned HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. The maximum brightness is great at over 400 nits, and 100% sRGB gamut means bright colors look vibrant.

Google already touts improved digital security as a key selling point of Chrome OS, and we’ve got some decent physical security features here too. The square power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, while the excellent 1080p 60fps webcam and dual microphone array both feature dedicated kill switches on the top bezel of the screen - a nice touch that far too many laptops forgo.

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The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
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The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
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The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Of course, I couldn’t not talk about the expansion cards here. They’re phenomenally easy to slot in and remove, with a simple button on the underside of the laptop to release them so they’ll never fall out while the laptop is in your bag.

Framework was kind enough to send us a selection of cards featuring USB-A, USB-C, MicroSD, and HDMI outputs, but you can also get Ethernet, DisplayPort, and 3.5mm jack adaptors (though the latter is already included separately to the card slots).

Continuing the theme of customizability, Framework also sells swappable keyboard covers and screen bezels, and the fully-recyclable box also comes with a small Torx driver to open up the laptop and swap out the memory, storage, or even the entire mainboard. Like the look of this Chromebook, but wish it came with a more powerful 13th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU and 32GB of DDR5 RAM instead? You can make that a reality. I can’t stress this enough: that’s cool as hell.

  • Design: 5 / 5

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review: Performance

  • Intel Core i5-1240P is a solid CPU
  • Doesn’t get as noisy as its Windows counterpart
  • Chrome OS is still limited in some areas
Benchmarks

Here's how the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

TechRadar Battery Life Test: 9 hours and 2 minutes
Chromium Github Octane Benchmark: 81,533
Browserbench Jetstream Benchmark: 238.96
Kraken Benchmark: 470ms
WebGL Aquarium (30,000 fish): 42 fps 

If those specs up above were for a $999 Windows laptop, I’d be a tad concerned. But Chrome OS has always been able to do more with less compared to Microsoft’s nigh-omnipresent operating system, able to run smoothly on far less powerful hardware than what’s on offer here.

So that Core i5-1240P processor and 8GB of RAM found in my review model is more than enough: Chrome OS runs buttery-smooth here, with no slowdown whatsoever through my entire testing process. Opening a ton of Chrome tabs? No problem. Running games from the Google Play Store? You’ve got it.

In fact, the graphical performance on offer here is impressive. Sure, you won’t be playing all of the best PC games here, but WebGL performance was strong, and when I downloaded some Play Store games to give the integrated Iris Xe graphics more of a workout, I got an impressively steady framerate north of 30fps. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: iGPUs are the future of gaming. Who needs a graphics card, right?

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The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
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The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
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The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

General CPU performance is also fairly strong, providing speedy operating in just about every area and giving solid results across the rest of our benchmark suite. The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition also runs very cool and quiet; in our review of the original Framework Laptop, we critiqued the noisy fans, but they rarely kicked in here - only while downloading Genshin Impact’s massive update pack and after running a hardware stress test for several minutes.

One of the best things about the Framework Chromebook is still the fact that if you’re ever even remotely dissatisfied with the performance, you can just go ahead and upgrade it!

A simple bump up to 16GB of RAM (if you happen to be running more memory-intensive software) will only cost you $30, while an SSD upgrade to a healthy terabyte of storage will run you $99. As someone who got his start in tech journalism by building custom computers, I have to say that Framework’s pricing is pretty damn reasonable.

Of course, this is a Chrome OS system, so you’ll want to be mindful if you’re switching over from Windows or MacOS. While it’s lighter on system requirements and offers better child safety and data security features, it’s also limited in terms of which apps it can run. If you’re aiming to use a specific piece of software that isn’t on the Play Store (or otherwise downloadable for Chrome OS), consider yourself warned.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review: Battery life

  • Decent all-day battery life
  • Doesn’t quite measure up given the price
  • Does charge fast, however

Our default Chromebook battery test, which sees us looping a 720p video at 50% brightness and letting the battery run down to empty from a full charge, turned up a respectable but not amazing nine hours of runtime. It also charges fast via USB-C, and you can change which side the charge port is thanks to the slottable expansion cards.

If you’re using the Framework Chromebook for more demanding work, it’ll be less; if you opt to turn on the battery-saver mode and lower the brightness, it’ll be more. Framework has previously noted that there’s a known bug with the battery involving certain expansion cards (including the HDMI output, which I was using during my testing process) so it’s possible that with some future firmware updates, the longevity could be improved.

It’s worth noting here that 50% brightness on this particular Chromebook is actually a fair bit brighter than many cheaper options. Nonetheless, this is still a very middle-of-the-road score. Nine hours of battery life is good and should see you through a full day of work, but we’ve seen plenty of Chromebooks that surpass it - most recently the similarly eco-friendly Acer Chromebook Vero 514, which managed a solid 10+ hours. 

  • Battery life: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition?

Buy it if...

You’re eco-conscious
If you’re worried about e-waste and want to make an impact, this is the laptop to buy. Framework’s ethos is unquestionably the best around right now when it comes to sustainable hardware.

You want future-proof
The durability and repairability of the Framework Laptop Chromework Edition are simply a cut above the competition, meaning this laptop will last you for years with some periodic upgrades.

You need an office laptop
With its bright 3:2 display, the Framework Chromebook offers plenty of vertical screen real estate for scrolling through web pages and documents, making it great for office work. It’s also compact and light enough to easily take on your commute.

Don't buy it if...

You’re a serious gamer
The Intel Core i5-1240P inside this laptop actually offers decent graphical performance, but it’s not going to measure up to the power of a dedicated graphics card in a proper gaming laptop.

You want ultra-long battery life
The battery life here isn’t terrible, comfortably eclipsing many Windows laptops, but it’s still decidedly average compared as far as Chromebooks go - and it doesn’t even come close to the MacBook Air

You’re on a tight budget
Yes, $999 is a lot of money for a Chromebook. I’m sticking to my guns; I still maintain that the price is fair for what you get, especially since Framework’s products are so unique, but it’s an entry price that may be simply too high for some people.

Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review: Also consider

If our Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...  

How I tested the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition

The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Used it for everyday work
  • Watched Netflix in bed in the evenings
  • Ran some games as well as our standard suite of benchmark tests

As is custom for my laptop reviews, I incorporated the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition into my daily routine to properly get to grips with it - using it for my everyday work as well as personal activities (mostly watching Netflix and scrolling through Reddit in bed) in the evenings.

I naturally used it to write most of this review, and found it very comfortable for long typing sessions, which was nice to see - I've typed some negative reviews on some pretty crummy laptop keyboards.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2023

MSI GT77 Titan (2023) review: a gaming laptop that lives up to its name
12:01 am | March 15, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

MSI GT77 Titan (2023): Two-minute review

The MSI GT77 Titan (2023) is the first laptop I've gotten my hands on that features Nvidia's latest mobile RTX 4000-series GPUs and Intel's latest 13th-gen Core i9 HX processor, and I can confirm that the hype around this hardware is very, very justified. If anything, the media buzz can't even prepare you for how powerful this laptop actually is in practice, especially the RTX 4090 mobile GPU.

To start, the GT77 Titan can be configured with either an Nvidia RTX 4080 or Nvidia RTX 4090 mobile with the Intel Core i9-13980HX. There are no options for a Core i7 or lower, because that's for peasants, probably. There will be no scrimping with this laptop.

Obviously, the specs are the reason you are buying this gaming laptop. There is nothing all that compelling about its design, which is the same standard black stealth-bomber-car-transformer looking thing with twinkly RGB lighting that gaming laptops have been sporting for a very long time now. 

Yes, it's a stale design, but if you're worried that someone might see it and roll their eyes, this thing is never leaving your desk because it weighs close to 7.5 lbs / 3.5kg. This is strictly a desktop replacement. 

In terms of ports and other features, this is a very solid laptop, with just about every port you could ask for with a gorgeous 4K display running at 144Hz and seemingly as bright as a headlight on a car when turned all the way up. There's even a privacy shutter over the webcam, which is something you just don't see on too many gaming laptops out there.

Finally, when it comes to performance, there are some slips in terms of CPU performance (which is still generally outstanding) and the RTX 4090 GPU offers best-in-class gaming performance, but the premium you're paying for that performance might be too much for some to stomach.

MSI GT77 Titan (2023): Price & availability

An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)
  • Starts obscenely expensive and goes up from there
  • More or less in line with competitors running the same hardware

Ok, so you will need to understand that the MSI GT77 Titan (2023) is more like a Ferrari than it is a Ford Focus or Dodge Neon. This is a top-tier kit, but you will be paying a very high price for entry, or about as much or more as the best gaming PC with comparable performance, and in terms of value, I don't very much that this laptop will compare well to the latest crop of gaming laptops set to start coming out in the first half of 2023.

The GT77 Titan is available in the US for $4,299.99 (about £3,570 / AU$6,240) as its starting price. This will get you an RTX 4080 GPU, 64GB DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. For $4,699.99 (about £3,905 / AU$6,820), you can get it with an RTX 4090 GPU, while a $5,299.99 (about £4,400 / AU$7,690) configuration can get you an RTX 4090, 128GB DDR5, and 4TB of storage. All three models come with the Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU.

I can (and I will) argue that this is possibly the best gaming laptop I have ever come across, performance-wise. But it is also something that most of us will only ever look at online and go "That's wild, man!" before going for something far more affordable, like the model in our Lenovo Legion Pro 7i review

If you're in the position of hitting the "Buy it now" button, then this is probably one of a small handful of laptops you should consider. But if that isn't you, the Legion Pro 7i is about half the price and is still going to give you outstanding performance.

As always with tech this premium, availability outside the US is also a bit of an issue, and we've reached out to MSI about when the GT77 Titan will be available in the UK and Australia and at what price. We'll update this review if and when we hear back from the manufacturer.

  • Price score: 2 / 5

MSI GT77 Titan (2023): Specs

  • Latest Nvidia RTX 4000-series GPUs
  • Intel Core i9-13980HX processor
  • Bright, 144Hz refresh 4K mini-LED display 

The MSI GT77 Titan features the latest and greatest both Intel and Nvidia have to offer, with every model of GT77 Titan for purchase coming with the latest Intel Core-i9 13980HX CPU, which is as good as it gets for mobile processors this generation. 

Pair that with the new Nvidia RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 mobile GPUs, and you've got about as powerful a machine as you're going to find. You also start out with 64GB DDR5 RAM and can get as much as 128GB DDR5, with either 2TB or 4TB of storage space.

The display is one of the biggest draws here beyond the incredible hardware under the hood. The mini LED IPS panel is 144Hz at 4K resolution, so this is not only as crisp and fast a laptop display as you're going to get, but also makes it possible to get HDR 1000 as well as one of the brightest laptop displays I've seen outside of a MacBook or OLED panel.

Finally, it's packing a 99.9WHr battery, managing a decent amount of battery life for what it's packing. Though that also means it's absolutely huge and weighs a metaphorical ton at 7.28 lbs (3.30 kg). This is purely a desktop replacement-level kit.

  • Specs score: 5 / 5

MSI GT77 Titan (2023): Design

An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)
  • Plenty of ports
  • Full-sized keyboard
  • Physical webcam privacy shutter
Spec Sheet

Here is the MSI GT77 Titan (2023) configuration sent to TechRadar for review:

CPU: Intel Core i9-13950HX Processor
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
RAM: 64GB DDR5 (32GB x 2)
Screen: 17.3-inch IPS, mini LED, 4K, 144hz
Storage: 2TB SSD
Ports: 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 1 x SD card slot, 1 x RJ45
Camera: IR 720p HD w/shutter
Weight: 7.28 lbs | 3.30 kg
Size: 15.63 x 12.99 x 0.91 inches | 397 x 329.95 x 23.11 mm

Since this laptop is largely going to sit on your desk and nowhere else, we'll start with its rather massive footprint. At nearly 16 inches wide and over a foot deep, even the best backpack around isn't going to fit this laptop unless it's one of those massive hiking ones you see at Machu Pichu or something. 

And God help you if you try to carry this thing up the block, much less up a mountain. At 7.28 lbs (3.30kg), not including its brick of a power supply, only the strongest backs can support carrying this thing around anywhere.

Still, for something that's going to sit on your desk, it's the standard MSI sports car hood aesthetic. To its credit, it's about the pinnacle of the form, even if that form is getting a bit old. 

Open the lid, and you're looking at a per-key RGB backlit mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches for a very satisfying experience. Is it overkill for a gaming keyboard? Absolutely, but this entire laptop is overkill, and to its credit, the GT77 Titan leaves everything on the field.

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An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)
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An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)
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An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)

There are plenty of ports, which we would expect from something this huge, and there really isn't a need for a dock. With three USB 3.2 Gen 2, two Thunderbolt 4 (w/ display output), one HDMI 2.1, and one Mini DisplayPort 1.4 port — as well as a 3.5mm combo jack — you're not going to be left wanting. There's even an SD card slot and an ethernet port to round everything out.

Finally, I want to shout out the physical privacy switch on the webcam, which slides over to close the lens. It has been just over three years since the first Covid-19 lockdowns and everyone has been using the webcam on their laptops for just about everything, but not enough laptop makers have been including this essential privacy function. It's not hard, but it's not ubiquitous, so good on MSI for making sure this laptop is up to speed with the times.

  • Design score: 4 / 5

MSI GT77 Titan (2023): Performance

An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)
  • Best-in-class gaming performance
  • Sounds like a jet engine under load
  • Solid sound out of a laptop

It's still the early days of the new Intel and Nvidia mobile kit, so we don't have a whole lot to fairly compare the latest MSI GT77 Titan to. But it absolutely blows last year's Titan out of the water in our benchmark tests, and the model we tested is less powerful than the i9-13980HX that you would actually buy (though not that much less powerful).

In terms of gaming performance, both processors are fairly close in our Cyberpunk 2077 test on the low end of the resolution spectrum, with the GT Titan (2023) pulling out a solid gain of 9.09% over the previous year's model. Push that up to ultra settings at 1080p, however, and you get a 74.62% jump for 2023's GT77 Titan over the 2022 model.

Similarly, in Total War: Warhammer III, we get a much larger gain with the GT77 Titan (2023) over the 2022 model at low resolution (about a 75% improvement), while it doubles the frame rates at ultra resolution and 1080p. 

Things get somewhat more complicated when looking at the GT77 Titan (2023) against the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2023). These two gaming laptops aren't even in the same class really, with the Legion Pro 7i sporting a Core i9-13900HX and an RTX 4080. But the Legion Pro 7i still outperforms the GT77 Titan in processor performance by a decent amount.

The i9-13900HX is only slightly slower (5.4GHz boost compared to the i9-13950HX's 5.5GHz), but it can score anywhere from 12% to 15% better on processor benchmarks than the GT77 Titan's i9-13950HX. These advantages extend to gaming performance on low settings where processor speeds are more determinative, but all these differences fall away when the GPU comes into play, such as when playing on ultra settings or using features like ray tracing and DLSS. 

Now there are a lot of reasons for why this might be the case. If I had to pick, I'd argue that Lenovo is a much better system integrator than MSI, and so Lenovo is better able to squeeze some extra performance out of the same specs. But it could also be a matter of the settings used, the cooling, etc. Still, the difference is there, even though you're likely not going to see the same kind of performance I did since the only chips that will be going into the GT77 Titans to hit the shelves will be the faster i9-13980HX.

Another thing to note about gaming performance here is that we don't benchmark using DLSS or ray tracing generally, since not all hardware is capable of those features - though I will say that DLSS 3 is the 2023 GT77 Titan's secret weapon here. 

An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)

DLSS has been far more of a revolutionary graphics technology than even ray tracing, and DLSS 3 is absolutely next-level incredible in terms of the performance gains you can get.

Turn on DLSS 3 with Frame Generation, and you can get an average fps of 167 in Cyberpunk 2077 with ultra settings at 1080p, which is better than a lot of desktop PCs, and 30 fps better than the Legion Pro 7i with DLSS 3 turned on.

Turn things up to max settings with full ray tracing and DLSS 3 set to ultra performance with Frame Generation, and the GT77 Titan can get an average of 131fps, with a minimum of 100fps. Boost the resolution to 1440p, and you can get an average fps of 126 (59fps minimum), and at 4K, you can get an average of 110fps, with a minimum of 35fps.

To say these numbers are phenomenal is an understatement. These are high-performance desktop numbers, and the RTX 4090 mobile pushes out performance akin to an RTX 4070 Ti desktop card, which is the best graphics card most people can get right now. All of this is to say that the MSI GT77 Titan (2023) is a top-tier desktop-replacement gaming laptop, and few laptops are going to effectively compete at this level of graphics performance.

Something like the Legion Pro 7i might be configurable with an RTX 4090 at some point as well, and so it could theoretically get this kind of performance. Sadly, right now, you can't buy one with an RTX 4090 mobile in the US so the point is a bit moot.

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

MSI GT77 Titan (2023): battery life

An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)
  • Pretty decent given the hardware
  • Charges reasonably fast

The MSI GT77 Titan isn't a laptop in name only, thanks to its 99.9WHr, as-large-as-legally-allowable-in-the-US battery. While you might think that the Nvidia RTX 4090 mobile chip would be the energy hog here, it's actually pretty decent. It's the Intel CPU that's really going to cut into that battery life if you're using this laptop for any length of time.

Still, it's good enough to get four hours and 30 minutes of video playback, though its PCMark 10 battery life test result is actually a smidge worse than its predecessor, coming in at three hours and one minute.

It charged from empty to full in about two hours, which is impressive given the enormous size of the battery that needs to be recharged. But considering the 330W power adapter you plug into this thing, it damn well better charge that fast.

  • Battery Score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the MSI GT77 Titan (2023)?

Buy it if...

You want the best gaming performance around
With an Intel Core i9-13980HX and an Nvidia RTX 4090 mobile GPU and DLSS 3, no game will put up much of a fight here, even at 4K.

You want an absolutely gorgeous display
This is the best-looking gaming laptop display I've seen that wasn't a high-end OLED panel.

You want lots of customization options
With per-key, lid-logo, and accent RGB, you can really get that gamer twinkly light look exactly to your liking.

Don't buy it if...

You want something affordable
The price of this laptop puts it out of reach of just about everyone reading this review.

You want something portable
Lulz. Better get a donkey if you want to cart this one around.

MSI GT77 Titan (2023): Also consider

If my MSI GT77 Titan review has you considering other options, here's another laptop to consider...

How I tested the MSI GT77 Titan (2023)

An MSI GT77 Titan on a pink desktop mat

(Image credit: Future)
  • I spent about a month testing the GT77 Titan
  • I used it as my main PC gaming machine for several weeks as well as creative work
  • I used in-game benchmarks from titles like Cyberpunk 2077 in addition to 3D Mark, CineBench R23 and others.

To review the MSI GT77 Titan (2023) I set the Titan up at home as my main PC gaming and content creation workstation (Lightroom, Photoshop, etc). I used it extensively for over a month to get a true sense of how well it performed.

This is ultimately a gaming laptop, so I focused most of my efforts in that direction, but with 100% DCI-P3 coverage, I also tested out its creative chops by editing photos and videos. 

I've reviewed dozens of laptops in this class over the years, including high-end desktop replacements and professional creative workstations, so I'm very keen on the subtleties of HDR 100 vs HDR 400 and what it means to have proper color coverage. As a lifelong gamer, I am also very sensitive to performance issues that can trip up PC games.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2023

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