Intel Core i7-14700KF CPU (Tech) Review

Intel’s 14^th generation Raptor Lake range recently released and we got our hands on one. Thankfully since it still works with the same LGA 1700 socket the previous 2 generations have been using, we were able to install it into our test bench and put it to work.

After a quick motherboard BIOS update, our Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X was good to go. Installing the CPU was easy as ever and we booted up our system in no time flat.

The previous CPU we were running was an Intel i5-12600K 10 Core 3.7GHz 10nm Alder Lake chip. This had 6 P-Cores, 4 E-Cores. The 14^th generation Core i7-14700KF 20-Core 5.60GHz Raptor Lake-S we got to test is therefore a massive step up since it features double the cores. 8 P-Cores and 12 E-Cores to be specific. The summarised CPU specifications can be seen below:

– Intel’s Latest Hybrid Architecture on Intel 7 Process
– 8 P-Cores, 12 E-Cores
– 20 Cores, 28 Threads
– 33MB Smart Cache
– P-Core Max Turbo Clock: Up to 5.60GHz
– E-Core Max Turbo Clock: Up to 4.30GHz
– P-Core Base Clock: 3.40GHz
– E-Core Base Clock: 2.50GHz
– Socket LGA 1700 Compatible
– Intel Stock Cooler Not Included
– Base Power: 125W
– Turbo Power: Up to 253W

As you can see from the above, this is a pretty powerful CPU. And speaking of power, the base power required for the Intel Core i7-14700KF is quite a lot at 125W. Thankfully the good news is that when the CPU is idling by at low usage, it only uses around 10 to 20 watts according to HWiNFO. We put the CPU to test starting with Prime 95’s Benchmark Test for 20 minutes followed by Prime 95’s Torture Test adjusted for a shorter time period of 5 minutes.

Out test bench included an EVGA RTX 3070TI FTW3, 1000w Gigabyte P1000GM PSU, 16gb HyperX Predator 3200Mhz DDR4 RAM, a Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X Motherboard and a Gigabyte AORUS WATERFORCE 240 AIO.

You can see the following screenshots below to gauge just how powerful this CPU is as well as take note of its rather crazy power consumption values and heat generated. This is by no means a weak CPU. This thing is an absolute beast – And one that truly thirsts for power.

After the Prime 95 tests, we ran Cinebench R23’s single core and multi-core render tests. What was amazing about running these tests was not only the scores generated but the speed at which the renders were completed. If you’re planning on using this particular Intel 14^th generation CPU in a PC aimed at productivity, you’ll be pleased to know that it will absolutely decimate whatever workload you throw at it provided you pair it up with the right hardware to sustain it.

So what do we mean by “the right hardware to sustain it” you might ask? For starters, you will obviously need a compatible motherboard. And aside from that, you will also need a hefty power supply. Given the CPU’s power draw under maximum load, it will be drawing a lot of electricity and you will need a power supply capable of supporting this along with your other hardware in your PC. All that power draw generates a lot of heat and proper CPU cooling is an absolute necessity for the Intel Core i7-14700KF. The CPU will thermal throttle itself when it hits 99 degrees Celsius but ideally you want your cooling to prevent it from ever reaching that point. However, cooling like that doesn’t come cheap so you will need to account for that in your gaming or productivity budget when deciding to upgrade to this CPU.

When it comes to games, the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with an EVGA RTX 3070ti FTW3 yielded some amazing results. We easily reached 307 FPS in Ghostrunner 2.

We ran Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s benchmarks tests with Ray tracing enabled and with Ray tracing disabled and obtained the following results.

To round off our testing, we ran 3D Mark’s CPU Test and Timespy and obtained the following scores.

What the above translates to is a CPU that not only functions insanely well under rendering loads but one that will give amazing performance with games too. Especially if the game is largely CPU dependent. Titles such as Civilization V and Total War: Warhammer III or Cities Skylines II for example will benefit greatly from this CPU. However, this is very similar to the previous generation version, the i7-13700K and performance gains are miniscule at best.

Final Verdict

Overall the Intel Core i7-14700KF CPU boils down to an extremely powerful CPU that’s thirsty for power but also delivers exceptionally great performance. The additional cores that have been added to this CPU make a huge difference to its productivity levels and it really does give you good value for money considering it’s roughly the same price as last year’s model. However, Intel’s other CPUs in the 13th gen lineup will be dropping price and will give this particular CPU a run for its money. There’s also AMD’s lineup to consider so it really comes down to if you’re upgrading from say, a 3 or 4 year old CPU build to a new build and really want to squeeze the extra productivity out of your budget. This is by no means a bad CPU, it’s just a CPU that fits into a particular bracket and space right now that is very niche and has a couple of caveats when it comes to power draw and the necessity for adequate cooling to keep it from thermal throttling itself.