If you're thinking about buying a laptop with the Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, one thing you would surely want to know is whether it is worth the hype. I've been playing around with this chip during some game sessions, video editing timelines, and during heavy multitasking and the answer is yes, but there are some compromises you should make yourself aware of before purchasing this chip.
- For high performance parallel computing, 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores).
- 5.8 GHz max turbo – one of the highest CPU clock speeds among any laptop.
- Future proofed speed in the form of DDR5-5600 RAM and PCIe 5.0.
- No sweat when it comes to handling AAA games, 4K video editing and 3D rendering.
- TDP up to 159 W — This indicates that the lap should come with a cooling gadget that is efficient.
- It can only be found in high-end laptops, and is not a budget item.
The biggest benefit of the Intel i9-14th Gen chips, as of this writing, is that they are available on the most popular laptops. The largest upside to the Intel i9-14th gen chips is that you can purchase them on the most popular laptops at the time of writing.
Intel Core i9-14900HX is a new processor.
The Intel Core i9-14900HX is Intel's top-of-the-range mobile CPU for the 14th Generation Raptor Lake Refresh series of processors, released in the beginning of 2024. The "HX" naming isn't a random one, though, as it shows that Intel has designed its best processor to-date for mobile devices – and that's for gaming systems and mobile workstations that require heavy-duty performance, particularly over long periods of time.
Compared to the other "H" or "U" series mobile chips, the i9-14900HX isn't meant to be battery efficient or thermal friendly, but rather move as close as possible to the desktop performance in a mobile chip.
Complete Technical Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Refresh | 14th generation (Raptor Lake Refresh) chips |
| Total Cores | 24 (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores) |
| Total Threads | 32 |
| The base Clock Speed is | 2.2 GHz |
| The maximum frequency of turbo mode | 5.8 GHz |
| L3 Cache | Big 36MB Intel Smart Cache |
| Base TDP | 55 W |
| The power of the engine is increased by | 157 W using turbo charger |
| RAM Support | DDR4 / DDR5 (up to DDR5-5600 MHz) |
| PCIe Support | PCIe 5.0 |
| Production status | In manufacturing (currently being manufactured at 7 process Node) |
Hybrid computers can be of a number of varieties. There are different hybrid core designs.
The i9-14900HX is based on the hybrid architecture of Intel, which puts two different types of cores on a single processor:
These are the cores that have higher frequencies, and perform the most demanding tasks that require low latency. The P-cores handle tasks that require a lot of processing power, like games, video clips or even code compiling.
The 16 E-cores are meant to be less intense and parallel tasks, such as all of your open browser tabs, anti-virus scans or media playback. They have the ability to maintain your system agile and responsive without consuming any additional power.
With Intel's Thread Director technology tasks are automatically directed to the appropriate type of core, and no configuration is required.
The bandwidth of cache, memory and storage.
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36 MB L3 Cache The more L3 cache that the CPU has will store more of the data that it accesses regularly closer to the CPU, saving it time waiting for data from RAM. This helps a game or editing to be "responsive".
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Up to 5600 MHz DDR5 support DDR5 supports approximately 2x the bandwidth as DDR4, and will be beneficial for applications that regularly transfer large amounts of data between memory and the CPU like 3D rendering and video editing.
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PCIe 5.0 This doubles up the quantity of data move speeds, which can assist your GPU and NVMe SSD with delivering data inputs to the processor quicker, very much beneficial for high fps gaming and expert workloads.
This is what you're looking for when it comes to Gaming Performance.
When combined with a powerful discrete GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 or 4080), the i9-14900HX is a serious gaming machine. Its performances for different type of games are as follows:
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Single player/multiplayer games (Valorant, CS2) The competitive games with high single core performance have a direct effect on high and stable frame rates. These titles are primarily CPU intensive (FPS) and 5.8 GHz turbo definitely does help.
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For games with a AAA rating that feature open-worlds (GTA V, Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2) It is likely that the P-cores would be used for the rendering threads while the E-cores would process the background, so as to ensure smoother frame rates even at the highest settings.
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Strategy & Simulation Games The new chips' 24 cores and 32 threads will be a direct benefit for multi-core tasks, such as many of the calculations used in a large city simulation and strategy or simulation games are good examples.
There has been an increase in the creation of content, workplace practices & workloads.
The i9-14900HX is one of the fastest mobile CPUs currently on the market that are suitable for creative work:
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Video Editing (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve) If you are using video editing software such as DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, the multiple cores can assist with various tasks, including rendering and performing real-time effects preview and scrubbing. Export times are greatly cut down as opposed to mid-range chips.
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CPU Rendering (Blender, 3ds Max) The more cores you have, the faster you are going to be able to render – 24 cores is a lot more than 8 cores or 12 cores.
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Coding and Compilation Large code bases that are compiled and compiled in parallel (Android build, build game engines, etc) will be done much quicker with the 32 threads.
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Heavy Multitasking The E-cores truly shine when it comes to running an application in the real world: Play a game, stream on Discord, OBS and a browser without it noticeably lagging.
The power consumption and thermal management in the system are of major importance.
The i9-14900HX compromises come into play here. However, there is a true cost for performance – thermal and electrical.
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Base TDP: 55 watts It is the standard power consumption when you're doing everyday things such as browsing the web and office work.
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The full load (gaming, rendering) power consumption: up to 157 W This isn't much different from the amount of power consumed by a desk processor.
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Heat output This CPU will generate a lot of heat when it is at full load. To prevent thermal throttling, laptop manufactures must install a huge vapor chamber cooler, or more than one fan with dedicated heat pipes on their throttled laptop.
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Battery life The time of use will be less in comparison to lower tdp chips. Most of the i9-14900HX laptops will not last more than 2 hours on a battery, and will be mostly used for demanding tasks as plug-in devices.
I have been using the i9-14900HX in a gaming laptop for a few weeks, and have been doing a variety of tasks with it, such as everyday work, gaming, and video editing. There are a few things that were evident that specs don't necessarily tell you:
- In-game When playing in Valorant, I'm regularly reaching frame rates in excess of 200 FPS at 1080p with maxed out settings. In Cyberpunk 2077 there were no stuttering issues with running on High even and the CPU wasn't to blame.
- Editing DaVinci Resolve almost made the process of editing 4K timelines zero time. 10 min export to 4K - only about 4-5 min - much faster than previous machine (i7).
- Thermals During longer rendering sessions the fans were very loud and the chassis heating up close to the keyboard. The CPU was ~90-95 C when it was at full load, which is pretty hot, but normal. Having the laptop on a hard flat surface (or laptop stand with air flow) was a difference.
- Battery Battery game? May be as long as 60-90 minutes. But for casual use and some light work I was able to spend closer to 3-4 hours on it which is fine, but far from what the chip can do.
My testing experience with the i9-14900HX seems to boil down to the following: If you're doing heavy workloads, you'll need to make sure you have a convenient power outlet and that you're cooling the laptop properly, but the i9-14900HX is delivering exactly what it promises: some pretty powerful performance. A thin laptop, without fans, with this chip is not an ideal choice for those who want the best.
Pros & Cons: The Honest Verdict is a documentary in which both sides of a topic are discussed.
✅ Pros
- Single- and multi-core performance, and great performance in both.
- Turbo 5.8 GHz - one of the highest mobile clock speeds available.
- Support for future-proof DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.
- Used to play games, render 3D images and edit videos at the same time.
- Hybrid core with its customizable architecture and the all latest Intel processor technology enable intelligent power management.
❌ Cons
- Under constant load produces large amount(s) of heat.
- A big power consumption is detrimental to battery life (up to 157W).
- Available in costly and high quality laptops only.
- Needs a laptop with well-designed and efficient cooling fan.
In conclusion: Is i9-14900HX laptop worth it?
One of Intel's most powerful mobile CPUs ever is the Intel Core i9-14900HX. If you have the means to afford an expensive gaming or work laptop, and if your job requires you to be able to perform at peak performance all the time, this chip won't disappoint you.
But, for users who are more of a light user, a student or a user who cares about battery life and portability, the i9-14900HX is overkill. If you're looking for something that is more power efficient, you should consider getting an i7-13700H or an AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX processor.
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