Skip to main content

CES 2023: Intel’s new 13th-gen CPUs are faster, cheaper, and more efficient

Intel is greatly expanding its Raptor Lake desktop processor lineup. As announced during CES 2023, the CPU range will receive some new entries, and these upcoming processors prioritize efficiency by zoning in on performance-per-watt.

The list of upcoming processors is huge, including models ranging from the high-end Core i9-13900 to the budget Core i3-13100F. There are six T-series models coming up too. Here’s everything that Intel is preparing for desktop users.

Intel Core i9-13900K held between fingertips.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Intel’s new CPUs will drastically increase the number of Raptor Lake chips available on the market. Much like the existing Raptor Lakes, such as the Core i9-13900K, these processors utilize the LGA1700 socket and are compatible with motherboards previously used for Alder Lake CPUs. All of them are unlocked, and they also support DDR5 and DDR4 RAM.

Coming up first we have the Core i9-13900 and the Core i9-13900F. The former is essentially a more power-efficient version of the flagship Core i9-13900K, while the latter is a cheaper version of the Core i9-13900 that doesn’t include integrated graphics.

Comparing the 13900 to the 13900K reveals just how much Intel is prioritizing energy efficiency. The company promises to deliver up to 34% better multi-threaded performance than the Core i9-12900 while using the same amount of power, and the specs show that it’s entirely possible.

The Core i9-13900 has a slightly lower maximum frequency (5.6GHz versus 5.8GHz on the performance cores and 4.2GHz versus 4.3GHz on the efficiency cores) than the Core i9-13900K. The base frequency takes a hit as well, with 2.0GHz on the P-cores and 1.5GHz on the E-cores.

However, the processor base power is considerably lower: the new CPU will only use 65 watts (base) or 219 watts (turbo), whereas the Core i9-13900K consumes 125W and 253W, respectively. The Core i9-13900 will arrive priced at $550 while the version without an iGPU will cost $525.

Intel processors announced at CES 2023.
Intel

The same can be said of the other CPUs in the lineup — they’re more power-efficient and cheaper than the K and KF versions. Intel is also adding some Core i5 and Core i3 CPUs, including the Core i5-13500, Core i5-13400(F), and Core i3-13100(F). We can easily see the Core i3-13100 becoming a hit when it comes to budget processors, seeing as it will only cost $134.

As mentioned above, Intel is also serving up six ultra-efficient T-series CPUs that really take the power consumption down a few notches. The lineup includes the Core i9-13900T, Core i7-13700T, Core i5-13600T, Core i5-13500T, Core i5-13400T, and lastly, the Core i3-13100T. All of the CPUs come unlocked and they each have an integrated GPU.

Intel’s Core i9-13900T, the top chip in this lineup, delivers a maximum clock speed of 5.3GHz. The base frequency is kept very low for both the E-cores and the P-cores, rated at 1.1GHz and 0.8GHz, respectively.

Intel processors announced during CES 2023.
Intel

The CPU still retains the 24-core (8+16) and 32-thread configuration of the Core i9-13900K, but the energy efficiency is much, much better — the 13900T only has a base power of 35W that maxes out at 106W in turbo mode. The Core i7-13700T has the same power consumption, but lower clock speeds and fewer cores.

All six of the CPUs in the Raptor Lake T-series are cheaper and more efficient than their K-series counterparts. If you’re planning to build a PC that won’t consume too much power, they might be worth looking into — we’ve definitely got some strong contenders for our ranking of the best Intel processors.

Editors' Recommendations

Monica J. White
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
AMD vs. Nvidia vs. Intel: which PC giant won CES 2023?
AMD CEO Lisa Su delivering AMD's CES 2023 keynote.

AMD, Nvidia, and Intel are the three rivals that power up countless desktops and laptops, and the components they produce make CES exciting every year. This year, each manufacturer had some major announcements to share, including new processors and graphics cards, both for desktops and laptops.

Here's a recap of everything AMD, Nvidia, and Intel showed off during the last few days. Fair warning: there's a lot to sink your teeth into. Now, the question is, who did it best at this year's CES?
AMD: mobile galore and 3D V-Cache

Read more
CES 2023: AMD Ryzen 7000 laptops CPUs go up to 16 cores
AMD CEO holding the Ryzen 7040 series processor.

AMD announced the upcoming release of its Ryzen 7000 mobile processors during its CES 2023 keynote. With a strong focus on performance and efficiency, these CPUs will soon arrive in some of the best gaming laptops, but AMD is not just targeting gamers.

The lineup includes processors made for all kinds of laptops, and today, AMD gave us our first glimpse at the Ryzen 7040 "Phoenix" and the Ryzen 7045 "Dragon Range." Here's everything you need to know about them.

Read more
At long last, Intel brings XeSS upscaling to integrated graphics at CES 2023
Intel XeSS visualized.

Intel is bringing the Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) upscaling feature to its integrated graphics, including its upcoming 13th-gen mobile processors. At CES 2023, the company announced that the integrated graphics on 11th-gen through 13th-gen processors will receive a slew of graphics features, including a greater than 30% jump in gaming performance thanks to XeSS in supported games -- at least according to Intel.

If you're unfamiliar, XeSS is Intel's challenger to Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). It works by rendering your game at a lower resolution and then upscaling it with AI, improving your frame rate in the process. XeSS isn't quite as good as DLSS, but it still provides huge performance boosts in games like Hitman 3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider based on our testing.

Read more