Intel's 14th Generation CPUs are now so inexpensive that it might be worth taking a chance on those supposedly resolved instability issues

• Intel Core i5 - 14600KF – $230 at Amazon
• Intel Core i7-14700KF – $328 at Amazon
• Intel Core i9-14900K - $443 at Amazon

Nick, our chip-sniffer extraordinaire at iSniffer, says that Intel's microcode patched do seem to have fixed the voltage spike problems at the core of the 13th and the 14th Gen Core CPU instabilities. The sudden price drop of 14th Gen models in anticipation of Intel's new Arrow Lake processors is an interesting development.

This is especially true when you take into account the disappointing gaming performance of AMD's latest Zen 5-based CPUs and Arrow Lake. The short version is that 14th Gen Intel's gaming performance is still excellent. With new CPUs released by both Intel and AMD, the competitive landscape will not change much in the next year or so.

What about specifics? How about an Intel Core i514600KF at $230 on Amazon.com? The 14600K, which is closely related (the "F suffix" indicates that the integrated GPU has been disabled), was $330 when we first reviewed it.

You can now get the exact same setup with six Raptor Cove Performance cores that run at up to 5.3GHz, and eight Gracemont Efficient Cores for $100 less.

This is a huge price drop. According to Intel's benchmarks, the new chip performs slightly worse in games than the old Core i9-14900K.

The Core Ultra 5 245KF is the equivalent model in the new Arrow Lake line to the 14600KF. It has a suggested retail price of $294. The extra $65 for the new chip is not worth much in terms of gaming.

Arrow Lake is a great option when you expand your horizons. It's more efficient, offers some advantages in content creation, and lets you use a brand-new Intel CPU socket and platform. This means that it has more upgrade potential.

If you're an Intel fan, and gaming is your main focus, then a 14600KF at $230 looks pretty compelling. The biggest question mark is the stability issue that affected Intel's 13th & 14th Gen chips. Can you be sure that the problem is fixed?

We believe that this is likely to be true. It's impossible to know for sure. It all comes down to a calculation of risk and reward. Is the 14600KF cheap enough now to justify the risk? We think the answer is probably yes. It's frustrating that there isn't a definitive yes.

Raptor Lake also offers some great deals higher up the stack. The 14700KF is now $328 while the flagship 14900K is $443. Both are now much cheaper than they were before.

We'd be less inclined, however, to gamble on those models. You can expect more reliability and performance as you spend more. You're spending close to the AMD Ryzen 9-9900X price at over $400.

The value proposition, if there is one, feels better at the lower price point. The 14600KF is a great gaming CPU at $230. It's also a good price for the slight risk that Intel may not have fully resolved the 13th and 14th Generation issues.

Your attitude towards that risk will ultimately be a matter of personal choice. Now that you know the 14th Gen chips are now a lot cheaper, it's up to you which one you choose.