Core i9-13900K review: 350 Watt unit (not really)

Intel has long ago abandoned the \"tick-tock\" approach in development, but nevertheless, its echoes can still be caught when the company launches new products.
For example, the Alder Lake, which didn't quite fit this principle and introduced both a new process technology and a new architecture at once, was replaced by the new generation of Raptor Lake, which has clear signs of an intermediate technological step \"optimization\".
This stage became a popular method of processor improvement in the times of Skylake architecture domination and Intel doesn't give it up even today.
But there is an important difference: now the optimization steps are related not so much to the desire to maximize the lifecycle of old designs, as to increase the pace of CPU generation change.Raptor Lake is already the third family of Intel desktop processors since the beginning of 2021, and it would be strange to expect from it any dramatic innovations.
At the same time, Raptor Lake is a far cry from the kind of \"optimization\" the company resorted to when getting Coffee Lake and Comet Lake from Kaby Lake.
This time Intel's approach is much more thorough, and Raptor Lake isn't just Alder Lake with extra processing cores.
For one thing, Raptor Lake does inherit all the main features of Alder Lake.
It's a hybrid processor based on the same principles, built with performance and power-efficient cores with the same microarchitecture as before.
What's more, it's designed for the LGA1700 ecosystem and is fully compatible with older motherboards and supports both DDR5 and DDR4 memory.
On the other hand, Raptor Lake has a significant increase in clock speeds, which is due to improvements in the Intel 7 process technology.
In addition, the new processor has received a doubled number of E-core and, in addition, all of its cores have increased the amount of cache memory on Level 2.Thus, although Raptor Lake can not be called a full-scale upgrade, it has a sufficient set of advantages for both low- and multi-threaded loads.
And that means that from a user perspective, Raptor Lake should be better than Alder Lake literally everywhere: in resource-intensive content creation and processing applications as well as in gaming workloads.
How significant these improvements are from a practical point of view, and we will analyze in this article.⇡#Performance and energy-efficient cores Raptor LakeStarting the search for deep differences between Raptor Lake and Alder Lake, it is worth clarifying that they are produced by the same Intel 7 process technology, that is 10-nm norms (the full name of the technology process - 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin).
Moreover, the cores underlying Raptor Lake, too, can not be called new: it's not even a redesign, but rather what is called the word \"refresh\".
In fact, all internal improvements in the new CPU affect only cache memory and DDR4/DDR5 controller, but do not touch other functional blocks.
In this sense, Raptor Lake could not even be called a new code name, but simply Alder Lake 2.0.However, in the absence of explicit microarchitectural changes, the performance cores of Raptor Lake compared to Golden Cove cores of Alder Lake processors have received a much higher clock speed.
And this is due to evolutionary improvements in the manufacturing process.
While the lithography resolution hasn't changed, Raptor Lake uses an optimized version of Intel's 3rd generation SuperFin transistors with reduced channel resistance.
This allowed Intel engineers to reconsider the dependence of core frequency on their voltage and eventually achieve an increase in clock speeds without a noticeable increase in power supply voltage.
In describing the new relationship, Intel points out that at equal frequency, Raptor Lake can use 50 mV less voltage than Alder Lake, and at equal voltage its frequency can be 200 MHz higher.
Combining these improvements, engineers were able to push the maximum frequency of Raptor Lake's performance cores to 5.8 GHz, 600 MHz more than the frequency limit of Alder Lake! The optimized processor not only enabled higher frequencies, but also increased the transistor budget that was used to increase the number of cores.
While the Alder Lake chip contained eight performance and eight power-efficient cores, Raptor Lake doubled the number of power-efficient cores.
In other words, without changing technology norms, Intel made the first civilian processors with 24 cores (16 of which are energy efficient).
However, all this did not go unnoticed for power consumption and heat dissipation.
While the thermal package of the senior Raptor Lake remained at 125W, the limit of their maximum power consumption had to be pushed to 253W.
And that means

The full specifications of the Core i9-13900KS 6GHz chip were revealed, and it was also up to 39% faster than its predecessor

As part of the Raptor Lake desktop processor announcement, Intel has confirmed that it plans to eventually release another flagship processor capable of automatically overclocking to 6GHz right out of the box.
Officially, the manufacturer did not disclose the name of this model, but apparently it was about Core i9-13900KS.
The latest major leak about Intel chips confirmed these assumptions and revealed the full specifications of the upcoming select CPU.Image source: VideoCardzCore i9-13900KS is a 24-core processor, which includes eight efficient P-core and 16 energy-efficient E-core.
The processor supports 32 threads.
Turbo Boost Max 3.0 technology allows its 1-2 highest performing cores to automatically overclock to 5.8 GHz.
Thermal Velocity Boost technology provides an extra 200 MHz of automatic overclocking to the same 6GHz.
The base frequency of the Core i9-13900KS large cores is also 200 MHz higher than the regular Core i9-13900K, at 3.2 GHz.
At the same time, the power-efficient cores of the KS version operate in the same frequency range - from 2.2 to 4.3 GHz.
Image source: Twitter / @9550proThe Core i9-13900KS rated power consumption increased from 125W to 150W.
However, the maximum power consumption has not changed and stands at 253W.
The chip supports the same memory standards as all other Raptor Lake processor models - DDR4-3200 and DDR5-5600.Shortly after the above leak, the first data about Core i9-13900KS performance in synthetic Geekbench test also appeared on the web.
The processor was tested with ASUS ROG Z790 Maximus Hero motherboard and 32 GB DDR5-7200 RAM.
Image source: GeekbenchDetailed telemetry data from three Geekbench tests indicate that the Core i9-13900KS automatically overclocked on multiple cores to 5893 MHz, but its average clock speed was 5867 MHz.Image source: GeekbenchIn the single-core performance test the processor scored up to 2319 points, and in the multi-core performance test it scored up to 26,774.
So, on average, its single-core performance is 10% better than its predecessor Core i9-12900KS (Alder Lake), and multi-core performance is 39% better.Image source: Geekbanksh Image source: VideoCardzThe Core i9-13900KS is expected to be officially launched in early January, at CES 2023.
It should go on sale during the first quarter of next year.

MediaTek unveiled the 5G modem T800, Kompanio 520 and 528 processors for Chromebooks and Pentonic 1000 for smart TVs

Taiwan's MediaTek unveiled various chips designed for Internet of Things devices, Chromebooks and smart TVs that will appear as part of various products in 2023.
Image source: mediatek.com5G modem MediaTek T800 is designed for gadgets other than smartphones - that is, for Internet of Things devices.
It supports a wide range of bands, including millimeter and sub 6 GHz.
The maximum theoretical speed on the incoming channel is 7.9 Gbps and 4.2 Gbps on the outgoing channel, which exceeds the actual speed of today's networks.
The modem supports simultaneous operation of two SIM cards.
The T800 is manufactured using 4nm process technology, increasing battery life on end devices.The MediaTek Kompanio 520 and 528 chipsets are designed for entry-level Chromebooks.
Here 8-core processors are used: 2 Arm Cortex-A76 cores and 6 Cortex-A55 cores.
The A55 cores in both cases run at 2.0 GHz, while on the Kompanio 520 performance A76 have the same 2.0 GHz, and on the Kompanio 528 they are overclocked to 2.2 GHz - no other differences between the chipsets.
For graphics is responsible subsystem Arm Mali G52 MC2 2EE.
There is also a dual-core APU unit to work with artificial intelligence algorithms.LPDDR4x memory and eMMC 5.1 type drives are supported.
The chipsets also support installation of cameras up to 32 megapixels, have hardware optimization for VP9 decoding and H.265 encoding, and allow for video connectivity at up to 60 frames per second.
Chromebooks on these chipsets will be able to work with their own Full HD+ displays and optional Full HD monitors.Finally, the Pentonic 1000 platform is designed for 4K resolution TVs and up to 144Hz.
It supports Wi-Fi 6/6E, Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail (higher detail in bright and dark areas) and screen division into 8 streams, there is also a powerful AI-processor.
The central processor is a 4-core Arm Cortex-A73 with a frequency of 2.0 GHz, and the graphics is processed by Arm Mali-G57 MC2.
MediaTek specified that the devices on the new platforms will be available in 2023.

The first smartphones with Wi-Fi 7 will be released this year - the standard itself has not yet been approved

The Wi-Fi 7 standard has not yet been approved, but devices with its support are already appearing on the market.
The first smartphones to support the new Wi-Fi will hit the market before the end of this year, all thanks to the new MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chip.
At the moment, the most progressive in this regard are considered gadgets and network equipment that support Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E.Image source: mediatek.comThe new high-performance mobile processor MediaTek Dimensity 9200, as compared to its predecessor demonstrates a 10% performance gain in multi-core loads, a 32% increase in performance on graphic tasks, as well as a decrease in energy consumption by 25%.But in terms of communication capabilities, one of the biggest advantages of the new single-chip platform is the new one.
In particular, the new standard offers connection speeds of up to 30 Gbit / s, compared with the current Wi-Fi 6E 4.8 Gbit / s, but the average speed of the Internet is now much lower.
Even Wi-Fi 6E, which involves using the 6 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands already present in Wi-Fi 6, is not widespread.
However, smartphone owners on the Dimensity 9200 will be ready for Wi-Fi 7 networks when compatible hardware begins to appear.

Intel Core i9-13900K overclocked to 8812.85 MHz, an all-time CPU frequency record

The new Intel Core i9-13900K flagship processor went on sale today and set a new all-time overclocking record of 8.8 GHz.
Thus, the previous record, held for 8 years, was broken.
The new achievement probably won't last that long.Image source: HWBOT / ElmorThe previous world record for the highest CPU overclocking frequency was set in 2014.
That CPU turned out to be the AMD FX 8370, released the same year.
At that time, the chip was overclocked on a single core to a frequency of 8722.78 MHz.In all the time past, none of the presented Intel processors could not even come close to the previous record overclocking representative of the ancient AMD FX series.
That all changed with the release of the new Raptor Lake series processors, the flagship of which can automatically overclock up to 5,8 GHz on 1-2 cores out of the box.The leaks of recent months clearly hinted that the Core i9-13900K has a huge potential for overclocking.
It was obvious that the processor was capable of conquering higher clock frequencies.
But few expected that the new chip which just went on sale would immediately set a new world overclocking record.An enthusiast with the nickname Elmor from Sweden entered into the HWBOT database his result of an extreme overclocking experiment with the Core i9-13900K using liquid nitrogen.
The overclocker managed to overclock the chip on a single core to a frequency of 8812.85 MHz, which is an absolute world record.
The ASUS Z790 ROG Maximus APEX motherboard was also used in the test system.
Source image: CPU-Z ValidatorNo less interesting detail is the fact that the last 12 years in setting new world records win systems based on ASUS motherboards, which will be a separate reason to be proud of this Taiwanese manufacturer.

AMD processor plans: Ryzen 7000 with 3D cache will be released soon, and Threadripper and APU on Zen 4 - by the end of next year

AMD has shared with partners plans for desktop processors in 2022-2023 - a \"road map\", not intended for the public, appeared on the web.
Judging by the presented plan, AMD intends to continue releasing Ryzen 5000, 4000G and 5000G processors under Sunset AM4, and the powerful Ryzen Thredripper 5000 will not get successors until the end of 2023.AMD plans to introduce a new generation of high-performance desktop processors, which will replace the current Ryzen Threadripper 5000, only by the end of 2023.
Their name, as well as details about the characteristics, are not specified.
According to previous rumors, the new items were codenamed Storm Peak, and will probably go on sale as Ryzen Thredripper 7000.
We can assume that these processors will get Zen 4 cores, DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support, and other Ryzen 7000 features.Also, AMD will continue to produce and sell Ryzen 5000 and 5000X3D processors in parallel with the new Ryzen 7000 at least until the end of 2023.
Also, AMD's slide confirms that the company is preparing Ryzen 7000X3D processors, which will be equipped with additional 3D V-Cache.
Note that Ryzen 7 5800X3D is currently the only desktop processor with extended 3D V-Cache.
And it is one of the company's fastest solutions for gaming, overtaking in some cases even the newly released Ryzen 7000.
So maybe the release of Ryzen 7000X3D processors will allow AMD to strengthen its position in the gaming area.Finally, AMD plans to update Ryzen G-series desktop hybrid processors, which feature quite productive integrated graphics, by the end of 2023.
They will probably join the Ryzen 7000G series and offer a combination of Zen 4 cores and RDNA 2 or RDNA 3 graphics.
At the same time AMD will continue to produce the current desktop hybrid Ryzen 4000G and 5000G processors, even after the release of new products.
Thus it turns out that at least until the end of 2023, the Socket AM4 platform will not lose relevance.

Intel made the Core i5-13600K 10% more expensive than its predecessor, but kept the prices of the new Core i7 and Core i9

Intel today unveiled its 13th generation Core processors.
The new additions got more cores and higher clock frequencies, but at the same time some models became more expensive.
Here we compare the prices of the new and old Intel processors and compare them to the AMD Ryzen 7000, which went on sale today.As it turned out, Intel raised the price only on the youngest of the presented new products, the Core i5 family processors.
So, if the last generation Core i5-12600KF chip was priced at $264, the new Core i5-13600KF will cost $294.
The difference is a bit more than 11%.
The Core i5-13600K has also become more expensive and was priced at $319, whereas last year's Core i5-12600K received a price tag of $289 - the difference is a bit more than 10%.
Intel ProcessorPrice, $ProcessorPrice, $Core i5-12600KF264Core i5-13600KF294Core i5-12600K289Core i5-13600K319Core i7-12700KF384Core i7-13700KF384Core i7-12700K409Core i7-13700K409Core i9-12900KF564Core i9- 13900KF564Core i9-12900K589Core i9-13900K589And other processors of the new generation kept the same prices, as their predecessors.
The flagship Core i9-13900K, for example, costs $589, and the more affordable Core i7-13700K costs $409.
AMD ProcessorPrice, $ProcessorPrice, $Ryzen 5 5600X299Ryzen 5 7600X299Ryzen 7 5800X449Ryzen 7 7700X399Ryzen 9 5900X549Ryzen 9 7900X549Ryzen 9 5950X799Ryzen 9 7950X699We note, Here we should also mention that AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors are on sale today compared to their predecessors, some models are even cheaper.
The Ryzen 77700X is priced at $399, $50 less than the Ryzen 7 5800X at the start of sales.
And the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X is even cheaper by $100 compared to its predecessor, to $699.

Intel unveiled the 13th generation Core processors - up to 24 cores and up to 5.8 GHz

Intel unveiled the 13th generation Core desktop processors, also known as Raptor Lake, as part of its Innovation event.
The new chips have a new architecture, more cores, and higher frequencies than their predecessors.
At the same time, some models went up in price.Raptor Lake processors, like their predecessors, use hybrid architecture, combining a powerful P-core and energy-efficient E-core.
The former are based on the new Raptor Cove architecture, and are distinguished by their increased L2 cache size.
Alder Lake has 1.25 Mbytes of L2 cache per core, while the new products have 2 Mbytes of L2 cache per core.
There are six models in total: the flagship Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KF, the average Core i7-13700K and Core i7-13700KF, as well as more affordable Core i5-13600K and Core i5-13600KF.
All of them have an unlocked multiplier and belong to the more advanced and expensive Intel solutions.
Recall that models with the suffix \"KF\" differ only in the absence of integrated graphics, but all other features they have identical to conventional processors.
Announcement of more affordable Raptor Lake processors, deprived of overclocking capabilities, is expected later.Senior Core i9-13900K has 24 cores and support 32 threads, as well as a total of 32 MB of L2 cache and 36 MB of L3 cache.
The eight cores here are high-performance Raptor Cove.
Their base frequency is 3.0 GHz, all together they can automatically overclock to 5.4 GHz, and the maximum frequency provided by the Thermal Velocity Boost technology for 1-2 cores is 5.8 GHz.
Another 16 cores of the flagship are energy-efficient Gracemont cores.
Their base frequency is 2.2 GHz, and the maximum frequency is 4.3 GHz.
The Core i7-13700K processor has eight P- and E-core each, which ultimately provides 24 threads.
The previous flagship Core i9-12900K has the same configuration.
The new Core i7 has a maximum clock speed of 5.4 GHz.
Finally, the Core i5-13600K has six P cores and eight E cores, offering 20 threads.
The clock speed of these processors can automatically go up to 5.1 GHz.
As for performance, the slide above shows Intel comparing the Core i9-13900K to its predecessor Core i9-12900K in games.
As you can see, in most projects, the newcomer is faster - in some places even by 20 percent or more.
Intel also compares the Core i9-13900K with AMD's old flagship Ryzen 9 5950X.
Intel's novelty in games delivers a higher average FPS by 6 to 58 percent, depending on the project.
In addition, Intel cites a comparison with the best gaming processor of the last generation competitor, Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
And in some games, the latter turns out to be faster or on par with the new Core i9-13900K! Intel also cites a comparison of the Core i9-13900K, Core i9-12900K and Ryzen 9 5950X in various professional applications from Adobe and Autodesk.
New Intel product outperforms old flagship AMD by 16 to 69%.Along with the new CPUs, Intel has also introduced new 700-series chipsets, and motherboard manufacturers will release new solutions based on them.
At the same Raptor Lake will be made in the same LGA 1700 chassis, as the current Alder Lake.
New products will be compatible with motherboards based on the Intel 600-series system logic.The most affordable of the currently available Raptor Lake - Core i5-13600KF - priced at $294.
By comparison, last year's Core i5-12600KF cost $264.
At the same time, the flagship Core i9-13900K costs the same as its predecessor - $589.
Sales of the Intel Core 13-generation processors will start on October 20.Also Intel has promised to release a limited series of processors next year, which can automatically overclock up to 6.0 GHz.
We are probably talking about the Core i9-13900KS.