What a unbelievable month it has been, with a lot new {hardware} accessible! However what is that this? It’s Intel, who determined so as to add much more spice with their new Raptor Lake launch! Woohoo!
Potential CPU patrons had already had their choices improved when AMD launched Zen 4 earlier this month, and from Intel’s timing, worth, and efficiency, it’s clear that it is a response. How good are the brand new selections from Intel?
Allow us to have a look.
The Good
There are three major “Raptor Lake” CPUs on this launch:
- i5-13600K ($330 – 14 cores, 20 threads)
- i7-13700K ($450 – 16 cores, 24 threads)
- i9-13900K ($660 – 24 cores, 32 threads)
We’re going to ignore the i7-13700K for this launch, as most overview websites didn’t overview it. Within the close to future, as soon as extra 13700K evaluations are out, we’ll come again to it.
These new CPUs are unbelievable! In single-threaded (learn: gaming) efficiency they’re the brand new best-in-class choice, beating Zen 4. The core/thread rely may be very excessive, and Intel’s multi-threaded efficiency meets or beats the competitors.
However everyone knows that nice efficiency alone isn’t the complete story: What about the fee? Intel scores one other win right here with some intelligent costs. The Intel i5-13600K beats the AMD R7 7700X whereas costing $70 much less. Equally, the Intel i9-13900K beats (or matches) the AMD R9 7950X whereas costing $40 much less. To rub salt into the wound: AMD’s most reasonably priced launch motherboards had been $300, whereas Intel’s are $200. So, you will save roughly $150 in whole in case you go for Intel with no lack of efficiency!
The “Raptor Lake” CPUs use the identical 1700 socket because the predecessors from Intel, and are backward-compatible with the older 600-series motherboards, so long as you replace the BIOS. The brand new CPUs assist each DDR4 and DDR5.
The Meh
The variety of cores stuffed into these CPUs appears to be like very spectacular, however there’s a catch: they aren’t all the identical sort of cores.
Intel continues to be following the identical technique from final technology of blending sturdy “P”erformance cores and weaker “E”fficiency cores. If you’re evaluating these new CPUs to the older ones, don’t be fooled: All the brand new further cores are E cores.
Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs do beat the competitors from AMD Zen 4 choices, however the margin is usually extraordinarily small. We’re speaking one thing like 2% or 3% general, not a dominating win.
The Dangerous
We criticized the unique Alder Lake for its extreme energy draw and excessive temps. We criticized the brand new Zen 4 for its extreme energy draw and excessive temps. And now it’s time to criticize Raptor Lake for its extreme energy draw and excessive temps. It appears to be like like nobody intends to be taught a lesson any time quickly…
Energy draw: Look, we’re well mannered of us over right here, so we can not straight level on the official 125W TDP, slap our knees and roar with laughter. No, no, we is not going to be doing something like that, no. What we will do is level out that the TDP is formally 125W, however:
So, the 125W TDP may be official, however it’s also “fantasy”. These chips use loads of energy, which brings us to the subsequent subject.
Working temperature: The brand new Raptor Lake CPUs are hitting 101C temperatures below regular situations, and as excessive as 117C in case you allow them to. That’s absurd. That’s literal boiling temperature! That is simply not proper. What did we do to deserve this, Intel?
Going ahead
The brand new CPUs have nice efficiency, incomes them a spot in our record. The modifications will likely be as comply with:
- R7 7700X moved to the Excellent tier
- i5-13600K added to the Distinctive tier
- R9 7900X moved to the Fanatic tier
- i9-13900K added to the Extremist tier
The brand new CPUs in Distinctive/Extremist may have natively appropriate motherboards added as effectively. The modifications are dwell for the USA desk, and can go dwell in different international locations as quickly as potential.
Sources
As ordinary, our major supply is certainly one of these megathreads containing a big set of correct sources compiled in a single place. An enormous thanks to the oldsters over at Reddit that put these collectively! These persons are superior!
