Intel no longer dominates the processor landscape as it once did, with Apple moving to its own silicon and AMD proving a worthy rival.
The company was forced to adapt, moving to a new hybrid architecture with 12th Gen Alder Lake in 2021, which improved both performance and battery life. Intel is now building on that with the launch of 13th Gen Raptor Lake processors, which aim to take things to the next level.
After announcing a few desktop processors last year, Intel used its CES 2023 press conference to reveal plenty more, including those designed for laptops and tablets. Here’s everything you need to know.
Intel Raptor Lake Release Date
Rumor has it that the first Raptor Lake processors were revealed on September 27, 2022 at Intel’s Innovation event. As expected, these were from the Raptor Lake-K series for enthusiast-level desktops, with all three being available as of October 20.
Then, on January 3, 2023, Intel has revealed most of the other processors we’ve been waiting for. This covers chips for beginners, enthusiasts, and everything in between, on laptops and desktops.
However, unlike previous years, it was not via a commencement speech.
Then, just nine days later (January 12, 2023), the high-end Core i9-13900KS was unveiled.
It went on sale immediately, but it’s unclear when other desktop processors will be available. Laptop processors are designed to be built into devices only through 2023. When you can buy a laptop powered by Raptor Lake will depend on when manufacturers begin production.
That’s probably not the end of the new Raptor Lake processors either. Look for even more later in the year.
Intel Raptor Lake Pricing
So far, the only confirmed price we have is for the Raptor Lake-K desktop processors. Remember that this is only a suggested price – the amount you will actually pay via retailers may vary:
- Core i9-13900KS – $699
- Core i9-13900K – $589
- Core i9-13900KF – $564
- Core i7-13700K – $409
- Core i7-13700KF – $384
- Core i5-13500K – $319
- Core i5-13500KF – $294
However, according to Tom’s Hardware, a 10% increase in the price of 12th Gen desktop processors means they are temporarily more expensive than the equivalent chips listed above. This may not remain the case for long, however.
Remember that laptop processors are only available in devices and are not available for purchase as standalone components. Therefore, the price you pay will depend on a variety of other factors, including the manufacturer, design, and other key specs. However, the announced lineup of processors suggests that there will be a Raptor Lake-powered device for every budget.
Intel Raptor Lake Specifications and Features
desktop processors
When the first six desktop processors were unveiled in September, Intel said they “provided the best gaming experience in the world” and “unmatched overclocking capabilities.” The big claims refer to the high-end Core i9-13900K (at the time), but there are plenty more options. All have a 125W TDP, except the 150W Core i9-13900KS:
- Core i9-13900KS – 24 cores, (8 performance, 16 efficiency), 32 threads, 6.0 GHz max clock speed, 36 MB L3 cache, up to 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
- Core i9-13900K – 24 cores (8 performance, 16 efficiency), 32 threads, 5.8 GHz max clock speed, 36 MB L3 cache, up to 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
- Core i9-13900KF – 24 cores (8 performance, 16 efficiency), 32 threads, 5.8 GHz max clock speed, 36 MB L3 cache, up to 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
- Core i7-13700K – 16 cores (8 performance, 8 efficiency), 24 threads, 5.4 GHz max clock speed, 30 MB L3 cache, up to 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
- Core i7-13700KF – 16 cores (8 performance, 8 efficiency), 24 threads, 5.4 GHz max clock speed, 30 MB L3 cache, up to 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
- Core i5-13500K – 14 cores (6 performance, 8 efficiency), 20 threads, 5.1 GHz max clock speed, 24 MB L3 cache, up to 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
- Core i5-13500KF – 14 cores (6 performance, 8 efficiency), 20 threads, 5.1 GHz max clock speed, 24 MB L3 cache, up to 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
Remember that the “KF” branded chips are identical to their “K” counterparts, except for the missing integrated graphics – it’s UHD Graphics 770 in this case. However, this makes them slightly cheaper.
The big news here is undoubtedly the Core i9-13900KS, which breaks new ground among x86 processors designed for consumers. It’s the first to achieve a stock 6GHz single-core clock speed (without overclocking), so it’s a big milestone for Intel. AMD’s high-end Ryzen 7000 processor cannot exceed 5.85 GHz.
Genuine upgrades over the standard Core i9-13900K will be minor, but some tasks will see a slight performance boost.
Intel is sticking to the hybrid x86 architecture it introduced with Alder Lake on all Rocket Lake processors. This means a combination of performance and power efficiency cores, the latter enabling sustained high-level performance. The company says you can expect up to 15% better single-threaded performance and up to 41% better multi-core performance over Alder Lake in desktop PCs, but that won’t necessarily translate to use. real.
Intel
Then, at CES 2023, Intel unveiled new batches of less powerful 65W and 35W desktop processors. The company focused primarily on the high-end Core i9-13900, which combines 24 cores with 32 threads to a maximum clock speed of 5.6 GHz. It has no L3 cache, but the L2 version is now larger, with 2MB per core performance and 4MB per core efficiency.
Supposedly, you can expect up to 11% improvement in single-threaded and 34% multi-threaded performance over the equivalent Alder Lake chip.
There are also Core i7 and Core i5 processors, but Intel hasn’t given much about them. The former has a maximum frequency of up to 5.2 GHz, 8 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores (compared to 4 on the Core i7-12700) and up to 24 MB of L2 cache. On the Core i5, you can expect 14 performance cores (alongside 6 efficiency cores).
The company confirmed in September 2022 this Raptor Lake chip will be able to reach 6 GHz and be overclocked to 8 GHz, but we haven’t seen it yet.
Other key features consistent across the range include a range of compatibility. Raptor Lake processors support both DDR4 and DDR5 RAM, as well as current Intel 600 motherboards or the new 700 series. This should allow more people to upgrade to 13th Gen processors without having to modify other components.
laptop processors
Intel unveiled the first Raptor Lake processors designed for laptops at CES 2023, and there’s a lot to talk about. Processors are divided into four main categories, with HX for the absolute best performance, H-series for enthusiast thin and light devices, P-series for performance thin and light devices, and U-series for thin and light devices. modern.
Much of Intel’s promotional material focuses on the new HX series, which the company describes as “the fastest mobile processor” and “the best gaming laptop platform.” The Core i9-13950HX’s high-end 24 cores (8 performance, 16 efficiency) and 5.6 GHz maximum clock speed would be a new high among Intel mobile processors, but AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series could change things.
Intel
The company also highlighted some of the key features of the HX series, including Killer Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio, and Thunderbolt 4 for fast data transfer. It supports both DDR5 and DDR4 RAM up to 128GB, plus 16 lanes of PCIe Gen 5 and extensive overclocking functionality.
There’s a noticeable drop when it comes to other categories, but there’s still plenty of power here for most people. The hybrid architecture supports up to 14 cores (6 performance, 8 efficiency), plus Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio, and Thunderbolt 4.
All series can be paired with an updated version of the Iris Xe integrated graphics card, which Intel says will be better for long gaming sessions and consistently high performance. Don’t expect it to compete with a discrete GPU, though – Intel suggests games such as League of Legends and Rocket League.
There’s also an all-new N series of entry-level processors designed for education. This focuses on the key experiences required by students, from web browsing and video watching to virtual meetings and dedicated educational software.
The N-series centers around a Core i3 processor, which should offer better performance (and better power efficiency) than the Pentium chips we usually associate with entry-level devices. Intel says it has over 50 designs with manufacturers ready for 2023, and you can expect devices running both Chrome OS and Windows. Microsoft, Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Asus are all named.
However, AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors are based on its new Zen 4 architecture and look very competitive. We will update this article one more time on Raptor Lake.
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