The "refresh" part of the Intel Core 14th gen means that we are looking at the same architecture, so it will still use the same Raptor Core P-cores and Gracemont E-cores. On the other hand, the refresh also brings higher boost clocks all across the board, peaking at 6.0GHz for the flagship Core i9-14900K. Intel also managed to keep the same power draw. In addition to higher clocks, and somewhat different core configuration for the Core i7-14700K, Intel is also introducing new AI Assist and Application Optimization (APO) programs, which should offer both easier one-click overclocking for Core i9 and adjust core boost performance in real-time.

As you can see from the table below, the Core i9-14900K (KF) and the Core i5-14600K (KF) have identical core configurations. The Core i7-14700K (KF) is an oddball, as it comes with four extra E-cores, and a slightly higher cache, compared to the Core i7-13700K (KF). This leaves it with 20 cores (8+12), 28 threads, and a total of 61MB of cache (28 L2 + 33 L3).

As expected, the Intel Core 14th gen series is backward compatible with the existing 600- and 700-series LGA1700 socket motherboards, which also means you can use the same coolers. Motherboard makers have refreshed their lineup of Z790 motherboards, adding mostly WiFi 7, USB 3.2, and some other minor improvements.

Peformance-wise, at least according to Intel's own benchmarks, the Core i9-14900K has up to 23 percent lead compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Intel also released a couple of other performance slides, comparing the new chips against the competition and the previous generation. Of course, you should take these results with a handful of salt and wait for media reviews that should be live tomorrow.