Right this moment, we’re taking a extra in-depth take a look at a clock-for-clock (IPC) take a look at of Intel LGA 1700 processors. This implies we’re evaluating the 12th-gen, 13th-gen, and the “new” 14th-gen CPU fashions we lately reviewed. Our intention is to supply perception into the architectural enhancements – or the dearth thereof – that Intel has launched with every new CPU era.
Immediately, we will comment how uncommon it’s that we have got three generations or collection of Intel’s CPUs on the identical platform. Traditionally, Intel has sometimes supported solely two collection, which was a staple of their tick-tock technique.
And whereas Intel has a robust monitor file of making CPUs that provide wonderful gaming efficiency, in addition they have a foul monitor file for longer-term platform help. By this, we imply builders and players have grow to be accustomed to upgrading their completely good motherboard each time they need higher CPU efficiency.
For a few years, Intel’s technique went unchallenged, primarily as a result of they confronted no vital competitors. For nearly a decade earlier than the discharge of Ryzen, AMD struggled. And even after Ryzen’s introduction, it took a number of iterations for it to achieve stable footing.
However now the panorama is drastically totally different. Intel’s been getting battered within the retail market, and even with the introduction of the 14th-gen Raptor Lake-refresh CPUs, Intel’s challenges appear to be mounting.
There are numerous causes for this shift. One main issue, past the spectacular price-to-performance ratio of many Ryzen processors, is platform help. AM4’s success is tough to disclaim. Even when AMD tried their greatest to mess it up by axing help prematurely, the fanatic group saved AMD from AMD’ing themselves, and within the course of helped create what is without doubt one of the greatest CPU platforms in historical past.
Recognizing the pattern, AMD rapidly introduced complete platform help for AM5. But, they’ve hinted at the potential for transitioning from the platform earlier than they did with AM4. It stays to be seen if AM5 will replicate AM4’s success. However one factor is obvious: it has a brighter future than Intel’s LGA 1700 platform, which is now successfully useless, regardless of the latest launch of the “new” 14th-gen fashions.
In some ways you could possibly argue that LGA 1700’s excessive level was the preliminary launch of the Twelfth-gen Alder Lake structure in January 2022. The Thirteenth-gen Raptor Lake replace did carry some enhancements like elevated L2 and L3 cache capacities and heightened clock speeds. Nonetheless, these weren’t vital sufficient to entice Twelfth-gen house owners.
In sensible phrases, Twelfth-gen elements may very well be overclocked to reflect the frequencies of Thirteenth-gen fashions, additional blurring the excellence between the 2. Given this, we selected to take away the clock velocity variable to match the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and 14th-gen Okay-SKU elements at equivalent frequencies.
For our exams, the E-cores had been disabled, the ring bus locked at 3GHz, and all CPUs had been evaluated utilizing DDR5-7200 reminiscence and the GeForce RTX 4090. Let’s delve into the comparisons…
IPC Benchmarks
First up we have now the Cinebench multi-core benchmark and right here we discover only a 3% improve from the 12900K to the 14900K when evaluating clock-for-clock efficiency. The margin is barely smaller for the Core i7’s, only a 2% improve from the Twelfth to 14th-gen mannequin after which a 1% improve for the 14600K over the 12600K.
The only core positive aspects are, nicely, zero. There’s nothing to speak about right here, the cache advantages of the Raptor Lake structure aren’t significantly helpful right here, so we’re trying on the similar efficiency from the Core i5’s to the Core i9’s and the era does not matter.
As we noticed with the Cinebench multi-core take a look at, utilizing Blender exhibits virtually no distinction in efficiency between the Core i7-12700K and Core i9-14900K, as each CPUs pack 8 P-cores, we’re a mere 2% distinction.
Now, relating to gaming we’re related efficiency developments to what was seen in Blender and the Cinebench multi-core take a look at. When working on the similar clock speeds the 14900K is simply 3% quicker than the 12700K in Cyberpunk at 1080p with an RTX 4090.
Out of curiosity, we recorded the common complete system energy consumption throughout our benchmark cross and are reporting the three run common information right here. For this testing voltages weren’t managed, although all CPUs had been examined on the identical motherboard with the identical BIOS revision.
It is fairly clear based mostly on this and previous information that Raptor Lake is extra energy environment friendly than Alder Lake, although general energy utilization continues to be very poor.
Subsequent up we have now Starfield and right here we’re seeing only a 5% improve from the Core i5-13600K to the Core i9-14900K and which means the 14900K was simply 3% quicker than the 12900K. We’re additionally seeing only a 3% uplift from the 12700K to the 14700K, although we did see a extra substantial 6% improve from the 12600K to the 14600K.
The facility consumption figures are just like what we noticed in Cyberpunk, the 14th-gen is often a bit higher than Thirteenth-gen, both although silicon high quality or BIOS optimizations for 14th-gen, we’ve not regarded too carefully at that but. Each are an enchancment over Twelfth-gen although.
Then we have now Baldur’s Gate 3 and right here the 14900K was 6% quicker than the 12900K and a pair of% quicker than the 13900K. Now the 14900K and 13900K are the identical product, but the 14th-gen model was constantly quicker on this take a look at, so there may be some form of optimization going down on the BIOS stage which would require additional investigation. Nonetheless the positive aspects for the 14th-gen elements over the older Twelfth-gen fashions is not precisely vital.
Here is the Baldur’s Gate 3 complete system energy consumption figures and once more they’re fairly just like what we noticed in Starfield and Cyberpunk, suggesting that some voltage optimization work has been completed with every era.
What We Realized
So there you will have it, not a lot progress from Intel over the previous 2 years, regardless that they’ve launched three new CPU generations. This is not essentially a big problem for Intel as they continue to be aggressive by way of efficiency. In reality, they typically surpass AMD, although with the trade-off of a lot increased energy consumption.
A extra urgent concern for Intel may be their inconsistent platform dedication. This inconsistency has seemingly been detrimental for some time, resulting in missed gross sales alternatives. For example, when you invested in a Twelfth-gen element just like the Core i7-12700K, your improve path appears restricted. The 14900K gives solely a slight efficiency increase, presenting a minimal improve relative to the substantial monetary funding.
Within the best-case state of affairs, Intel’s fifteenth era would possibly present a noteworthy efficiency enchancment, prompting an improve, however this could require a brand new motherboard. High quality Intel Z790 boards begin at $200, so if repurposing or promoting the system is not viable, upgrading turns into a pricey proposition.
This is not a super scenario for Intel’s clients. Whereas some would possibly argue that not everybody upgrades with each new era, that misses the broader problem. No fanatic or buyer needs to be defending Intel’s poor platform help, you are simply capturing your self within the foot and making the PC platform worse for everybody else within the course of. That is with out query the worst facet of the PC fanatic crowd and we see this illogical company simping for not only for Intel but additionally with AMD and Nvidia.
It is value noting that those that put money into premium merchandise, just like the Core i9, are extra inclined to improve regularly, given there is a significant efficiency profit. Not from 13900K to 14900K, however leaping from a 10900K or 11900K to 13900K is a believable transfer, even when it calls for a motherboard change.
It is rather a lot like RTX 4090 consumers, lots of them will purchase the RTX 5090 when it comes out. However those that bought the RTX 4070 or a extra inexpensive different will sometimes wait a number of generations earlier than upgrading.
And that is precisely who’s affected by restricted platform help: mid-range to entry-level customers – funds customers if you’ll. There is no purpose why Intel could not have skipped LGA 1200 for 1700, releasing tenth and Eleventh-gen on the bigger socket. Think about if those that bought a Core i5-10600K again in 2020 had been afforded the flexibility to improve to a 13600K right now, with out having to purchase a brand new motherboard, and based mostly on our day-one evaluation information for the 13600K utilizing DDR4, it provided 50% extra gaming efficiency when principally CPU restricted, or virtually 170% extra processing energy for core-heavy purposes.
That is a large efficiency uplift and had Intel been capable of supply it whereas sustaining platform compatibility, it will have tremendously benefited each themselves and their clients.
Subsequently, it is our opinion that Intel must help their subsequent platform for no less than 4 generations, and by generations we imply actual generations, no straight refreshes. Ideally, in addition they have to make a very good step ahead from Raptor Lake to justify the socket change and any related compatibility points.
On the entire, LGA 1700 presents a combined bag from Intel. Whereas it addresses sure challenges the corporate confronted, it overlooks others and even introduces new points. For example, introducing E-Cores improved subpar productiveness efficiency from earlier generations, however they’ve continued to disregard stuff like poor platform help whereas creating new issues akin to excessive energy utilization.
Whereas AMD’s AM5 platform is not good, its true potential stays to be seen. It’d take a number of extra years to find out whether or not or not it is one other success.
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