Summary
A supposed photo of an unannounced Core i5-14490F SKU has leaked online, and it seemsIntelmay be preparing to launch a new CPU under its unofficially designated “Black Edition” series of Chinese market-exclusive processors. If leaks are to be believed, this new chip will offer better performance than the regular Intel Core i5-14400, all while having the same power profile.
Named after their distinct black packaging,Intel’s Black Edition CPUs are among the chipmaker’s most elusive processors. These special “xxx90F” iterations were sold in China and they were often more powerful than their globally available counterparts. Intel could be gearing up to release a new Black Edition processor soon as a photo of what appeared to be an unannounced chip in the series has made its way to the internet.
Hardware industry leaker known aswxnod on Twitter recently shared the photoof this supposed Intel Core i5-14490F on social media, claiming that the SKU will have 10 processing cores and 16 threads like the Core i5-14400. What is most notable about the rumored chip is its improved max turbo frequency of 5.0GHz compared to the i5-14400’s 4.7GHz. Despite receiving a performance bump, the i5-14490F will retain its predecessor’s 65-watt TDP.Intel’s mid-range i5 CPUs are already popular picks among gamers, so a new model that offers better performance without drawing more power would probably become a hit as well.
Intel Core i5-14490F Rumored Specs
The leak did not include details regarding pricing and availability, but the Core i5-14490F will likely be released in China with a slight markup over similar chips like the Core i5-14400 at launch. Aside from very high-performance CPUs like the unlocked Core i5-14600K, most of Intel’s latest i5 offerings hover between $200 and $250. Should Intel release the Core i5-14490F within that price range, it would have to compete againstAMD’s best budget gaming CPUslike the Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 7 5700X.
It is unclear how wxnod obtained a photo of the Core i5-14490F, but these kinds of incidents are not that uncommon in the hardware industry. For instance, information regarding newmotherboards featuring the Intel 800 and AMD 700 chipsets seemingly leakedon Chinese forums recently.
In an even more severe case, theIntel Core i3-14100 prematurely went on sale in Chinalast November ahead of its global early 2024 release. The early units of this entry-levelIntel14th Generation Raptor Lake Refresh desktop processor were found to be qualification samples, or processors that were not intended for the general market.
Intel Core i5 14600K 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU
The Intel Core i5 14600K 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU is a powerful mid-range CPU that replaces the last generation Intel Core i5 13600K with higher clocks on both its performance and efficiency cores. Like all its siblings, it does offer better performance out-of-the-box versus its predecessors but replaces them at the same price points they sold last year.
