What you need to know
- A Reddit user reported that he was able to buy the Core i7-14700K from an Indonesian retailer ahead of the official launch, at 7.45 million IDR.
- The user has already posted benchmarks highlighting the processor's performance.
- Speculations indicated that Intel will announce the availability of the processors on preorder starting from October 16.
- The units will be available for purchase on October 17.
- Intel's Core i9-14900K CPU also appeared on a listing on eBay at €684.99, though it has since been pulled down by Alternate.
- However, 9 units have already been sold to users.
Intel's long-anticipated Raptor Lake refresh is due next week. In the past few months, several leaks pertaining to the Core i7-14700K have surfaced online. Some cited performance improvements up to a 20% compared to its predecessor. Most recently, a new leak suggested that the 14700K will ship with four more E-cores compared to the 13700K making for a total of 28 threads.
While Intel's Raptor Lake refresh is yet to be officially announced or even hit the market, a Redditor, PantatRebus recently reported that he was able to find Intel’s newest desktop CPU, the Core i7-14700K and buy it, as spotted by VideoCardz.
Strangely enough, the Redditor disclosed that he was able to get the brand new processor from the Indonesian retailer without facing any objections, even after seeking whether the unit was available for purchase three times.
Ideally, Intel often provides retailers with these units under embargo, and they are only allowed to put them up for sale after it lifts and the official announcement has been made by the company.
However, this wasn't the case here as PantatRebus was able to acquire the unit at 7.45 million IDR, which translates to an approximate of $476. To this end, there's only a handful of users that have access to the Intel Core i7-14700K. Of course, most are under NDAs and can't disclose any information pertaining to the unit until the embargo lifts. PantatRebus has already posted benchmarks.
While Intel has yet to disclose the schedule for its Innovation 2023 event, VideoCardz speculates that Intel's new series of CPUs will be available for preorder alongside an official launch next week.
Intel's Core i9-14900K CPU makes a surprise appearance too
If Intel thought the Raptor Lake Refresh was a secret, then it should think again, Amidst all the Core i7-14700K drama, another entry, the Core i9-14900K CPU mistakenly went on sale in one of Europe's largest retailers, Alternate.
While the retailer has since pulled the unit from sale on eBay, nine units have already been sold to eager enthusiasts who couldn't wait to get their hands on it. The unit also had a €684.99 price tag slapped on the listing. If this is the actual price and not a mistake, it could potentially provide a rough estimate of the unit's cost across various regions. It ships with 24 cores and clock speeds up to 6.0 GHz, and should provide a decent bump in performance compared to the Intel Core i9-13900K.
