Intel Core 9 273PE vs Intel Core i5-14600K Comparison

The Intel Core 9 273PE and the Intel Core i5-14600K occupy the same socket, the same 65-to-125-watt desktop space, and, according to the database, the same 90th percentile among all recorded CPUs. Yet they get there by opposite routes. The Core 9 273PE is a 12-core, 24-thread part with a high boost ceiling, a large shared L3 cache, and a modest thermal envelope. The Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread part with more cores, a higher base clock, and an unlocked multiplier. Across 17 head-to-head benchmark entries, the i5-14600K wins 10 and the 273PE wins 7, but the margin pattern is sharply split: the 273PE dominates in single-core and several compute workloads, while the i5-14600K takes most multi-thread and throughput tests.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: By total wins, the i5-14600K leads 10 to 7. By average benchmark score, the 273PE leads with 49845 versus 48618, a gap of roughly 2.5 percent. Both sit in the 90th percentile versus all CPUs in the database, so the practical answer depends on workload type.

Q: Which one is better for gaming and lightly threaded tasks?

A: The recorded data favors the 273PE for pure single-core compute. It scores 4417 in Cinebench R23 single-core versus 2064 for the i5-14600K, a 114 percent lead. However, Passmark single-thread tells a different story: 4270 for the i5-14600K against 3650 for the 273PE, a 14.5 percent edge to the i5. The single-thread picture is mixed by test suite.

Q: Which CPU is better for heavy multi-core rendering?

A: It depends on the renderer version. In Cinebench R23 multi-core the 273PE wins 31288 to 24491, a 27.8 percent lead. In Cinebench R15 multi-core the i5-14600K wins 3640 to 3153, and in Cinebench R20 multi-core it wins 13709 to 13140. Newer R23 data favors the 273PE; older R15 and R20 data favor the i5.

Q: Do they use the same motherboard?

A: Yes. Both use Intel Socket 1700, both support DDR4 and DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, and both offer PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes. A platform swap between them is not required.

Q: Which CPU runs cooler by design?

A: The 273PE has a TDP of 65 watts versus 125 watts for the i5-14600K. On paper, the 273PE is the lower-power part, though the i5 starts from a higher base clock of 3.50 GHz versus 2.30 GHz.

Q: Can both be overclocked?

A: No. The i5-14600K has an unlocked multiplier. The 273PE does not, so tuning headroom belongs to the i5.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-14600K's territory is throughput and memory-adjacent work. It wins data compression by 15.8 percent (482020 versus 405885), data encryption by 17.5 percent (27533 versus 22719), extended instructions by 13.7 percent (28546 versus 24630), and string sorting by 13.2 percent (51949 versus 45098). It also takes Passmark multithread with 38682 against 36810, plus Cinebench R15 and R20 multi-core. Its 14 cores, despite fewer threads than the 273PE's 24, clearly deliver in these suites.

The 273PE's territory is compute-bound and latency-sensitive work. Its standout numbers are Cinebench R23 single-core at 4417, more than double the i5's 2064, and Passmark physics at 3120 versus 2473, a 26.2 percent lead. It also wins prime number search by 25.3 percent (203 versus 162), floating point math by 16.3 percent (107884 versus 92794), integer math by 10.9 percent (139410 versus 125737), and Cinebench R23 multi-core by 27.8 percent. Workloads that reward per-cycle efficiency and cache capacity tilt toward the 273PE.

Architecture Differences

Both chips come from Intel on a 10 nm process node, but they represent different design generations. The 273PE carries the Bartlett Lake codename under the Core 9 badge, while the i5-14600K is Raptor Lake-R under the 14th Gen Core i5 line. The pack lists no explicit architecture family for the 273PE, so the codename and generation strings are the honest descriptors.

The core topology is where they diverge. The 273PE fields 12 cores with 24 threads, implying uniform simultaneous multithreading across all cores. The i5-14600K fields 14 cores with only 20 threads, the signature of a hybrid layout where a subset of cores carries SMT and the rest do not. Fewer, fatter threads on one side; more raw cores on the other.

Cache is another divider. Both share an identical per-core cache scheme, 80 KB of L1 and 2 MB of L2 per core, but the shared L3 differs sharply: 36 MB on the 273PE versus 24 MB on the i5-14600K. That 50 percent larger L3 is a plausible contributor to the 273PE's wins in physics, prime search, and Cinebench R23, all of which reward data residency.

Clock behavior also differs. The 273PE has a low 2.30 GHz base with a high 5.70 GHz boost. The i5-14600K starts higher at 3.50 GHz but boosts lower at 5.30 GHz. Bursty single-thread work on the 273PE can ride a higher peak clock; sustained all-core work on the i5 starts from a higher floor.

The integrated graphics differ slightly: UHD Graphics 730 on the 273PE versus UHD Graphics 770 on the i5-14600K, a modest generational edge to the older part's nameplate. The i5-14600K also has a recorded die size of 257 mm²; no die size is recorded for the 273PE.

Specification Differences

The launch MSRP figures: the 273PE launched at $549, the i5-14600K at $319. Those are stated once as recorded launch values.

Cores: 12 (273PE) versus 14 (i5-14600K). Threads: 24 versus 20. Base clock: 2.30 GHz versus 3.50 GHz. Boost clock: 5.70 GHz versus 5.30 GHz. TDP: 65 watts versus 125 watts. Shared L3: 36 MB versus 24 MB. Integrated graphics: UHD 730 versus UHD 770. Multiplier: locked versus unlocked.

Everything else is effectively shared. Both use Intel Socket 1700, both support DDR4 and DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, both support ECC memory, both provide PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes, both are active desktop parts from Intel on 10 nm. The 273PE has a recorded memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s; no equivalent figure is recorded for the i5. Release dates differ considerably, October 2023 for the i5-14600K and March 2026 for the 273PE, which frames this as a comparison across product cycles rather than direct contemporaries.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Start with the 273PE's biggest statement: Cinebench R23 single-core, 4417 versus 2064, a 114 percent win. That is the single largest delta in the entire dataset. The same suite's multi-core run goes to the 273PE as well, 31288 versus 24491, a 27.8 percent lead, which makes R23 a clean sweep for the newer part.

The i5 answers in older Cinebench builds. R15 multi-core: 3640 versus 3153 in its favor, a 13.4 percent gap. R20 multi-core: 13709 versus 13140, a tighter 4.2 percent win. R20 single-core also goes to the i5, 1935 versus 1855. R15 single-core flips hard back to the 273PE, 445 versus 297, a 49.8 percent win. The Cinebench record is a 4-to-2 split for the 273PE, with the magnitude of its wins far exceeding the i5's.

Passmark splits 8-to-3 for the i5. Its largest margins are encryption (27533 versus 22719, 17.5 percent), compression (482020 versus 405885, 15.8 percent), and single-thread (4270 versus 3650, 14.5 percent). Extended instructions (-13.7 percent), string sorting (-13.2 percent), and multithread (38682 versus 36810, -4.8 percent) also go its way.

The 273PE's Passmark wins are physics (3120 versus 2473, 26.2 percent), prime numbers (203 versus 162, 25.3 percent), floating point (107884 versus 92794, 16.3 percent), and integer math (139410 versus 125737, 10.9 percent). Note the pattern: the 273PE wins raw compute kernels, the i5 wins memory-streaming and mixed-throughput tests.

Context from each part's rival set reinforces the closeness. The 273PE's average of 49845 sits within about 1 percent of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 and the Intel Core i5-14600KF. The i5-14600K's 48618 sits within 1 percent of the AMD EPYC 4345P and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245. Both are mid-flagship performers in the database's terms.

The Verdict

The data supports the i5-14600K for buyers whose work is threaded, throughput-oriented, or tuning-focused. It wins the majority of head-to-head tests, wins compression, encryption, and Passmark multithread outright, carries an unlocked multiplier, and starts from a higher base clock. Its 14 cores translate directly into the R15 and R20 multi-core wins.

The data supports the 273PE for buyers whose work is per-thread compute, physics simulation, or sustained numeric workloads. Its 27.8 percent Cinebench R23 multi-core win, its 114 percent R23 single-core win, its 26.2 percent physics win, and its 36 MB of L3 make it the stronger recorded performer in exactly those kernels, and it does all of this within a 65 watt TDP.

There is no clean sweep here. Ten wins for one, seven for the other, near-identical average scores, identical percentile placement, and a shared socket. The recorded data says: pick the i5-14600K for throughput and tuning freedom, pick the 273PE for single-threaded compute, physics, and cache-heavy work at lower nominal power.