Saw this earlier but just now getting a chance to reply. In my experience building editing rigs over the years, the Intel Core i7-14700K 20-Core 3.4GHz-5.6GHz is the absolute sweet spot for what youre doing. I have tried many high-end setups and the jump to the i9 just doesnt justify the extra heat and power draw for most 4K workflows. The thing you gotta realize is that Premiere Pro relies heavily on QuickSync for smooth timeline playback, and both of those chips use the exact same Intel UHD Graphics 770 integrated engine. You arent getting a better encoder by paying more for the i9. Honestly, the 14700K stays way cooler under load which means more consistent performance during those long overnight renders. Use that extra cash for a better scratch drive like the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD instead. Youll actually feel that speed difference while you edit way more than a few extra E-cores.

Late to the party but I love this! To add to the point above:

• Intel Core i5-14600K 14-Core 3.5GHz-5.3GHz: Amazing stability, runs cool.
• Intel Core i7-13700K 16-Core 3.4GHz-5.4GHz: Fantastic speed, less risk!

I totally get where youre coming from. Honestly, that top-tier flagship has been pretty disappointing lately and i've had way more stability issues than i'd like to admit with it. You basically need industrial grade cooling just to keep it from hitting 100 degrees instantly which is just... not fun. You're definitely on the right track thinking about the i7 instead. Its much more manageable and, frankly, the difference in Premiere is barely noticeable unless youre timing it with a stopwatch. One small point to add tho... the i7 is way less finicky with power limits so your motherboard will probably last longer without all that extra stress. Definitely play it safe and avoid the heat headache, it's just not as good as expected for a daily workhorse.

My buddy told me the exact same thing last week. Guess he was right lol.