Intel’s New Core i9-14901KE Raptor Lake P-Core Only CPU Outperforms i9-12900K in Geekbench

In a surprising turn of events, Intel has quietly launched its new Core i9-14901KE, a P-Core only CPU from the Raptor Lake series, and it’s already making waves in the tech community. This new processor has managed to outperform the well-regarded Core i9-12900K in Geekbench benchmarks, showcasing Intel’s continued innovation in CPU design.

A New Approach: P-Core Only Design

The Core i9-14901KE is part of Intel’s 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh lineup, which notably lacks the Efficiency cores (E-cores) found in previous generations. Instead, this CPU focuses solely on Performance cores (P-cores), featuring eight Raptor Cove P-cores and 16 threads. This design choice is aimed at simplifying the architecture and optimizing performance for specific workloads that benefit more from high-performance cores.

Benchmark Performance

In Geekbench 6, the Core i9-14901KE scored an impressive 3,018 points in single-core performance and 16,308 points in multi-core performance. These results put it ahead of the Core i9-12900K, which scored 2,672 in single-core and 16,104 in multi-core tests. This is a significant achievement, considering the i9-12900K features a hybrid architecture with both P-cores and E-cores.

Technical Specifications

The Core i9-14901KE boasts a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a maximum turbo boost clock of 5.8 GHz, all within a 125W TDP. It also includes 36MB of L3 cache, ensuring that it can handle demanding applications with ease. This makes it an excellent choice for users who need high single-threaded performance, such as gamers and content creators.

Advantages of P-Core Only Design

One of the main advantages of the P-Core only design is the reduction in complexity for the operating system’s scheduler. Without E-cores, the scheduler can more effectively allocate tasks to the high-performance cores, potentially leading to better overall system responsiveness and efficiency. Additionally, this design can be beneficial for workloads that do not scale well across many cores but require high single-threaded performance.

Conclusion

Intel’s Core i9-14901KE represents a bold step in CPU design, focusing on maximizing performance with a simplified architecture. Its impressive Geekbench scores demonstrate that even without E-cores, it can outperform some of the best CPUs from previous generations. As Intel continues to innovate, it will be exciting to see how this new approach influences future CPU designs and performance benchmarks.