As we wrote this evaluation, the Core i9-13900K’s usurper as Intel’s mainstream flagship had simply arrived, with the Core i9-13900KS with the ability to hit 6GHz out of the field. Nevertheless, this new CPU can also be more likely to be very popular and power-hungry, and it additionally calls for a hefty premium.
Should you’re available in the market for a strong CPU that prices below $600, although, the Intel Core i9-13900K we’re reviewing right here is a perfect contender. What’s extra, the Core i9-13900K has had a worth lower from round $700 all the best way right down to $600, permitting it to take a seat degree with the mighty Ryzen 9 7950X.
At Customized PC, we have been reviewing the newest CPUs since 2003, and we have examined and overclocked a whole bunch of CPUs, going proper again to the Pentium 4 and Athlon XP period. We have developed an professional testing methodology that covers all the important thing areas of efficiency, together with single-threaded and multi-threaded efficiency, in addition to gaming. You possibly can learn extra on our testing methodology on our how we take a look at CPUs web page.
The Core i9-13900K and Ryzen 9 7950X could not be extra completely different. With the Intel chip, it is all about energy, cores and frequency. Its eight P-Cores can hit a 5.8GHz peak enhance in lightly-threaded software program, and we noticed as much as 5.5GHz throughout all eight of its P-Cores in multi-threaded workloads.
These are some large numbers, which suggests the Ryzen 9 7950X has its work lower out. The AMD chip has fewer cores in whole than the Intel one, because of the Core i9-13900K virtually breeding E-Cores below its heatspreader, with 16 in whole, giving a closing sum of 24 cores.
These are backed up by 36 MB of L3 cache and 32 MB of L2 cache, and in case you had been pondering what sort of energy this requires, effectively, the utmost turbo energy sits at a whopping 253W, which is double that of the Core i5-12600K.
Intel Core i9-13900K utility efficiency
At inventory pace, as you’d count on, the Core i9-13900K was by no means removed from the highest of the graphs. The Ryzen 9 7950X was faster in our image-editing and multi-tasking exams, however the Intel CPU had the higher hand in our closely multi-threaded video encoding take a look at and a sizeable lead in Cinebench’s multi-threaded take a look at too, with the 2 chips inside spitting distance within the general RealBench system rating.
Intel Core i9-13900K gaming efficiency
The Core i9-13900K is a tremendous gaming CPU, because of that top clock pace – solely the Ryzen 7 5800X3D got here near matching it in Far Cry 6, though AMD’s Ryzen 7000-series CPUs had been principally a match in Watch Canines: Legion. That stated, there’s nonetheless little good thing about utilizing this chip over the Core i5-13600K and Core i7-13700K in video games – it is the heavy multi-threading energy that you just’re actually shopping for.
Intel Core i9-13900K energy draw
Unsurprisingly, the Core i9-13900K attracts a variety of energy. The entire system energy draw was enormous at 546W with the 13900K put in, however even making use of a handbook 1.4V vcore and pushing the P-Cores as much as 5.7 GHz noticed this determine fall to 525W, with temperatures falling a couple of levels too. This was decrease than the height enhance, so some benchmarks had been slower, however Cinebench’s multi-threaded rating rose from 40,444 to 41,015.
Intel Core i9-13900K execs and cons
Professionals
- Blisteringly quick in multi-threaded workloads
- Wonderful lightly-threaded efficiency
- Nice in video games
Cons
- Cheaper CPUs are simply as quick in most video games
- Very excessive energy consumption at default settings
- Restricted overclocking headroom
Intel Core i9-13900K specs
The Intel Core i9-13900K specs checklist is:
| Base frequency: | P-Core 3.5GHz, E-Core 2.6GHz |
| Max enhance frequency: | P-Core 5.8GHz, E-Core 4.3GHz |
| Core: | Raptor Lake |
| Manufacturing course of: | 10nm (Intel 7) |
| Variety of P-Cores: | 8 |
| Variety of E-Cores: | 16 |
| Variety of threads: | 32 |
| Hyper-Threading | Sure |
| L2 cache: | 32 MB |
| L3 cache: | 36 MB |
| Reminiscence controller: | Twin-channel DDR4 and DDR5 |
| Packaging: | LGA1700 |
| Thermal design energy (TDP): | 253W |
| Options: | Thermal Velocity Increase, Turbo Increase Max Know-how 3, Turbo Increase 2, FMA3, F16C, SHA, BMI / BMI1 + BMI2, AVX2, AVX, AES, SSE4a, SSE4, SSSE3, SSE3, SSE2, SSE, MMX |
Intel Core i9-13900K worth
The Intel Core i9-13900K worth is $600, which could be very excessive for a CPU however but it surely affords a large depend of 24 cores so it represents first rate worth for cash on a per-core foundation.
Worth: Count on to pay $600 (£590)
Intel Core i9-13900K evaluation conclusion
Flagship CPUs normally include compromises, and on this case they’re temperatures, energy consumption and worth. It is cheaper than it was at launch, although, and $600 for a 24-core powerhouse of a CPU is definitely lots lower than you’d have paid when Intel’s HEDT platforms had been round.
Fortunately, it does provide the pace to match, with monstrous multi-threaded efficiency that is a match for something apart from AMD’s Threadripper CPUs, plus it is one of many quickest CPUs out there in video games too. In order for you the quickest CPU for just about every part and have the money, the Core i9-13900K is the present king of the citadel. This monstrous degree of energy rightfully earns the Core i9-13900K a spot on our greatest CPU for gaming checklist.
Curious to see how this processor runs when enjoying particular video games? Take a look at these CPU benchmarks over on the PCGameBenchmark FPS calculator.
