If you want cutting-edge performance out of your next desktop PC, the latest 13th Gen Intel® Core™ processors can give you the horsepower you need to get across the proverbial finish line in record time.

These new CPUs combine the lessons from the 12th Gen Core into a new, expanded package. We optimized the lithography, architecture, and design to bring you more cores, more cache, and higher clocks. That translates to higher performance and a better experience overall.

What sets our 13th Gen Intel Core CPUs apart from their processing predecessors, and what can you expect out of this year’s crop in terms of features and performance? Let’s dig into everything Raptor Lake to find out.

Iterating on performance hybrid innovation

Our 12th Gen Core processors introduced an innovative performance hybrid architecture that combines two different types of cores. Performance-cores (P-cores) deliver raw speed for critical applications, while Efficient-cores (E-cores) handle background tasks and provide headroom for demanding multitasking and multithreaded workloads. Intel® Thread Director works with the OS to optimize scheduling using real-time feedback from the hardware.

Rather than starting over from scratch, 13th Gen Intel Core processors are more of a good thing. They benefit from further refinements to the Intel 7 fabrication process, including 3rd gen Intel SuperFin transistors that offer significantly better channel mobility. We also updated the P-cores with speed path improvements that enable faster frequencies. The Core i9-13900K can reach speeds up to 600MHz higher than the Core i9-12900K from the Alder Lake generation.

In addition to hitting higher clocks, the updated Performance-cores come with an improved L2 cache. It’s bigger, with up to 2MB per core, and smarter, with the ability to adjust the prefetch algorithm dynamically based on the workload.

There are similar improvements in Efficient-cores. The L2 cache is double the previous gen, with up to 4MB per quad-core cluster, and it’s fed by a smarter prefetch algorithm. The E-cores are also considerably faster, with all-core Turbo clocks scaling up to 600MHz higher.

We’ve often compared E-cores to the original Skylake core. 13th Gen processors can now reach the same IPC and frequencies at significantly lower power. E-cores make efficient use of die area, with each one occupying a fraction of the space required by a P-core. This batch of CPUs really take advantage by offering up to twice as many E-cores as Alder Lake. This helps the Core i9-13900K achieve significantly higher multithreaded performance than the 12900K at the same power level – and similar performance at just 25% of the power.

Loading up on E-cores helps the Core i9-13900K deliver up to 41% better multithreaded performance than its predecessor, while P-core enhancements enable up to 15% better single-threaded performance.1

Putting our pack to work

Though our “trainers” might not be as handsome as Chris Pratt, the engineers at Intel have wrangled Raptor Lake into a full lineup of desktop and mobile processors.

The Core i9-13900KS tops the stack with a 6.0GHz peak Turbo frequency that makes it the world’s fastest desktop processor2. Our new flagship has 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores, for a total of 24 cores and 32 threads—streamers might feel like they just got an extra PC for the price of one! Meanwhile, content creators and anyone who relies on multithreaded workload performance will be delighted to watch the Windows Task Manager light up with enough threads to match the most powerful desktop processors.

The theme continues down the lineup for all Raptor Lakedesktop CPUs above Core i3 models, with more E-cores, bigger caches, and higher clocks throughout. We’re especially excited for enthusiasts to get their hands on the Core i5-13600K with 14 cores (6P + 8E) and a maximum Turbo frequency of 5.1GHz, just 100MHz shy of last year’s Core i9-12900K.

Thread Director and Performance Hybrid make it to the mainstream

All these hardware improvements are only part of the equation, though. 13th Gen Intel Core processors benefit from additional updates that help you get the most out of what’s under the hood.

We’ve learned a lot since introducing our performance hybrid architecture with Alder Lake, and don’t just mean “we” as in the people at Intel, but a more collective “we” that includes the Intel Thread Director technology that guides OS scheduling in real time.

Thread Director monitors the instruction mix and state of each core with nanosecond precision, and it feeds that telemetry to the operating system to optimize scheduling. In plainer English, it helps the OS put the right thread on the right core at the right time. This time around, we used machine learning techniques to improve how individual threads are classified.

Windows 11 users will also get a boost after updating their operating system to version 22H2, which optimizes how background services are handled when they compete for resources with low-priority tasks initiated by users.

A new year, a new platform

PCI Express 5.0 debuted on the market with Alder Lake and remains a fixture in its successor. You can direct all 16 lanes to a single graphics card or split them into a dual-x8 configuration combining graphics and storage, depending on the chipset and motherboard you’re using. Four PCIe 4.0 lanes provide another path for connecting an SSD directly to the CPU.

With 13th Gen processors, we have also updated 700-series chipsets that add even more I/O. The new Z790 for enthusiasts increases both the number of available PCI 4.0 lanes, as well as the number of supported USB3.2 Gen 2x2 ports compared to the Z690. Maximizing performance with additional high-speed devices requires a fast link to the CPU, which is why the chipset’s DMI 4.0 interface spreads traffic over eight lanes.

If investing a new platform isn’t part of your budget, fret not; 13th Gen processors are backward compatible with 600-series motherboards when paired with the appropriate firmware update. 12th Gen CPUs will also work in newer 700-series boards, which are on shelves now.

Flexibility is a hallmark of our performance hybrid architecture. That extends to memory, with 13th Gen Intel Core processors retaining support for DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. We’ve upped the peak DDR5 speed from 4800MT/s in the last generation to 5600MT/s on select processor models.

Overclockers, start your engines

While select models of 13th Gen Intel Core processors are designed to offer exceptional performance out of the box, we’re excited to see what “K” and “KF”-branded chips can do in the hands of overclockers 3. A team over at Asus has already achieved a world-record result of over 9GHz on the Core i9-13900K with extreme liquid-helium cooling, and extreme DDR5 speeds of over 10,000 MT/s have from multiple overlcockers across the globe since its release.

That’s at the extreme end of the spectrum, of course. For most everyone else, we’ve updated the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility. XTU now has a new visual interface for per-core tuning that presents P-cores and E-cores more intuitively. Savvy enthusiasts get an incredible level of control over how the CPU behaves.

The Intel Speed Optimizer skews toward the other end of the spectrum—the “set it and forget it” crowd. It overclocks with a single click, and you can easily enable or disable it using the new (and simplified) Compact View interface for XTU. This stripped-down version of XTU brings just the basics to the foreground, hopefully to make overclocking just a bit less intimidating.

Add the ability to overclock DDR4 or DDR5 modules from our extensive XMP 3.0 memory ecosystem, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a system tuner’s dream machine.

Welcome, to a new dimension

Cue the John Williams soundtrack! With up to 24% better gaming performance4 and up to 34% faster creator workflow than the previous generation5, there’s a whole lot to love—and maybe just a bit to be afraid of—in the rapid pack of raptors.

Whether you’re a long-time Intel loyalist or brand new to the blue, now is a good time for a new CPU. 13th Gen Intel Core processors push the industry forward once again and take our performance hybrid architecture to the next level.

Notices & Disclaimers

1. As estimate by Intel internal measurements made using SPECint_rate_base2017_IC2022 (n-copy) using Intel validation Platforms comparing 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i9-13900K processors versus 12th Generation Intel Core i9-12900K processors.
2. Intel Core i9-13900KS is the world’s fastest desktop processor at 6.0 GHz.
3. Overclocking may void warranty or affect system health. Learn more at www.intel.com/overclocking. Results may vary.
4. As measured by League of Legends on a computer powered by the 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i9-13900K processor, compared to one powered by the 12th Generation Intel Core i9-12900K processor.
5. As measured by concurrent multitasking workflow on 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i9-13900K processors vs. 12th Generation Intel Core i9-12900K processors.

Performance varies by use, configuration and other factors. Learn more at www.Intel.com/PerformanceIndex

Performance results are based on testing as of dates shown in configurations and may not reflect all publicly available updates. See backup for configuration details.

Altering clock frequency or voltage may void any product warranties and reduce stability, security, performance, and life of the processor and other components. Check with system and component manufacturers for details.

Includes the effect of Intel Thermal Velocity Boost, a feature that opportunistically and automatically increases clock frequency above single-core and multi-core Intel Turbo Boost Technology frequencies based on how much the processor is operating below its maximum temperature and whether turbo power budget is available. The frequency gain and duration is dependent on the workload, capabilities of the processor and the processor cooling solution.

Code names are used by Intel to identify products, technologies, or services that are in development and not publicly available. These are not "commercial" names and not intended to function as trademarks.

© Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.