Intel 14th gen Raptor Lake Refresh expected release date, specs, price, and more

The 14th-generation Intel Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs are right around the corner. Like every year, Team Blue is prepping to introduce these chips sometime late in the fall. Intel is buying itself more time before it introduces the truly next-gen Meteor Lake lineup of processors, so the new chips will only be a process refinement of the last-gen Raptor Lake lineup, as the name suggests.

These chips will be based on the same LGA1700 socket as the previous two lineups from the company. Intel will be bumping up the power draw and relying on higher clock speeds to derive extra performance from the underlying silicon of the Raptor Lake processors.

Most companies have already introduced beefed-up LGA1700 motherboards that are only slightly better as compared to what you can buy today. Intel isn't introducing any new chips this time, either. Therefore, the new boards will only be good for extreme overclockers who want to push their 14th-generation chips to the limit.

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What are the specs of the upcoming Intel 14th-generation Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs?

The exact specs of the upcoming Intel 14th-gen CPUs aren't known yet. However, some details regarding a few SKUs have surfaced on the internet. For now, it is known that each Raptor Lake Refresh chip will feature 200-300 MHz higher clock speeds compared to the last gen.

Intel is also relying on higher core counts to derive extra performance. For instance, the upcoming i7 14700K will feature 20 cores (8P+12E), compared to the 16-core 13700K and the 12-core 12700K. This will help the chip improve in multi-core workloads like rendering and file compression, for example.

CPU-Z screenshot of the Core i7 14700K Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs (Image via -T小白-)

Coming back to the i7 14700K, the chip has already been spotted multiple times on the internet. Last month, it was spotted running at 6.3 GHz (overclocked) on an MSI motherboard. Recently, a Japanese forum leaked an alleged CPU-Z screenshot that showcased the exact specs of the chip.

Overall, the improvements with the 14th gen chips can be summarized as follows:

	Intel 14th gen CPU lineup
Architecture	Raptor Lake (Raptor Cove P-cores and Gracemont E-cores)
Manufacturing process node	Intel 7
Operating clock speeds	6.2 GHz max
Memory support	DDR5-6000 (not confirmed yet)
Maximum TDP	up to 300W
Motherboard support	All LGA 1700 boards (H610, B660, Z690, B760, Z790)

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What are the prices of the upcoming Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs?

The new Intel 14th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs would be priced the same as their 13th-generation counterparts. Previously, it was rumored to be much costlier than what the Raptor Lake chips were priced at. However, Intel has squashed all such rumors, claiming they are not planning any price hikes for the next-gen offerings.

This means enthusiasts will get more value for their money. For the same price, you get slightly better single-core performance and improved multi-core performance, which will help in all workloads.

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When will the upcoming Intel 14th-generation Raptor Lake Refresh processors launch?

Intel hasn't confirmed a release date for its upcoming 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh processors yet. However, looking at previous trends, we can assume that the second half of October 2023 can be a probable release window for the first wave of CPU launches.

Intel will introduce the high-end overclockable K-variant CPUs before introducing the value-for-money non-K and low-power T variants sometime around CES 2024.