Skip to main content

Intel Raptor Lake boosts performance, but the requirements are staggering

While we already know that Intel Raptor Lake is likely to introduce some hefty power requirements, it seems that Intel may have a plan to deliver even more performance — at a staggering cost.

According to a new leak, Intel will allegedly add a factory overclock mode to the flagship Core i9-13900K, bringing the performance up to a new level alongside a monstrous power limit of 350 watts.

Intel Raptor Lake chip shown in a rendered image.
Wccftech

First reported by ProHardver, this extreme power limit comes as a surprise, but perhaps not entirely. We’ve already seen 13th-gen Intel processors hitting quite high overclocks, and the Core i9-13900K was spotted reaching higher numbers than any of them, maxing out at 345 watts. The difference is that this was all done through manual overclocking, and today’s leak suggests something else entirely — a factory mode prepared by Intel that will help you push your new CPU to the very limit.

The Raptor Lake-S CPU is said to support the 350-watt power limit on top of the default power limits that max out at 241 watts. This won’t be available on all motherboards. Intel’s next-gen CPUs remain backward compatible with current Intel 600-series motherboards, but to make use of the new power limit, users will presumably need one of the high-end 700-series boards instead. On these motherboards, you will have the option to boost your Core i9-13900K up to 350 watts.

With that feature enabled, the overall performance of the CPU is said to increase by up to 15%, which is pretty massive. Considering that Intel Raptor Lake is already said to bring in significant performance gains over Alder Lake, we could have an intensely powerful processor on our hands in just a few months.

Intel itself is yet to confirm the official specs for the new flagship, but most rumors point toward it being decked out with 24 cores (eight P-cores and 16 E-cores) and 32 threads as well as a clock speed of up to 5.8GHz. That frequency will likely be challenged by overclockers — we’ve already seen the Core i7-13700K breaking past the 6GHz barrier in an early benchmark, and these are still just engineering samples.

Left:
Under the power and current unlimited setting.
(default frequency, almost 340-350w)
Right:
Under the power limited setting.
(default frequency, almost 250w) pic.twitter.com/rxISzs55eU

— Raichu (@OneRaichu) August 7, 2022

This type of power comes at a price — 350 watts is a lot. You’ll need one beefy power supply unit (PSU) and appropriate CPU cooling to be able to support this kind of power consumption. If you pair the Core i9-13900K with one of Nvidia’s next-gen RTX 4000-series graphics cards, the power requirements are really going to be quite staggering. A 1,200-watt PSU will probably be a necessity in such a setup.

Intel is likely to reveal the lineup during its upcoming Intel Innovation event on September 27, and until then, the above will remain nothing but an exciting rumor. AMD is also readying its Zen 4 processors, which are now rumored to release on September 27 — the same day as the Raptor Lake announcement.

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…
Why it’s hard recommending AMD Ryzen 7000 after Intel’s Raptor Lake launch
The Ryzen 9 7950X socketed into a motherboard.

AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X is the best processor I've tested -- and it's not even close. That might surprise you to find out considering I don't recommend upgrading right now.

Although Ryzen 7000 is a massive boost for AMD, high prices, limited options for gamers, and Intel's looming Raptor Lake launch makes right now the worst time to upgrade. Team Red may win the decades-old battle between AMD and Intel this generation, but it's still too soon to tell. And there's no rush to upgrade now.
Raptor Lake looms

Read more
Intel 13th-gen Raptor Lake arrives just in time to hit back at AMD
Intel's CEO holding a Raptor Lake processor.

Intel today revealed its 13th-gen Raptor Lake processors during its Innovation 2022 event, heating up the already hot battle between AMD and Intel. Although these new chips share a lot with the previous generation under the hood, Intel is promising more cores, higher clock speeds, and performance that will catapult 13th-gen chips to the top of the best CPU rankings.

Before digging in, here's a quick look at specs for the three Raptor Lake processors coming. Some specs are official, while others have been compiled from specs posted by Intel a couple of weeks back (though not confirmed).

Read more
How to watch Intel’s 13th-gen Raptor Lake launch today (and what to expect)
The Intel Core i9-12900KS box sitting in front of a gaming PC.

The upcoming CPU showdown between Intel and AMD is nearly here as Intel is rumored to announce its next-generation Raptor Lake CPUs in just a few short days. Here's how you can watch Intel's event live and what to expect.
How to watch the Intel 13th-gen Raptor Lake launch

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger will deliver the Intel Innovation 2022 keynote alongside the company's CTO Greg Lavender and Landing AI CEO Dr. Andrew Ng. The presentation starts at 9 a.m. PT on Tuesday, September 27, and it will be streamed on Intel's own Innovation 2022 webpage.

Read more