Intel Core i9-13900K Review

The Core i9-13900K is one of Intel's enthusiast Desktop processors. It was released in 2022 with 24 cores and 32 threads. With base clock at 3GHz, max speed at 5.8GHz, and a 125W power rating. The Core i9-13900K is based on the Raptor Lake-S 10nm family and is part of the Core i9 series.

Core i9-13900K is also the successor of Intel's last gen Core i9-12900K processor that was based on the Alder Lake-S and 10nm process and was released in 2021.

This processor packs 24-cores and 32-threads in a mainstream package for the first time, and does it at a similar price point as the Ryzen 9 7900X, a processor with just 12-cores and 24-threads.

The Intel Core i9-13900K 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 i9-13900K finally dethrones the Ryzen 9 7900X as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Core i9-13900K 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.

The Intel Core i9-13900K is an absolute behemoth of a processor, as it absolutely should be with its 24 cores, 32 threads and high price tag. If you’re looking for the absolute best processor money can buy on a mainstream processor, then look no further. Whether you’re playing PC games or even doing hardcore video and 3D work, the Intel Core i9-13900K can handle them with ease.

The Intel Core i9-13900K was rolled out on Sep 27th, 2022 for $589, which puts it in the same general price range as the last-generation Core i9-12900K. This means that at least we're not seeing any considerable price jumps from generation to generation.

What this all means is that the Intel Core i9-13900K 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 i9-13900K.

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 9 processor. The base performance we showed for the Core i9-13900K can be achieved with $90 memory, while the Ryzen 9 7900X 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 i9-13900K was more capable than many might have expected. The basic enthusiast processor from Intel that can be picked up for $589 was able to out perform the Ryzen 9 7950X that runs $699 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 24-core processors can still manage to get by today. Being able to play current game titles and stream to Twitch on the Core i9-13900K was something we give playable results, but we were pleasantly surprised. As games become more threaded the ‘value’ in a 24-core processor continues to go down, but you can still get by with something like the Core i9-13900K in a pinch.

The Intel Core i9-13900K seems to be a decent performing chip that is readily available for $589 at your favorite retailer. The main competition for this processor is the Ryzen 9 7900X 12-Core unlocked desktop processor with Radeon Graphics graphics ($549 shipped).

That said, Intel still lags behind in frequency when the Ryzen 9 7950X operates at 4.5GHz at any given moment and 5.7GHz when push comes to shove.

Now the biggest question is can Intel’s Core i9 processor play games? The answer is simply yes as it got a respectable gaming score of 100% in our benchmarks.

Regardless of those external factors, the Core i9-13900K 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.

That said, to squeeze out all the potential of this surprisingly potent enthusiast chip, you’ll want (and need) to splurge on an enthusiast-grade Z770, H710, B760 motherboard.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Core i9 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the enthusiast with its Core i9-13900K processors, which the company is making available as of Sep 27th, 2022.