Intel 14th generation Core HX processor analysis, which model is more cost-effective?

Intel finally released the 14th generation Core HX series processor on the CES2024, the series is a high-performance processor for the game laptop platform, and the new game laptops of various brands are also about to come out, and because Nvidia has no plans to update the new products for the mobile RTX 40 series Laptop GPU, so this year's new game laptop updates on the core hardware are only the 14th generation Core HX processors, so what are the improvements in the 14th generation Core HX? Which CPU model is more cost-effective among the new products? This article will focus on this topic.

1. Analysis of 14th generation Core HX series processors

Let's first take a look at the specific models of the 14th generation Core HX, this time Intel released a total of 5 14th generation Core HX series processors, compared with the 9 models of the 13th generation Core HX, some redundant and unpopular models have been streamlined, and the product division is clearer and clearer, the five models of the 14th generation Core HX are shown in the figure below:

Between the five models, each model has a gap in the number of cores, frequency, and cache, which is no longer like the 13th generation Core HX, where some models have the same number of cores and a small performance gap.

The architecture of Intel's 14th Gen Core HX series processors is generally the same as that of the 13th Gen Core, but the improvements in core, frequency, cache, memory support, etc., make the performance of most 14th Gen Core HX models have a significant improvement compared to the 13th Gen Core HX of the same level, and the increase is greater than when upgrading from 12th Gen Core to 13th Gen Core. The 9 models of the 13th Gen Core HX series processors are as follows:

In the 13th Gen Core HX, only 3 flagship i9HX models i9-13900HX, i9-13959HX, and i9-13980HX use the full Raptor Lake's 8P+16E cores, with 2MB of L2 cache per P-core, 4MB of L2 cache per cluster, and a maximum memory frequency of 5600MHz, while the rest of the 13th Gen Core HX series are 8P+8E of the 12th Gen Core The core has 1.25MB of L2 cache per P core, 2MB of L2 cache per E-core cluster, and the maximum memory frequency supports 4800MHz. The 14th generation Core HX is to complete the core configuration of the following models i9HX, all of which use the complete Raptor Lake 8P+16E core, which is upgraded to a "full blood" cache on the cache, and supports up to 5600MHz in memory support, at the same time, Raptor Lake will also bring an improvement in energy efficiency. In addition, the TDP remains unchanged at 55W, and the configurable power consumption is up to 157W.

Therefore, from the point of view of the upgrade range of the core configuration, the two 14th generation Core i5HX and the two 14th generation Core i7HX are compared with their models of the same level in the 13th generation Core HX, and the upgrade range is larger;14th generation Core i9HX is already a complete core in the previous generation, so it only improves the frequency, and the upgrade is small, but the absolute advantage in the number of cores and frequency, i9-14900HX is still the top flagship of the current mobile terminal, and the hegemony is still quite stable.

In addition, all 14th Gen Core HX models support Intel's Extreme Utility (XTU) and Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) functions for comprehensive overclocking, as well as Intel Application Optimization (APO), which is exclusive to Intel 14th Gen Core and can be optimized for some games to bring frame rate improvements.

The 14th Gen Core HX is also the only platform in Intel's platform that supports Thunderbolt 5, with 80Gbps bidirectional bandwidth or up to 120Gbps+40Gbps transmission and reception, which is good for ultra-high-speed data transmission needs and Thunderbolt graphics docks.

2. Which model is more cost-effective?

After talking about the overall improvement of the 14th generation Core HX and the 13th generation Core HX, let's go to each model specifically to see what is the gap between the 14th generation Core HX and the 13th generation Core HX of the same level?

•i9-14900HX vs i9-13980HX

The absolute flagship model of the previous generation was the i9-13980HX, so we will compare the two generations of big brothers.

As shown in the figure above, the i9-14900HX only has a slight increase in the core frequency, of which the maximum frequency of the P core has been increased by 0.2GHz, the maximum frequency of the E core has been increased by 0.1GHz, and the maximum turbo frequency of all cores has been increased by 0.1GHz. As mentioned in the previous part, this is due to the fact that the 13th generation Core i9HX is already a full-blooded core, so the i9-14900HX is lackluster than the previous generation flagship.

But still, if you're looking for the ultimate CPU power on mobile, the i9-14900HX's dominance hasn't changed, and it's still your processor of choice.

•i7-14700HX vs i7-13700HX

Like the i7-14700K on the desktop, the i7-14700HX ushered in the growth of the number of cores, upgrading from 8P+8E core scale to 8P+12E, adding a cluster of E cores, plus the full L2 cache, the total L2 cache has increased from the previous 14MB to 28MB, the upgrade has doubled, and the frequency is not "drizzle" The maximum turbo frequency of P-cores has been increased by 0.5GHz, the maximum turbo frequency of E-cores has been increased by 0.2GHz, the full-core turbo frequency of P-cores has been increased by 0.6GHz, and the turbo frequency of E-core all-core has been increased by 0.3GHz.

The i7-13700HX has been in a tepid state in the previous generation of gaming laptops, the main reason is not the product itself, but the price of the terminal product is squeezed by the high-level i9-13900HX and the low-level i5-13500HX, and the cost performance does not seem to be outstanding. The current generation of the i7-14700HX is not a small increase, and if it can be slightly more expensive than the i9-14900HX model, it will reverse its tepid state.

•i7-14650HX vs i7-13650HX

Whether it's the i7-13620H with a TDP 45W or the i7-13650HX with a TDP 55W at the 13th Gen Core, it's a platform that I highly recommend to gamers. This generation of i7-14650HX has added two P cores on this basis, and has come to the core scale of 8P+8E, which has completely opened up the gap with the i5-HX, which is one level lower. The cache also continued to fill up, with the L2 cache more than doubling from 11.5MB to 24MB. The maximum turbo frequency of P-cores will be increased by 0.3 GHz, the maximum turbo frequency of E-cores will be increased by 0.1 GHz, and the maximum turbo frequency of all-core P-cores will be increased by 0.3 GHz, and the maximum turbo frequency of E-cores will be increased by 0.1 GHz. Memory support has been increased from DDR5 4800MH to DDR5 5600MHz.

8P+8E core number has caught up with i7-13700HX,For a cost-effective "i7" model,This cost performance is higher,From the perspective of the previous generation of products,i7-13650HX and i5-13500HX The price of the product can not be pulled very open,If the situation of this generation of products is similar,Then you want to start a game book at a mainstream price and have a slightly richer budget,i7-14650HX is a good choice。

•i5-14500HX vs i5-13500HX

The number of cores of this generation i5-14500HX has not changed, it is still the core specification of 6P+8E, the L2 cache is increased from 11.5MB to 20MB, the maximum turbo frequency of P-core is increased by 0.2GHz, the maximum turbo frequency of E-core is increased by 0.1GHz, the maximum turbo frequency of P-core is increased by 0.1GHz, and the maximum turbo frequency of E-core is increased by 0.2GHz. Memory support has been increased from DDR5 4800MHz to DDR5 5600MHz.

The new i5-14500HX has surpassed the previous generation of i7-13650HX on paper, friends who want to buy a game laptop, don't see the i7-13650HX's "i7" and think that its performance is better, in fact, a new generation of "i5" - The i5-14500HX already slightly outperforms the i7-13650HX, and if the older i7-13650HX model is similar in price to the newer i5-14500HX model, then you will get better CPU performance by choosing the latter.

•i5-14450HX vs i5-13450HX

In terms of core size, the number of i5-14450HX cores of this generation has not changed, the L2 cache has been increased from 9.5MB to 16MB, the maximum turbo frequency of P-cores has been increased by 0.2GHz, the maximum turbo frequency of E-cores has been increased by 0.1GHz, the P-core all-core turbo frequency has been increased by 0.1GHz, the E-core all-core turbo frequency has been increased by 0.1GHz, and the memory frequency support has also been increased from a maximum of 4800MHz to 5600MHz.

As the entry-level CPU of HX, the core scale of 6P+4E is already enough in the game scene, but in the previous generation, there are not many terminal game products equipped with i5-13450HX, and its upper product i5-13500HX has also given it excessive price pressure, and the game book equipped with i5-14450HX in this generation needs to further observe the specific price situation.

3. Write at the end

To summarize the upgrades of the five Intel 14th Gen Core HX series processors in this generation:

The i9-14900HX has not improved much, but the core scale of the unique gear allows it to continue to sit firmly in the leading position, and its flagship status has not been reduced.

The i7-13700HX and i7-13650HX have a great upgrade on paper, especially the i7-14650HX, and the purchasability has been improved again.

i5-14500HX、i5-14450HXThe two i5HX have also been greatly improved,i5-14500HX has surpassed the performance of the previous generation "i7HX" i7-13650HX, it will still be the main force of shipments, and it will be the cost-effective platform for processors in the next generation of gaming laptops.

At present, many new game laptops have been officially launched or are in the warm-up stage, and around the Spring Festival in 2024, everyone should be able to buy new game laptops!