Despite the arrival of new processors, it's difficult to ignore the Intel Core i9-13900K, the company's top model. It appears to check most of the criteria for the top-shelf CPUs, including an almost infinite number of cores, the ability to reach such extremely high clock rates, and socket compatibility with Alder Lake.
However, the Core i9-13900K is probably going to cost more than its predecessor, and even though that CPU has been available for a while, it is still not cheap. Is buying a Core i9-13900K worth the spend, or is the 12th-generation CPU a better option financially? To assist you in selecting a winner, we'll compare the two Intel flagships below.
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Intel Core i9-13900K release date
Today, Intel officially makes its 13th Gen chips public after weeks of hints and leaks. Beginning on October 20, Intel will begin shipping its 13th-generation desktop CPUs, headlined by the $589 Core i9-13900K. Despite Intel's warning about price hikes, that is the same price as the 12900K flagship processor. In a fight for supremacy in the desktop market, AMD officially launched its new Ryzen 7000 CPUs while Intel announced its 13th generation of processors.
Intel Core i9-13900K vs. Core i9-12900K
Price and accessibility
The pricing of the Intel Core i9-12900K has been quite stable since its debut in the last quarter of 2021 and is currently near its original MSRP (recommended price). On Amazon, the price is still around the same as when it was $589. Although certain AMD and Intel CPUs are more affordable, it is what it is. It is not inexpensive. These flagships are enthusiast-grade CPUs designed to perform, hence they are not intended to be inexpensive.
Contrary to speculations, the Core i9-13900K costs the same as the Core i9-12900K – at least initially. We anticipate the Core i9-12900price K's to gradually decrease over the upcoming months as the new CPU gradually replaces it as the standard choice, which will cost roughly $600. That may have a significant impact on the CPU you choose, especially if you can get a bargain on a last-generation component.
Most vendors now have the Core i9-12900K, while the Core i9-13900K will be out on October 20, 2022. Close to the debut, it will probably sell out and be out of stock for a few weeks. However, we do not anticipate any significant processor shortages, so following launch, prices should revert to normal.
Specs
Over the Core i9-12900K, the Intel Core i9-13900K CPU delivers a few relatively simple improvements. It has everything it takes to perform noticeably better than the Alder Lake component thanks to a bigger core count, quicker clock rates, and a larger cache. Let's examine all the crucial specifications.
| Intel Core i9-13900K | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 24 (8P+16E) | 16 (8P+8E) |
| Threads | 32 | 24 |
| Base clock | 3.0 | 3.2GHz |
| Boost clock | 5.8Ghz | 5.2GHz |
| Max memory speed | DDR5: 5600MTps; DDR4: 3200MTps | DDR5: 4800MTps; DDR4: 3200MTps |
| TDP (base/turbo) | 125W/253W | 125W/241W |
| Intel Smart Cache (L3) | 36MB | 30MB |
| L2 Cache | 32MB | 14MB |
Building
These two Intel CPUs are more closely related to one other than to their relatives in terms of architecture. Although the 13th-generation CPU does provide a number of advancements, they are both compatible with the same LGA1700 socket and are generally identical in many respects. The following generation, known as Intel Meteor Lake, which is most likely not going to be backward compatible the way Intel Raptor Lake is, is when the major jump is anticipated.
Raptor Lake continues the combination of cores that Alder Lake introduced since Intel chose to keep with the popular hybrid core technology. Therefore, the Intel Core i9-13900K has a combination of performance (P) cores and efficiency (E) cores. The P cores received a boost and are now known as "Raptor Cove" rather than Alder Lake's "Golden Cove," while the E cores mostly remained unchanged from the previous generation.
The "Intel 7" 10nm technology was used to create both the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-12900K Intel processors. Both CPUs support DDR5 and DDR4 RAM at the same time, although the new CPU has a higher memory speed maximum. Additionally, both of these versions support PCIe Gen 5.0 and can run on the same motherboard, so upgrading from an Alder Lake CPU won't be a problem. However, several new 700-series motherboards will be released alongside Intel Raptor Lake. The top Z790 model is among them, followed by the more reasonably priced H770 and B760 variants from several producers, including Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte.
The Core i9-13900K will, as usual, also be offered in a KF model that excludes integrated graphics.
Performance
Although we put the Core i9-12900K through a lot of testing for our evaluation, we still don't know a lot about the Core i9-13900performance. K's When we can get our hands on it, we'll have to test it ourselves in order to obtain a complete image of it. Until then, we may base our decisions on early benchmarks that have leaked, Intel's own statements, and the general expectations based on the variations in specifications.
The Core i9-13900K, according to Intel, will provide the "greatest gaming experience in the world," replete with streaming and recording for content producers. It makes sense given that this is a high-end CPU and that most gamers would likely remain with the Core i5-13600K or Core i7-13700K rather than attempting to obtain the additional frame rates at a much greater cost.
The CPU's ability to be overclocked is another selling point for Intel, and in fact, we have already seen a Raptor Lake CPU infiltrate benchmarks at the legendary 6.0GHz level. With a maximum boost clock of 5.2GHz, the Core i9-12900K would struggle to reach that level. It's important to note that the CPU that reached 6GHz wasn't even the flagship; instead, it was the Core i7-13700K, so it's safe to assume that the Core i9-13900K will be able to accomplish the same. With enhanced per-core tuning visuals and one-click overclocking incorporated into the CPU, Raptor Lake has also simplified overclocking.
Extreme cooling with liquid nitrogen allowed Intel to overclock the Core i9-13900P-cores K's over 8GHz. It's a remarkable accomplishment that, although not quite a world record, is encouraging for the processor's capacity to overclock.
Intel claims to give a 15% gain in single-threaded workloads and a staggering 41% increase in multithreaded processes in terms of raw performance. Of course, this is in relation to the Core i9-12900K. Additionally, Intel has provided performance data for gaming, contrasting the two top models in a number of games.
Even though the Raptor Lake portion wins the vast majority of games, the benefits are not substantial. The highest gains are seen in CPU-friendly games like League of Legends or DOTA 2, which can experience framerate increases of up to 20%. (fps).
Of course, Intel has also provided performance data for the Core i9-13900K in contrast to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X from the previous generation. Unsurprisingly, the Intel CPU triumphed handily, defeating AMD in The Riftbreaker by as much as 107%. However, the majority of the victories are in the 30% to 50% range. However, AMD has also released its new Ryzen 7000 CPUs, so that margin is set to significantly narrow.
It will all come down to the price
Can you hear the Raptor (Lakeroar? )'s Of course, we can only conjecture because we haven't yet used the chip, but it stands to reason that the new 13th-gen Intel flagship will perform better than its forerunner. Even though the two CPUs are nearly identical in all relevant respects, Intel gave the Core i9-13900K a boost to increase its overall power.
But there's also the matter of cost. If you're not looking for the highest performance, the Core i9-12900K may still be a better choice depending on how much Intel charges for the Core i9-13900K. It is undeniable that the new Core i9-13900K will be a superior choice if your budget can support it if you are.
In either case, we'll have to hold off on rendering a definitive judgment until we have a chance to test these new 13th-gen chips ourselves.