Intel is introducing its 13th Generation Core CPU lineup, codenamed ‘Raptor Lake’, starting with high-end desktop models aimed at gamers and enthusiasts. The company makes a new claim to the title of “world’s fastest desktop processor” with the flagship Core i9-13900K, which has 5.8GHz peak boost speed and a total of 24 cores – eight of which are high-performance ‘P-‘. cores with hyper-threading, and 16 smaller single-threaded ‘e-cores’ for power efficiency. Intel claims up to 15 percent improvement in single-threaded tasks, but a massive 41 percent jump in workload compared to last year’s Core i9-12900K that can scale to all 32 available threads.
Six CPU models have been announced, in addition to a new set of 700-series chipsets for motherboards and a new smartphone integration platform called Intel Unison. In addition to the Core i9-13900K, there’s the Core i9-13900KF which lacks integrated graphics. Both have 36MB L3 cache, plus 2MB L2 per P-core and 4MB per cluster with four E-cores. Base TDP is 125W but with adequate cooling solution the rated maximum power draw at boost speed is 253W.
Intel has also announced the Core i7-13700K and 13700KF, the latter of which are identical except for the lack of integrated graphics. Both models have a total of 16 cores, with eight P-cores and eight E-cores. Top speed is 5.4GHz and there’s 30MB L3 cache plus 24MB L2 cache in total. The base and maximum TDP are also 125W and 253W respectively.
Lastly, the Core i5-13600K and 13600KF have 14 cores (six P-cores with eight E-cores) running at up to 5.1GHz with 24MB and 20MB of L3 and L2 cache, respectively. The base and maximum TDP ratings for this pair come in at 125W and 181W.
All six SKUs are overclockable and support up to 128GB of RAM with 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes and four more PCIe 4.0 lanes. The non-F model has the basic Intel UHD Graphics 770 integrated GPU. Prices in the US range from $294 (approximately Rs 23,456 before taxes) for the Core i5-13600KF to $589 (approximately Rs 46,992) for the flagship Core i9-13900K. Additional non-overclockable models with 65W and 35W base TDP ratings are expected to launch later. All six CPUs will be available as boxed retail units and will be available in pre-built desktop PCs worldwide starting October 20, setting off a showdown with AMD’s brand new Ryzen 7000 series.
The Intel 7 manufacturing process, higher clock speeds, and new cache architecture contribute to the generational gains that Intel is promising. Intel’s Thread Director Scheduler algorithm, which determines which tasks are assigned to different core types, has also been updated using machine learning. Windows 11 22H2 optimizes the handling of background tasks compared to tasks initiated by users. Overclocking is also said to have improved significantly, with the Pi-core topping 8GHz and crossing 10,000MT/s using DDR5 liquid nitrogen.
At the platform level, the new 700-series chipset will allow for DDR5-5600 RAM, PCIe 5.0 support, Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6e. 13th generation CPUs use the same socket and are pin-compatible with existing Intel 600-series chipsets, and motherboards with both DDR4 and DDR5 will be available.
Intel Unison
Intel has also announced its Unison software platform, which aims to allow users to wirelessly connect their iPhone or Android smartphone to their PC to easily transfer files, synchronize messages and phone calls. and get information without having to juggle multiple devices. The technology is based on Screenovate, which Intel acquired late last year. Unison will be first available on Intel Evo platform laptops based on 12th and 13th generation Core CPUs, with Acer, HP and Lenovo set to support it this year.
