Intel 14th-Gen Build Guide: Three Builds for Three Different Uses
Sponsored by Intel
Photo: Jacob Bobo We’ve highlighted three of the main CPUs from the 14th generation and designed custom computers around them, focusing on the areas those chips excel. Whether you’re looking for your first-ever build or ready to build the mother of all gaming machines, we’ve got the blueprints for you.
The Entry-Level Work and Gaming PC: $967.92.
If you haven’t built a PC before and aren’t sure where to start, this is it. This build comes in at under $1,000 and is a great first build. Using an Intel Core i5-14600K and a Sparkle Intel Arc A750, you’ve got a PC that’s ready for work, web browsing, and even some light gaming. Intel’s i5-14600K is a 14-core (eight Efficient, six Performance), 20-thread CPU that offers more than enough power for the average user, making it perfect for a family’s home PC, even with a gamer in the mix.
The motherboard we chose comes with onboard WiFi, so you won’t need to worry about finding a wireless adapter or running ethernet cable through your house. And when you’re ready for an upgrade, it’s easy to add more RAM, storage space, and even swap out the GPU, though you might find the Arc performing past your expectations; Intel has been doing a incredible job boosting the performance of their Arc line with regular updates.
The Mid-Range Bundle Build for Creators: $1669.94
Our mid-range PC takes advantage of the incredible Intel Core i7-14700K bundle to save you money on a stellar mid-to-high-range CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and an ASUS Z790 WIFI7 motherboard. All this power is more than needed for a simple home computer, but really shines as a work and gaming machine. The Core i7-14700k is packed with eight performance cores, 12 efficiency cores, and 28 threads. You could very easily set up a stream, record your gameplay, edit the whole thing, and upload that edit to YouTube without bogging down your new PC.
Add on to that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super and you’ve got a computer that’s ready for gaming at 1440p and can even break into 4K for esports titles.
The Top-of-the-line Build for Tech Enthusiasts: $3939.92
Looking to build a PC that can handle anything and everything you can throw at it, from gaming to 4K video work and beyond? This is that build. Our base is the Intel Core i9-14900KS, a CPU that boasts 6.2GHz boost clock speed, 8 Performance cores, 16 Efficiency cores, and a 68MB of combined L2 and L3 cache. That adds up to a processor that will help reduce render times for content creators and boost benchmarks for gamers.
The build also features 64GB of DDR5 RAM and the MSI’s water-cooled take on the ultra-powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. With 24GB of VRAM, the NVIDIA 4090 is a great base for AI work as well, operating hand-in-hand with the AI power Intel’s 14th generation of chips. This is truly a do-it-all build that’s going to be able to handle gaming, AI, and creative work for years to come.
These three builds all showcase a different take on what you can accomplish with Intel’s 14th generation processors. Work, gaming, and AI have never been better thanks in no small part to Intel’s 14th gen.
Still not sure what build is right for you? Stop by your local Micro Center and speak with our associates. They’ll be happy to help you pick out the right parts for your next PC build.
