13th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processors Raise the Standard for PC Performance

We had a plan for performance hybrid; we’ve executed and delivered on the commitment, and we’re continuing to advance.

Today we announced the 13th Gen Intel® Core™ processor family, including the world’s fastest desktop processor: the Core i9-13900K[1]. These CPUs fuel the fire we sparked last year with the launch of 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, which debuted a new performance hybrid architecture that intelligently distributes threads across powerful Performance-cores (P-cores) and clustered Efficient-cores (E-cores). I so appreciate the ecosystem excitement and market response to the unlocked K-SKUs that introduced the family. The strong collaboration with customers and partners, from engineering to sales and marketing, played a big role in our ability to have ample product on shelf at launch with over 140 partners across the globe.

We shipped over one million unlocked 12th Gen Intel Core processors before the end of 2021 and are on pace to ramp even faster with the next generation. New 13th Gen Intel Core processors are arriving first with unlocked K-SKUs based on an enhanced performance hybrid architecture with faster P-cores, more E-cores, and bigger caches[2].

With 24 cores (8P 16E) at clock speeds up to 5.8 GHz, the Core i9-13900K has up to 15% higher single-threaded and up to 41% higher multithreaded performance over the prior generation[3]. And we are extending E-cores further down the stack, bringing performance hybrid architecture to even more gamers and creators.

Many enthusiasts push desktops to the limit and have come to expect the best overclocking experience with our K-SKUs, which is why I am excited to share that we have achieved the highest overclocked frequencies in Intel’s history for not just a single core, but also eight Performance-cores simultaneously. We expect to see extreme overclockers push P-core frequencies well beyond 8 GHz on LN2! More importantly, 13th Gen’s higher IPC (instructions per clock) rate combines with these frequencies to produce our highest ever performance in this product category.  

Impressed by these results, I spoke to Dan Ragland, our lead overclocking engineer to learn how we enabled these extreme frequencies.  

First, there are hundreds of engineers across the globe on teams representing a dozen technical disciplines. We engage with domain experts in CPU micro architecture, PLL design, memory controller and reference code, BIOS, power management and microcode, software, and many other areas. 

Owning our fabs is a strategic advantage for overclocking because it allows us to tune our process nodes to extract greater frequency and performance, and to tune our Semiconductor Intellectual Property (SIP) blocks to build-in additional headroom. Intel has a long tradition of designing beyond the minimum spec. For 13th Gen Intel Core processors, our fab team tuned the process to yield higher frequencies at lower voltages, which benefits both in-spec and overclocked frequency potential.  

We realize that many people just want an “Easy button” for overclocking that can unleash more performance with standard cooling[4]. This is something we are delivering with greater focus. We have added a simplified “Compact View” to our Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) to provide quick access to our one-click overclocking feature. XTU also has a more intuitive interface for manually overclocking individual cores. And now even casual overclockers can easily get more performance from Efficient-cores. The gains add up fast with 16 E-Cores, where even a very conservative 100 MHz increase can result in 1.6 GHz of additional performance.

Our 13th Gen Core processors deliver the best experience when paired with an Intel 700-series chipset, and for K-SKUs, that means a Z790 motherboard. The Z790 follows a similar theme to the processor, expanding upon the last generation’s Z690 with more PCIe 4.0 lanes and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps ports.

We recognize the importance of platform flexibility and scalability. With backward compatibility, customers and partners can take advantage of 13th Gen performance improvements on existing 600-series motherboards, including those supporting DDR4 memory. 12th Gen Intel Core processors are also compatible with 700-series motherboards. Collaborating with our ODM and OEM partners to support forward and backward compatibility provides customers more choices to meet their needs and budget.

I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved with 13th Gen Intel Core desktop processors. They pick up the baton seamlessly from 12th Gen and continue to deliver the performance and innovation that customers and partners have come to expect from Intel. Based on performance and unique features, our new K-SKUs deliver the world's best gaming experience[5]. They will be available soon, with customer shipments expected to start in three weeks, and ample on-shelf in time for 11/11.

We are not done yet. The 13th Gen desktop family will expand to a wider range of processors, and the architecture is capable of 6 GHz out of the box. I am excited for what is ahead.

[1] Intel Core i9-13900K is the world’s fastest desktop processor at 5.8 GHz.

[2] Performance hybrid architecture combines two core microarchitectures, Performance-cores (P-cores) and Efficient-cores (E-cores), on a single processor die first introduced on 12th Gen Intel Core processors. Select 13th Gen Intel Core processors do not have performance hybrid architecture, only P-cores, and have same cache size as prior generation; see ark.intel.com for SKU details

[3] By SPECrate2017_int_base 1 copy and n copy estimates based on measurements on Intel internal reference platforms, comparing i9-13900K to i9-12900K. See the 13th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor Appendix for additional details. Results may vary. Performance hybrid architecture: Not available on certain 13th Gen Intel Core processors. 

[4] Altering clock frequency or voltage may void any product warranties and reduce stability, security, performance, and life of the processor and other components. Check with system and component manufacturers for details.

[5] Claims as of Sept. 7, 2022. World’s Best Gaming Experience based on performance and unique features of unlocked 13th Gen Intel Core processors, including in comparison to 12th Gen Intel Core, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D.

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