Intel Core i7-13700 Desktop Processor 16 cores (8 P-cores + 8 E-cores) 30MB Cache, up to 5.2 GHz

Product Information

Max Turbo Frequency refers to the maximum single-core processor frequency that can be achieved with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology. See www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/ for more information and applicability of this technology.

The Core i7-13700K has the same 125W Processor Base Power (PBP - the amount of power the chip pulls when it isn't in a fully boosted state) as the previous-gen Core i7-12700K. However, Intel increased the Maximum Turbo Power (MTP), the maximum amount of power the chip can draw when in a boosted state. The new 253W limit is a whopping 63W increase over the prior-gen Core i7-12700K (33% increase). Raptor Lake is the codename for the architecture that powers Intel's 13th Gen processors. Based on Intel's 10nm manufacturing platform, the same as the 12th Gen series, the new processors like the Core i7-13700K have a hybrid core design. The processor we're looking at in this review has an equal number of performance and efficient cores. With a TDP of 65 W, the Core i7-13700 consumes typical power levels for a modern PC. Intel's processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel interface. ECC memory is supported, too, which is an important capability for mission-critical systems, to avoid data corruption. For communication with other components in the machine, Core i7-13700 uses a PCI-Express Gen 5 connection. This processor features the UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics solution. In our PugetBench-plugin tests using Adobe's popular Photoshop and Premiere Pro, the Core i7-13700K actually traded blows with the Ryzen 9 7950X, winning on one of the two. Typically we'd consider this a draw, but considering their very different prices, the Intel chip is clearly the better value option here. We also saw the Core i7-13700K outpace the Ryzen 9 7950X in our HandBrake and single-threaded POV-Ray tests, though the AMD processor posted countering wins with faster Blender and multi-threaded POV-Ray scores.Compared to the Intel Core i7-12700, the IPC of the new Core i7-13700 has been increased slightly. At the same time, the 4 additional E-cores now provide slightly more performance for multi-threaded tasks. This puts the Intel Core i7-13700 at the level of an Intel Core i9-12900K, which also offers a total of 24 threads. Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics only: to use the Intel® Iris® Xe brand, the system must be populated with 128-bit (dual channel) memory. Otherwise, use the Intel® UHD brand. Then there's the AMD Ryzen 7700X, which the Intel Core i7-13700K comfortably beats in multiple applications. It's AMD that's behind the game with core and thread counters. The Ryzen 7 7700X only has 8 cores and 16 threads. It too is capable of boosting to 5.4GHz, but Intel comes out on top for both multi and single-core performance. Intel was able to take what made the 12700K so good and crank it up to 11, extracting even more out of the older architecture. When Intel manages to once again compete on the process node front, we're likely to see yet more efficiency gains. 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.

The 13th Gen series is even more impressive, outright beating AMD's latest offerings with an older, less efficient manufacturing node. This is apparent with the power draw. Intel's Core i7-13700K is more power-hungry than the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, but you're getting a considered boost in performance.Processors that support 64-bit computing on Intel® architecture require an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. For as long as I can remember, I've had love of all things tech, spurred on, in part, by a love of gaming. I began working on computers owned by immediate family members and relatives when I was around 10 years old. I've always sought to learn as much as possible about anything PC, leading to a well-rounded grasp on all things tech today. In my role at PCMag, I greatly enjoy the opportunity to share what I know.

The TDP of the Intel Core i7-13700 is 65 watts in PL1. Intel defines the PL2 limit at 219 watts. If the restrictions regarding power consumption are deactivated in the BIOS, the PL2 value can be reached permanently and even exceeded with good cooling. However, a high-quality and powerful cooling unit should be used for this. Intel also increased the 13700K's L2 cache from 1.25MB to 2MB for each p-core and doubled the amount of L2 cache for each cluster of e-cores to 4MB. Intel also added 5MB of additional L3 cache.

In F1 22, the red team headed by the Ryzen 9 7950X3D held a slight advantage, but the Core i7-13700K did finish ahead of all the older Alder Lake chips. This situation changed drastically in Total War: Three Kingdoms, where the Core i7-13700K outpaced everything except the Core i9-13900K. AMD's IGP didn't stand a chance here. Intel processor numbers are not a measure of performance. Processor numbers differentiate features within each processor family, not across different processor families. See http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/processor-numbers.html for details.

The Intel Core i7-13700 is a processor with an integrated graphics unit. The Intel UHD Graphics 770 however is only suitable for office use and very old or low demanding games. In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, the Core i7-13700K didn't fare quite as well, falling a few frames behind the older Alder Lake processors as well as (more predictably) the Intel Core i9-13900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700. The trend continued with Total War: Three Kingdoms, with the Core i7-13700K once again bested by all the 12th Gen Intel chips and more of the Ryzen 7000 series as well. Again, most of the differences fell within the margin of error, though the Ryzen 9 7950X3D clearly demonstrated its supremacy, finishing 4% ahead of the Core i7-13700K. If you have a very high-end GPU and differences in frame rate of 5% or so are your concern, you may want to look at one of the AMD gaming-focused specialty chips to squeeze out every last drop. The Core i7-13700K is notably power-hungry, drawing 364 watts (W) of total system power in Cinebench and 544W in Adobe Premiere. That's more than any of the AMD processors and all the Intel competitors except the Core i9-13900K. However, its power draw in Cinebench was only 1 watt more than the Core i7-12700K's, which is superb given the increase in core count. Intel has increased its DDR5 memory support up to 5600 MT/s if you use one DIMM per channel (1DPC), a big increase over the prior 4800 MT/s speed with Alder Lake. Just as importantly, Intel increased 2DPC speeds up to 4400 MT/s, an improvement over the previous-gen 3600 MT/s. Unlike AMD's all-in approach with DDR5, Raptor Lake also supports DDR4-3200 memory, ensuring a value option for Intel platforms. See http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/hyper-threading/hyper-threading-technology.html?wapkw=hyper+threading for more information including details on which processors support Intel® HT Technology.Intel lost favor with the PC-building community because of how stagnant its processor development grew over the years. With the rise of AMD Ryzen, Intel was forced to innovate once again and the new hybrid core architecture is a step in the right direction with how capable 12th Gen Intel processors were against Ryzen 5000.