Intel Core i9-13900KF Gaming Desktop Processor 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores) - Unlocked

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Intel classifications are for general, educational and planning purposes only and consist of Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCN) and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers. Any use made of Intel classifications are without recourse to Intel and shall not be construed as a representation or warranty regarding the proper ECCN or HTS. Your company as an importer and/or exporter is responsible for determining the correct classification of your transaction. When I began testing coolers on Intel’s i9-12900K, I found that many products that cooled the i9-10900K well now struggled in some scenarios when paired with the Alder Lake CPU – and Raptor Lake is even more difficult to cool in these situations. I think the selection of coolers is quite fine, since it's covering what I'd consider the good reasonable range (maybe adding a 240 AIO would be good?) and it demonstrated via CB, that after a certain point, the CPU even if throttling still performs fine-ish. The caveat is the noise, since it's pegged at 100% everything, but still performs close to what you'd like/expect.

Creative performance is a measure of how well the processor performs in several popular creative workloads like Handbrake, Blender, and Adobe Photoshop. Where possible, we explicitly disable GPU accelerated operations or test rendering using the CPU by itself. The Z790, H770, Z690, and H670 can support the most USB ports for the 13900KF at USB 3.2 2x2 (20 Gbps), USB 3.2 2x1 (10 Gbps), and USB 3.2 1x1 (5 Gbps) speeds. The Z790 chipset is able to support an additional eight PCI-E 4.0 lanes than Z690, and it also can support an extra USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port. The chipset’s integrated Wi-Fi controller is now based on an Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E design as well.The increased cooling challenges posed by Raptor Lake mean that we’ve had to change some of the ways we test. Some coolers were able to pass Cinebench R23 multicore testing with Intel’s 12th Gen i9-12900K when power limits were removed, although only the strongest models were able to pass that test. Most liquid coolers and all air coolers I’ve tested “failed” that test because the CPU reached TJ max (the highest temperature before throttling) in this scenario.

Intel's Core i9-13900K CPUs have 8 Performance cores (P-cores) and 16 Efficiency cores (E-cores) for a total of 24 cores. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900F CPU for gaming, you can expect excellent game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900KF CPU for general apps, you can expect excellent app performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. However, when pushing this chip to the absolute limits of its performance, it turns into a seriously power-hungry beast. We registered a max power draw of 337W during our tests, massively more than any other mainstream CPU on the market right now. This isn’t a deal-breaker by any means, but it does mean that you may need to spring for a hefty power supply if you want to routinely use this chip for highly resource-intensive tasks. Base TDP is the same between both generations at 125 watts, but the new Core i9-13900K is thirstier, hitting 253 watts versus 241 watts.Also as a side note, I saw a 200W max power dissipation in CB23 with my 12700k with a Mugen B, 240W with a NH-D15, and 260W on a 13900kf+CB23 with a Cooler Master ML280 in my personal, less controlled use. Intel's Core i9-13900F CPUs have 8 Performance cores (P-cores) and 16 Efficiency cores (E-cores) for a total of 24 cores. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900F CPU for professional tools, you can expect excellent tool performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. Intel’s 12th-gen ‘Alder Lake’ processors were built using the same 10nm process as the i9-13900K, and brought with them a new set of features, most prominently the new 'hybrid' core microarchitecture. This saw cores on the CPU die divided into performance and efficiency cores, a design choice seen previously in ARM chips.

If you're only planning to stream shows, use office apps, or browse the internet, you won't need a top-end CPU to get good performance. The most important CPU capability for general app usage is the single-core max turbo boost frequency. Where things get a little more interesting is the power draw and thermal performance. The 16 E-cores on the 13900K’s die mean that average power use is very low compared to just about any other high-end CPU, which is great for when you’re just running everyday tasks on your PC and means that you get better performance per watt than any other chip on the market right now. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900KF CPU for gaming, you can expect excellent game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. Overall, we concluded that the ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi 6E motherboard strikes a balance between performance and functionality, offering an exceptional gaming experience. With its advanced features and versatile connectivity options, this motherboard is a reliable choice for gamers looking to elevate their gameplay. It even has the same integrated graphics, Intel UHD Graphics 770, although don’t expect too much from this. It’s capable of running standard computing tasks at output resolutions up to 8K, but you won’t be using it for gaming or any demanding graphical software. Besides, if you can afford this chip, you can afford a discrete graphics card.With the highest CPU test scores we've seen, there’s no question that Intel’s Core i9-13900K is the fastest consumer-oriented CPU you can buy, earning it our Editors' Choice award. Does that mean it's right for you? It depends on what else you're considering. This is Intel's 10nm process, perfected. More efficiency cores and a boatload of features make the 13900K an incredible, versatile chip. We found that it's wise to make sure the motherboard provides enough USB ports at your desired speeds. We found that the MSI MEG Z790 ACE Gaming motherboard offered superior connectivity as well. Its 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port enables speedy file transfers, surpassing typical home internet speeds. Wi-Fi 6E technology provides fast wireless connections, making online gaming and streaming seamless. Plus, Bluetooth 5.3 support allows convenient music streaming to Bluetooth headphones. Gaming performance measures how well the processor calculates gaming operations like in-game physics by running several games' integrated benchmark tools like CyberPunk 2077, Metro: Exodus, and F1 2022. In all cases, we run the benchmarks on the lowest graphics settings available at 1080p and using the most powerful graphics card we have available and with 32GB RAM to isolate the actual CPU operations we are testing without having to worry about inteference with excessive memory or graphics management.