Intel announces 13th Gen Core processor range: Everything you need to know
Intel has announced its 13th Gen Core processors, led the Core i9-13900K and the Core i9-13900KF. Codenamed ‘Raptor Lake’, Intel claims the latest generation of processors offers up to a 15 per cent increase in single-threaded performance and up to 41 per cent in multi-threaded performance compared to the 12th generation.
If we compare the 13th Gen processors to the 12th Gen, the newer processors have higher clock speeds with e-cores (efficient cores) ramping up to 4.3GHz while the p-cores (performance cores) feature an updated design and gain 600Hz over the 12th Gen P-cores. The newer generation also increases the L2 cache size.
The 13th Gen Intel Core processor lineup conss of two i5, two i7 and two i9 processors divided between the K and the KF models. The two i5, i7 and i9 processors are the same when it comes to performance with the only difference being that the KF series does not sport integrated graphics. All Intel 13th Gen K processors are powered the Intel UHD Graphics 770. You can check out the rest of the processor specs in the image below.
The 13th Gen Intel Core processor adds six new processors.
Also, it looks like the 13th Gen Intel Core processors will use the same LGA1700 socket used the previous generation. If you have Z690 and Z790 motherboards, you can simply hot-swap your exing 12th Gen processor with a newer one. This also means that exing 12th Gen CPU coolers will be compatible with the 13th Gen processor lineup.
The 13th Gen Intel Core processor retains support for DDR4 memory in addition to support for DDR5, but there’s a catch. While DDR5 memory will have a max memory speed of 5600Mhz, support for DDR4 memory is limited to 3200Mhz. Also, all processors in the lineup support a maximum of 128GB RAM.
The top-of-the-line Intel Core i9-13900K and i9-13900KF are powered 24 cores (8 P-cores and 16 E-cores) and offer a total of 20 threads. The E-cores have a base frequency of 2.2Ghz while the P-cores have a base frequency of 3.0Ghz. The max or turbo frequency is specced at 4.3Ghz for E-cores and 5.8Ghz for P-cores. Both K and KF variants come with a 32MB L2 cache. The i9-13900K and i9-13900KF have a base power of 125W whereas the maximum power is rated at 253W.
Intel has confirmed that the 13th Gen processors will be coming to laptops as well and that the tech giant will be sticking to the familiar U, P, H and HX naming scheme. The 13th Gen Intel Core K processors will be available for purchase starting October 20 alongside the Intel Z790 chipset.