Intel 14th Gen drops and some changes for their CPU lines are on the horizon. Learn everything we know so far here!

Intel announced 14th Gen would be coming in 2023, and recently confirmed that the expected launch will be “in the second half of 2023”. Official word on release dates are still not more specific than that, though there is speculation from some sources in tech news that they may reveal some of the first 14th Gen CPUs at Intel’s Innovation event that typically occurs in September or October. This year, it is planned to take place on September 19th-20th at the San Jose Convention Center in California.

Based on how their releases tend to roll out, it’s likely the higher performing chips of Intel 14th Gen will be revealed first, with more mainstay and budget CPUs trickling in during 2024.

See Intel’s roadmap as presented at their 2022 Investor Day below:

Will there be desktop CPUs in Intel 14th Gen?

There’s a focus on laptop CPUs for their Meteor Lake branded line in Intel 14th-Gen, and it’s anticipated that if there are to be desktop processors in this launch, that they will be branded as a “Raptor Lake refresh”. The future 15th Gen Arrow Lake is expected to be the full desktop CPU line replacement for Raptor Lake, and is anticipated in 2024.

Will I need to upgrade my motherboard for Intel 14th Gen?

You may not necessarily need to upgrade your motherboard to install a desktop CPU from the upcoming Intel 14th Gen releases. This “Raptor Lake refresh” in Intel 14th Gen is expected to be the last step of CPU upgrades seen for the LGA 1700 socket, and Intel will likely shift to CPUs for the LGA 1851 socket afterward.

Thus, these Raptor Lake refresh desktop CPUs should be compatible with older motherboard models that use the LGA 1700 socket. If you currently have an Intel 12th or 13th Gen CPU in your motherboard, you’re likely good to go. This also means DDR5 RAM is not necessarily a requirement for using these processors, and you can still use DDR4 RAM with them despite having a latest-gen CPU.

In situations like this, however, please note that a BIOS update may be required. Please check the product page for your motherboard on the manufacturer’s website once these CPUs are out for more precise information about upgrading and what you’ll need to do.

Intel 14th Gen will introduce a new naming system

With the new processors in Intel 14th Gen also comes a new naming system for their CPU product lines going forward. They’re doing away with the “i-” prefixes, for one thing. Also, even though we know it’s their 14th generation of CPUs, they will not be including references to “14th Gen” as part of the official branding for them.

One of the bigger changes is that they will be separating CPUs into three tiers: “Intel” CPUs, “Intel Core” CPUs, and “Intel Ultra” processors. Within each tier, there will still be different numbered versions to choose from with increasing performance as the number designation increases, which will just use the “3”, “5”, “7” or “9” as an indicator. We’re guessing the highest performers per generation will typically come from the Ultra line, just based on its name.

Here are examples from Intel about how this will look for the Ultra and Core Processors respectively:

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