Intel Core i5-13600K Review

The Core i5-13600K is one of Intel's mid-range Desktop processors. It was released in 2022 with 14 cores and 20 threads. With base clock at 3.5GHz, max speed at 5.1GHz, and a 125W power rating. The Core i5-13600K is based on the Raptor Lake-S 10nm family and is part of the Core i5 series.

Core i5-13600K is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i5-12600K processor that was based on the Alder Lake-S and 10nm process and was released in 2021.

This processor packs 14-cores and 20-threads in a mainstream package for the first time, and does it at a similar price point as the Ryzen 5 7600X, a processor with just 6-cores and 12-threads.

The Intel Core i5-13600K marks yet another blast from Team Intel, ramping up the intensity of the Intel vs AMD processor war. Still, though, there’s more than just core counts when it comes to a mainstream processor, as single-core performance needs to be on point, especially if you’re hoping to play the best PC games.

Now, we're asking ourselves whether or not the Intel Core i5-13600K finally dethrones the Ryzen 5 7600X as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Core i5-13600K doesn't reach the same single-core performance as AMD, but we're starting to see more games adopt multi-threaded CPUs, so that doesn't matter as much.

What this all means is that the Intel Core i5-13600K is an absolute beast when it comes to multi-threaded workloads, especially at this price point. If you're counting on doing some video editing or compiling one hell of an Excel spreadsheet, you're going to see firsthand a performance boost with the Core i5-13600K.

If you're mostly playing games on your PC, you will be happy buying either processor. Both proved to be solid options and are evenly matched with a slight advantage to the AMD chip if you don't tune up the Ryzen 5 processor. The base performance we showed for the Core i5-13600K can be achieved with $90 memory, while the Ryzen 5 7600X will require $110 - $120 memory in order to enable the frame rates shown here. It’s not a big cost difference and right now with anything less than an RTX 2070 or Vega 64 you’ll more than likely become GPU limited.

The gaming tests with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti installed in the test system showed the Intel Core i5-13600K was more capable than many might have expected. The basic mid-range processor from Intel that can be picked up for $319 was able to out perform the Ryzen 7 7700X that runs $399 shipped in the three games we tested on. We know that you can’t test on just three games and declare something the overall victor, but it just goes to show that 14-core processors can still manage to get by today. Being able to play current game titles and stream to Twitch on the Core i5-13600K was something we give playable results, but we were pleasantly surprised. As games become more threaded the ‘value’ in a 14-core processor continues to go down, but you can still get by with something like the Core i5-13600K in a pinch.

The Intel Core i5-13600K seems to be a decent performing chip that is readily available for $319 at your favorite retailer. The main competition for this processor is the Ryzen 5 7600X 6-Core unlocked desktop processor with Radeon Graphics graphics ($299 shipped).

That said, Intel still lags behind in frequency when the Ryzen 7 7700X operates at 4.5GHz at any given moment and 5.4GHz when push comes to shove.

Now the biggest question is can Intel’s Core i5 processor play games? The answer is simply yes as it got a respectable gaming score of 99% in our benchmarks.

Regardless of those external factors, the Core i5-13600K proves it has the chops to be your main gaming system and a just as effective media creation platform – two things that are becoming intrinsically connected in this age of live-streaming, eSports and uploading gameplay videos.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Core i5 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the mid-range with its Core i5-13600K processors, which the company is making available as of Sep 27th, 2022.

AMD's Ryzen 5s are a staple of the high-volume mainstream market. They make up the most popular brand for mid-range-oriented builds by far. Intel is looking to shake that up with true 14-core processors that sell for even less than 6 cores. As if a resource advantage wasn't already compelling enough, Core i5 also enables unlocked multipliers. AMD is ill-prepared to fend off such a combination.