Intel Core i9-14900K vs Intel Core i9-13900K: What’s the difference?

Intel has announced the 14th Generation of Intel Core desktop processors, with Intel heralding the flagship i9-14900K as the world’s fastest desktop processor yet. 

But what are the exact differences between the i9-14900K and its predecessor, the Intel Core i9-13900K? We’ve created this guide to highlight the key differences between the two chips, so you know which chip is best for your latest PC build, whether you’re a gamer or a content creator. 

So for everything you need to know about the Intel Core i9-14900K and the Intel Core i9-13900K, keep on reading. 

Capable of a 6GHz frequency 

The biggest news of the Intel Core i9-14900K is the fact that it’s capable of hitting a 6Ghz max turbo frequency, becoming one of the very first processors to be capable of such a feat. 

This is the maximum single-core frequency which the processor is capable of hitting, and so is a very important metric for the likes of gaming performance. 

In comparison, the Intel Core i9-13900K is capable of a 5.8GHz max turbo frequency, indicating that its single-core performance is not quite as fast as its new sibling. 

Future support for Thunderbolt 5

One of the big improvements for Intel Core i9-14900K is that it now supports Thunderbolt 5 – or at least it will do when the technology is finally available. 

Thunderbolt 5 is a new technology for USB connections, boosting the bandwidth from 40Gbps to 80Gbps to double the speed of data transfers when using a supported cable. This could be really useful for those who often transfer large files, such as 4K photos and videos, to their PC on the frequent. 

It’s important to note that you’ll need to upgrade to a motherboard with support for Thunderbolt 5 in order to benefit from the technology. Meanwhile, the Intel Core i9-13900K is limited to Thunderbolt 4. 

New support for Wi-Fi 7

Intel Core i9-14900K is confirmed to support Wi-Fi 7, the latest wireless network technology. Wi-Fi 7 delivers a peak rate of 40Gbps, making it 4x faster than Wi-Fi 6E. A new feature called Multi-Link Operation also enables you to combine two bands together for a single internet-connected device in order to ensure an optimal performance and reduce latency. 

It’s a slight shame that the Intel Core i9-14900K won’t offer integrated support for Wi-Fi 7, so you’ll need to purchase a separate antenna in order to get the latest wireless standard running on your PC. Nevertheless, it’s still great to see Intel finally supporting Wi-Fi 7, and will help to ensure that your PC is future-proofed for years to come. 

Same process node and core count 

When making a generational jump, you’ll generally expect to see Intel move onto a new processor architecture, but that’s not the case here. Both the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Core i9-13900K are based on Intel 7 Process technology, which makes use of a 10nm process node. 

As a result, Intel is calling the 14th Generation a Raptor Lake refresh, rather than the eagerly anticipated move to Meteor Lake. Intel isn’t increasing the core and thread count compared to Intel Core i9-13900K either, sticking to the 24-core and 32-thread count. This differs to other 14th Gen chips, as the i7 range is getting a boost to both the core and thread counts.

With all of this considered, it doesn’t look like there will be a significant performance difference between the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Core i9-13900K, at least when judging the specs. 

Same launch price

Intel has confirmed that the Intel Core i9-14900K will have a recommended retail price of $589, which is the exact same price of the Intel Core i9-13900K when it first launched. 

Of course, it’s likely that the Intel Core i9-13900K will drop down in price now that it has been leapfrogged in terms of performance power.