Intel has officially announced the 13th generation of its “Raptor Lake” desktop CPUs. Despite using the same Intel 7 process used for the last-generation Alder Lake chips, the new CPUs promise to deliver improved performance and efficiency with an increased core count. The Core i9-13900K will ship first, with other processor models to follow in its wake. If you’re in the market for a new CPU or don’t care about AMD’s newly released Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 processors, a 13th Gen Intel Core CPU might be ready.
But do you have to upgrade? Does Raptor Lake Offer a Huge Improvement Over Alder Lake? Below, we’ll compare current and latest generation Intel chips to see how they stand up to each other.
Intel Raptor Lake vs. Alder Lake: Price and Availability
The 13th generation Intel processors were released on October 20, 2022. The line will consist of three models: Core i5-13600, Core i7-13700 and Core i9-13900. Intel says it will eventually release 22 Raptor Lake desktop CPUs.
Pricing remains the same as with Alder Lake chips. The only chip that receives a price increase is the $319 Core i5-13600K, which costs $20 more than the Core i5-12600K. The $294 KF variant sees a $30 price bump from its predecessor. We should note that all of these prices are suggested by Intel. Some retailers may charge more for CPUs.
The last point about pricing is worth considering because the cost of Alder Lake chips has skyrocketed due to the global shortage of semiconductors. Based on our reviews on sites like Amazon and Best Buy, it appears that prices for the latest generation of Intel chips are about $20-30 more than they were at launch – although some vendors are still selling at the original MSPR.
At standard prices, you can order from your choice of a Core i5, Core i7 or Core i9 Alder Lake CPU, with prices ranging from $264 to $589. At the bottom end, you can get a Core i5-12600KF for an MSRP of $264, or a Core i5-12600K for $289. A Core i7-12700KF will run you $384, while a Core i7-12700K will run you $409. On the high end, the Core i9-12900KF will cost you $564, while the Core i9-12900K will cost you $589. But as we said, some retailers may sell these chips at a higher price than MSPR.
Both Raptor Lake and Alder Lake come in two variants – one chip with integrated graphics and one without, as indicated by the K and KF suffixes. The K variants come with integrated graphics, while the cheaper KF variants don’t. So, if you’re planning to open one of these devices into a desktop with a discrete GPU, you’ll probably be fine with the cheaper chip.
It’s hard to compare prices because some retailers won’t stick to the MSRP suggested by Intel. With that said, Raptor Lake chips are generally on par with their last-generation counterparts in terms of price. By this metric, you can say that they offer better value due to the improvements advertised.
Intel Raptor Lake vs. Alder Lake: Performance and Specifications
Raptor Lake chips are built on the Intel 7 process, the same process as the last generation Alder Lake processors. The new CPUs have both performance (P-cores) and efficiency (E-cores) cores, which helps segment the workload to increase overall performance.
The Core i9-13900K has 24 cores divided into eight P cores and 16 E cores, while the Core i5 13600 models have 14 cores (6P and 8E). The number of P-cores remains the same as in Alder Lake, but the entire line has more electronic cores than the last generation – landing in four additional electronic cores for Core i5 and Core i7 chips and eight more electronic cores for Core i9. Intel claims that CPUs offer up to 15 percent better single-thread performance and up to 41 percent better multi-threaded performance.
| Core i9-13900 K | Core i9-13900KF | Core i7-13700K | Core i7-13700KF | Core i5-13600K | Core i5-13600KF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (recommended) | $589 | $564 | 409 dollars | $384 | $319 | $294 |
| Cores/Threads | 24 cores / 32 threads | 24 cores / 32 threads | 16 cores / 24 threads | 16 cores / 24 threads | 14 cores / 20 threads | 14 cores / 20 threads |
| P-Core Base / Reinforcement | 3.0 / 5.8 GHz | 3.0 / 5.8 GHz | 3.4 / 5.4 GHz | 3.4 / 5.4 GHz | 3.5 / 5.1 GHz | 3.5 / 5.1 GHz |
| E-Core / Boost Base | 2.2 / 4.3 GHz | 2.2 / 4.3 GHz | 2.5 / 4.2 GHz | 2.5 / 4.2 GHz | 2.6 / 3.9 GHz | 2.6 / 3.9 GHz |
| Cache (L2 + L3) | 68 MB (32 + 36) | 68 MB (32 + 36) | 54 MB (24 + 30) | 54 MB (24 + 30) | 44 MB (20 + 24) | 44 MB (20 + 24) |
| TDP (base/turbore) | 125 W / 253 W | 125 W / 253 W | 125 W / 253 W | 125 W / 253 W | 125 W / 181 W | 125 W / 181 W |
Power requirements are skyrocketing across the entire lineup. All Raptor Lake chips have a base power of 125 watts. However, both Core i7 and Core i9 require 253 watts for maximum turbo power. In contrast, the 12th generation Core i9 required 241 watts while the Core i7 required 190 watts.
Raptor Lake supports faster DDR5-5600 and DDR5-2200 memory, but it will maintain DDR4 compatibility for those not ready to buy a new motherboard. Intel will release the Z790 motherboard, the first of its new 700-series motherboards. The budget-friendly B- and H-series motherboards are set to arrive alongside the remaining Raptor Lake line. The 13th generation Core chips support 16 lanes of PCIe 5.0 and four lanes of PCIe 4.0.
While the fundamental frequencies are lower when compared to the last generation, the boost frequencies are higher. The most prominent example is Core i9 models that can reach 5.8GHz, which is 600MHz higher than the Core 12900K. Likewise, the new Core i7 sees a 400MHz bump while the Core i5 is 200MHz more.
| Healer | nuclei | threads | Graphics | Base clock speed in GHz | Max clock speed (single core) | Maximum Intel Turbo Boost Clock Speed (All Cores) | MSRP | force range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i9-12900K | 16 (8P + 8E) | 24 | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | 3.2 (V-Core), 2.4 (E-Core) | 5.1 (V-core), 3.9 (e-core) | 5.2 GHz | $589 | 12-28 W |
| Core i9-12900KF | 16 (8P + 8E) | 24 | no one | 3.2 (V-Core), 2.4 (E-Core) | 5.1 (V-core), 3.9 (e-core) | 5.2 GHz | $564 | 12-28 W |
| Core i7-12900K | 12 (8P + 4E) | 20 | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | 3.6 (V-core), 2.7 (e-core) | 4.9 (V-Core), 3.8 (E-Core) | 5.0 GHz | 409 dollars | 12-28 W |
| Core i7-12900KF | 12 (8P + 4E) | 20 | no one | 3.6 (V-core), 2.7 (e-core) | 4.9 (V-Core), 3.8 (E-Core) | 5.0 GHz | $384 | 12-28 W |
| Core i5-12900K | 10 (6P + 4E) | 16 | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | 3.7 (P-Core), 2.8 (E-Core) | 4.9 (V-Core), 3.6 (E-Core) | Unavailable | $289 | 12-28 W |
| Core i5-12900KF | 10 (6P + 4E) | 16 | no one | 3.7 (P-Core), 2.8 (E-Core) | 4.9 (V-Core), 3.6 (E-Core) | Unavailable | $264 | 7-15 W |
Alder Lake chips were Intel’s first x86 desktop processors built on a hybrid architecture. This means they have a set of high-performance cores and a set of weaker, highly efficient cores on each chip, as well as a microcontroller called the Intel Thread Director which aims to intelligently manage workflow across all cores for optimal performance. Raptor Lake chips use these same features.
These were also the first Intel desktop CPUs to use DDR5 RAM and were built on the 7nm process, an improvement over the 10nm process used on Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs. AMD is using the 5nm TSMC process for its Zen 4 chips, though we’re not yet seeing if this will provide a significant improvement over the new Raptor Lake CPUs.
Intel Raptor Lake and Alder Lake: Graphics and Game Performance
A direct comparison is not possible yet because we haven’t tested the performance of Raptor Lake games yet. Intel claims the Core i9-13900K is on par with the 12900K’s performance at 65W. The company also claims that the new model is up to 37% faster with the same power draw of 241 watts. Intel promises that the chip with 24 cores can deliver higher frames per second (FPS).
The company also says the Core i9-13900K is 5% faster than its last-generation counterpart in more than half of the 32 games it tested and 25% faster in other games (via Tom’s devices (Opens in a new tab)). Tom’s Hardware tested the Ryzen 9 7950X and found it to be about 5% faster in games than the Core i9-12900K. In this case, it looks like the new CPUs from Intel and AMD could be equal in terms of gaming – but that’s a comparison we’ll have for another day.
Intel has marketed its best Core i9-12900K processor as “the best gaming processor in the world,” claiming that it can deliver up to 28% more frames per second in Hitman 3, up to 24% better FPS in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, And up to 23% more FPS in Far Cry 6. These comparisons are based on Intel’s testing against an old Core i9-11900K CPU using a 1080p Windows 11 Pro system with an Nvidia RTX 3090 GPU, and they suggest it’s at least on the advanced end Alder Lake CPUs provide a significant performance improvement over Intel’s legacy Tiger Lake chips.
We’ve tested a lot of the best gaming PCs and top CPUs from Alder Lake and we can vouch for their solid gaming performance. Even if Raptor Lake makes a big leap over Alder Lake in our benchmark, the CPU shouldn’t be left out. It is currently capable of running the best PC games at solid frame rates and should continue to do so in the near future. Tom’s Hardware sister site made its own Alder Lake gaming standards (Opens in a new tab) Which illustrates this point.
Intel Raptor Lake vs. Alder Lake: Expectations
The 13th generation Intel CPUs will be available soon. Based on everything the company has detailed, the new chips are an improvement over Lake Alder. The new processors should also perform well against the recently released AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs. All this makes for an exciting time if you are a computer enthusiast. As always, we want to run our own tests on Raptor Lake CPUs and computers like the new Alienware Aurora R15 that packs the new processor to see how the Intel chip stacks up.
However, if you are satisfied with the performance that your Alder Lake CPU provides, you can probably wait a while before upgrading – if you want to upgrade at all. If the state of the world were anywhere near normal, it was likely that Alder Lake chips would drop in price and thus be more tempting. However, since both new and old chips cost the same, you might be better off buying a Raptor Lake CPU if you have the opportunity.
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