Intel is reportedly preparing to retire the Core i5-14600K in favor of a new "Raptor Lake Next" chip with eight P-cores and eight E-cores. According to leaker Jaykihn on X (spotted by VideoCardz), the successor will have two more Performance cores than the current 14600K, putting it on par with the Core i7-14700K in P-core count, though not necessarily in cache or clocks. Raptor Lake Next is the codename for Intel's plan to extend the LGA 1700 platform with fresh silicon based on the original Raptor Lake design rather than the newer Raptor Lake Refresh. The chips are expected to launch alongside new LGA 1700 motherboards from Intel's partners in early 2027.

Intel seems to be using the lineup to fill gaps in the 14th Gen stack instead of replacing it outright, and it's reportedly also working on more 125W and 65W desktop SKUs alongside mobile variants. DDR4 support is apparently part of the pitch, which would help buyers sidestep today's DDR5 pricing crisis. More P-cores should help in games that lean on core count, and it looks like this could put the chip ahead of the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, since the current 14600K already trades blows with Arrow Lake Refresh in several titles. That said, this is a single-source claim for now, so treat the exact configuration and timing as rumor until Intel or its partners confirm anything.

Intel made a surprising comeback in Amazon's CPU sales rankings today, with two of its processors breaking into the retailer's top 10 CPUs sold in the United States. This marks the first time in months that Intel has been among the top 10 choices for gamers across the country, as AMD continues to dominate the chart and holds most of the leading positions. However, the appearance of Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core i7-14700K signifies a notable shift from the situation over the past year. Intel was effectively absent from the top 10 during AMD's strongest periods, making the latest rankings an especially interesting development for the DIY market, particularly driven by value.

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has made the biggest jump, reaching sixth place after previously being much lower on the list. Intel's latest "Arrow Lake Refresh" processor combines 24 cores with strong single- and multithreaded performance, and aggressive pricing has made it significantly more attractive to buyers. The Core i7-14700K has also climbed into the top 10, with its appeal likely tied to its compatibility with both DDR4 and DDR5 memory during a particularly challenging time for PC DIY enthusiasts. That flexibility is becoming increasingly valuable as high DDR5 prices continue to influence system-building decisions. The older "Raptor Lake Refresh" chip remains a particularly capable option for users who want to reuse existing LGA 1700 hardware and DDR4 memory, which is also currently more affordable than any DDR5 platform.

The sub-$400 desktop processor segment is heating up, with the recent arrival of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D 12-core/24-thread processor in this segment, at $389. The 7900X3D boasts of 3D V-cache technology, and is tested to offer gaming performance comparable to the Core i9-13900K. Did you know which other chip offered the same performance as the i9-13900K at a much lower price? The Core i7-14700K. Pricing of this chip is on a downward trend, and Newegg is selling it for $389. The chip is listed for $399, with a coupon shaving off $10. At $389, the i7-14700K should offer comparable gaming performance to the i9-13900K, and by extension, the 7900X3D.

The Core i7-14700K "Raptor Lake Refresh" processor features an interesting 8P+12E core-configuration, with 8 "Raptor Cove" performance cores, and 12 "Gracemont" efficiency cores. Each P-core has 2 MB of dedicated L2 cache, each of the three E-core clusters shares a 4 MB L2 cache among its four cores; while the eight P-cores and three E-core clusters share a 33 MB L3 cache. The i7-14700K is compatible with all Intel 600-series and 700-series chipset motherboards, with some of them requring a UEFI firmware update. An interesting point to note here, is that while the i7-14700K is selling at $389, its sibling without the iGPU, the i7-14700KF, remains at $399.

Continuing on with the YEYIAN CES tour, we were shown the company's in-house gaming monitors, and pre-built gaming PCs. There were no empty cases or cases that you can purchase separately in YEYIAN's lineup as such; some of these case feature unique design elements; but you're supposed to choose it along with pre-built gaming hardware. YEYIAN offers the full range of systems integration, letting you choose from the company's in-house and external brands; which are then built to order. On eof the pre-builts shown had an Intel Core i7-14700K, paired with an OEM-favorite ASUS Prime Z790-P, and a ROG Strix RTX 4090 graphics card, all combined with YEYIAN's in-house case, power, and cooling hardware. The company's monitor lineup shown at CES begins with 25-inch Proact series Fast IPS displays that blaze Full HD (1080p) at 360 Hz with 1 ms GTG response time. Next up is the 27-inch Palette series; a premium OLED monitor with QHD (1440p) resolution, fast 240 Hz refresh rate, 0.1 ms response time, and 800 nits brightness. The monitor requires DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1 connection to provide its specs.

According to the discovery made by @ghost_motley on X/Twitter, we have information that MSI is starting to roll out BIOS updates to accommodate Intel's Application Optimization called APO shortly. This update, however, comes with significant restrictions. Intel APO, designed to enhance performance, is exclusively compatible with 14th Gen Intel CPUs, leaving owners of previous-generation Intel processors, mainly the closely comparable 13th Gen, without this benefit. Intel's APO is an extension of its Dynamic Tuning Technology (DTT) specifically for gaming. It is available on select 14th Gen Core processors like the i9-14900K/KF, enhancing workload distribution across hardware resources like P-cores and optimizing them for peak frequencies.

As noted, the current rollout of Intel APO support is limited, namely to the Intel Core i7-14700K, i7-14700KF, i9-14900K, and i9-14900KF, excluding the Core i5 series. This omission is significant given APO's focus on boosting gaming performance, a feature that would be highly beneficial to Core i5 users. However, the feature is currently supported by only two games: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Metro Exodus. The frame rate improvements in Rainbow can be as high as 13% while also boosting Metro Exodus FPS by 16%. Whether we will see more APO-optimized games or not, owners of MSI motherboards have received their updates and are ready to enjoy the FPS increase.

YEYIAN GAMING, a leader in innovative pre-built gaming PCs, peripherals, and computer components, is thrilled to announce the market launch of eight new gaming desktop PCs powered by the latest INTEL Core i9/i7/i5 14th Gen unlocked CPUs. Four of the eight new models are available exclusively for purchase on Newegg. These newly launched models are meticulously crafted to redefine the gaming experience, catering to both professional gamers and avid enthusiasts alike.

The highlight of this remarkable launch is the fusion of INTEL 14th gen processors with NVIDIA RTX 4000 series graphics cards, culminating in an unparalleled gaming extravaganza that redefines the boundaries of what's possible in the gaming world.

Today, Intel launched the new Intel Core 14th Generation desktop processor family, led by the Intel Core i9-14900K. This latest-generation desktop processor family includes six new unlocked desktop processors at launch, delivering up to 24 cores and 32 threads and up to 6 GHz of frequency right out of the box. Additionally, the Intel Core i7-14700K arrives with 20 cores and 28 threads thanks to four more Efficient-cores (E-cores) compared with the prior generation. And Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) now features the new AI Assist feature, bringing one-click AI-guided overclocking to select unlocked Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processors.

"Since the introduction of our performance hybrid architecture, Intel has consistently raised the bar for desktop performance. With our Intel Core 14th Generation processors, we're showing once again why enthusiasts turn to Intel for the best desktop experience available on the market today." -Roger Chandler, Intel vice president and general manager, Enthusiast PC and Workstation, Client Computing Group.