This week, we have already seen AMD release its Ryzen 7000 series processors and have gone hands-on with them. However, not to be outdone, Intel is announcing its 13th Gen Core processor lineup with pretty impressive specs across the board. Though we’ve not used Intel’s 13th Gen chips yet, they do look pretty promising overall. With up to 24 cores, 32 threads, and 5.8GHz clock speeds, Intel’s 13th Gen chips are shaping up to be a pretty stout competitor to what AMD has to offer.
Intel 13th Gen CPUs launch October 20
I’ll be honest. I was very much hoping for a complete shift with Intel’s 13th Gen lineup back to a more traditional design, but alas, we didn’t get it. Keeping the tradition alive, these new Intel 13th Gen processors pack up to 24 cores and 32 threads, thanks to a mixture of performance and efficiency cores. Clock speeds, however, can reach up to 5.8GHz for what Intel says is the “best gaming, streaming, and recording experience.”
Leading the pack, Intel is, unsurprisingly, launching only its top-end K-series of processors at first. While AMD doesn’t have specific unlocked processors and instead allows you to overclock any CPU in its line, Intel still likes to lock those features away on only specific models of processors. Not only that, but Intel is only releasing its K-series processors on October 20, with other CPUs being “shared at a later date.” So, if you’re not looking for an unlocked processor, then you’ll be out of luck with this release.
With all that out of the way, let’s dive into the actual specs and features of Intel 13th Gen. Unsurprisingly, Intel is focusing on its 5.8GHz clock speed and “15% better single-thread performance” that allows it to “push high frame rates and allowed for unleashed gaming experiences across top titles.” Intel also claims up to 41% better, multithreaded performance, but only time will tell if that holds true.
Like the 12th Generation, Intel’s 13th Gen will support both DDR4 and DDR5 to help people ease into the new platform, which does make it a little more affordable for early adopters. There’s now a new Adaptive Boost Technology and Thermal Velocity Boost function that opportunistically boosts the processor clock frequencies based on current power and thermal headroom, though this function is only available in Core i9 processors that are unlocked. On top of that you’ll find PCIe 5.0 support, up to DDR5-5600 compatibility, and up to twice the L2 cache and increased L3 cache.
Intel’s top-tier i9-13900K processor with 24 cores, 32 threads, and up to 5.8GHz clock speeds will retail for $489.99, while the i9-13900KF without integrated graphics will cost $584. Stepping down to the i7-13700K, you’ll get 16 cores, 24 threads, and a 5.4GHz boost clock at $409 with the 13700KF costing $384. Down at the bottom end of the release is the i5-13600K at $319 and the 13600KF at $294, both with 14 cores and 20 threads with a 5.1GHz clock.
9to5Toys’ Take
Intel’s processors look promising, but only time will tell if they actually hold up to what AMD is already offering. The clock speeds are nice, but Intel’s core lineup is all over the place with its mix of efficiency and performance cores, while AMD is stuck to tried-and-true normal cores and threads here.
Also, Intel’s pricing structure is all but cohesive. Sure, it’s more budget-friendly than AMD’s lineup, but at the same time, there’s no rhyme or reason for the discounts being offered on KF series CPUs versus K only. Plus, the fact that Intel’s processors still require being unlocked to overclock, whereas AMD lets you overclock all processors, is bordering on archaic. Sure, there are ways to overclock some non-K CPUs in the 12th Generation lineup, but no official method is available as of yet, and we don’t see that changing with this release.
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