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Intel Core i5-13400F

Intel Core i5-13400F: Comprehensive Review of the 2025 Processor

March 2025

Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i5-13400F processor, released in late 2023, remains a relevant option for mid-range budgets due to its favorable combination of price and technology.

Raptor Lake Architecture

Based on the hybrid Raptor Lake architecture (Intel 7, 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin), the processor features 6 performance cores (P-Core) and 4 efficiency cores (E-Core), totaling 10 cores and 16 threads. The P-cores operate at frequencies of up to 4.6 GHz in turbo mode, providing high single-threaded performance critical for gaming. The E-cores (up to 3.3 GHz) offload background tasks, reducing power consumption.

Technologies and Cache

- 20 MB L3 Cache accelerates data processing in games and applications.

- PCIe 5.0 support (up to 16 lanes) ensures compatibility with the latest SSDs and graphics cards.

- Intel Technologies: Thread Director for optimizing core load, AI acceleration in Windows 11.

Performance

According to Geekbench 6 (2025):

- Single-thread test: 2288 points — sufficient for comfortable gaming at 1080p/1440p.

- Multi-thread test: 10676 points — suitable for rendering, streaming, and working with virtual machines.

Practical Example: In Cyberpunk 2077 with an RTX 4060 Ti, the processor delivers stable 75–90 FPS at 1440p (high settings), without drops due to effective thread distribution.

Compatible Motherboards

LGA 1700 Socket

The processor uses the LGA 1700 socket, compatible with 600 and 700 series chipsets:

- B760/H770: Optimal choice for the i5-13400F. B760 boards (e.g., MSI B760 Tomahawk, ~$150) support DDR4/DDR5, PCIe 5.0, and memory overclocking.

- Z790/Z690: Overkill for this CPU, but useful for upgrades to higher models (e.g., Core i7-14700K).

- H610: Budget option (ASUS Prime H610M-K, ~$90), but lacks DDR5 support and is limited to PCIe 4.0.

Tip: For DDR5, choose boards with 4 slots and support for XMP 3.0 (Gigabyte B760 Aorus Elite AX, ~$160).

Memory Support: DDR4 vs DDR5

The i5-13400F works with both types of memory, but the choice depends on budget and tasks:

- DDR4-3200: Saves up to 30% (32 GB kit ~$70). Suitable for gaming and office tasks.

- DDR5-5600: Future upgrade and a gain of 8–12% in professional applications (32 GB ~$120).

Real Experience: In Adobe Premiere Pro, rendering 4K video with DDR5 completes 15% faster than with DDR4.

Power Supply Recommendations

With a TDP of 65W, the processor is not demanding on power, but it's important to consider the graphics card:

- RTX 4060/RX 7600 XT: PSU 500–550W (EVGA 500 GD, ~$60).

- RTX 4070 Ti/RX 7800 XT: PSU 650–750W (Corsair RM750e, ~$110).

Important: Choose power supplies with an 80+ Bronze certification or higher. For systems with DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 SSDs, avoid cheap noname models.

Pros and Cons

Strengths

- Price: ~$220 (new, 2025) — 15% cheaper than Ryzen 5 7600X.

- Energy Efficiency: Power consumption under load does not exceed 100W.

- Versatility: Suitable for gaming, work, and creativity.

Weaknesses

- No Integrated Graphics: Requires a discrete graphics card.

- Limited Overclocking: Does not support multiplier overclocking (only BCLK).

Use Cases

1. Gaming: Ideal for 1080p/1440p with graphics cards like the RTX 4060 or RX 7700 XT.

2. Work Tasks: Video editing (DaVinci Resolve), 3D modeling (Blender), development in Unity.

3. Multimedia: Streaming in OBS without lag thanks to 16 threads.

Case: A podcast studio uses the i5-13400F paired with an RTX 3060 for audio processing in Adobe Audition while recording 3 tracks simultaneously.

Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (~$250): Higher single-threaded performance (+10%), but more expensive and more demanding in cooling.

- Intel Core i5-12400F (~$180): Outdated Alder Lake architecture, lags in multi-thread tasks (-18%).

Conclusion: The i5-13400F is a sweet spot between price and performance.

Practical Building Tips

1. Cooling: The stock cooler is insufficient under load. Choose tower coolers (DeepCool AK400, ~$35).

2. Case: At least 2 fans for airflow (NZXT H5 Flow, ~$90).

3. Storage: For PCIe 5.0 SSDs (Samsung 990 Pro), use motherboards with heatsinks.

Beginner's Mistake: Installing DDR5 in DDR4 slots (physically incompatible!).

Final Verdict: Who Should Get the i5-13400F?

This processor is an optimal choice for:

- Gamers looking to play at 1440p without overspending.

- Freelancers working with graphics and coding.

- Enthusiasts building a PC with a 3–4 year lifespan.

Why this one? The combination of a price of $200–250, DDR5 support, and 16 threads make it more advantageous than the Ryzen 5 7600X and more reliable than budget AMD Ryzen 5 7500F.

Prices are accurate as of March 2025. The mentioned brands are examples and not advertisements.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

January 2023

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i5-13400F

Code Name

Raptor Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Performance-cores

Efficient-cores

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom.

L3 Cache

20 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1700

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

Intel 7

TDP

65 W

Processor Base Power

The time-averaged power dissipation that the processor is validated to not exceed during manufacturing while executing an Intel-specified high complexity workload at Base Frequency and at the junction temperature as specified in the Datasheet for the SKU segment and configuration.

65 W

Maximum Turbo Power

The maximum sustained (>1s) power dissipation of the processor as limited by current and/or temperature controls. Instantaneous power may exceed Maximum Turbo Power for short durations (<=10ms). Note: Maximum Turbo Power is configurable by system vendor and can be system specific.

148 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

5.0 and 4.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16+4 | 2x8+4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

192 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

76.8 GB/s

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

20 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Volume Management Device (VMD)

Intel® Volume Management Device (VMD) provides a common, robust method of hot plug and LED management for NVMe-based solid state drives.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel Control-Flow Enforcement Technology

CET - Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) helps protect against the misuse of legitimate code snippets through return-oriented programming (ROP) control-flow hijacking attacks.

Yes

Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost)

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

2288

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

10676

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1664

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

10633

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

3661

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

25268

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

EPYC 9355P

2594 +13.4%

Core Ultra 7 155H

2419 +5.7%

Core i5-13400F

2288

Core i9-11900KB

2200 -3.8%

EPYC 9454P

2108 -7.9%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

EPYC 9274F

12320 +15.4%

Core i7-1370P

11476 +7.5%

Core i5-13400F

10676

Core i7-12700T

9882 -7.4%

Core i5-11600KF

9291 -13%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i5-13500

1817 +9.2%

EPYC 9184X

1717 +3.2%

Core i5-13400F

1664

Xeon E-2336

1601 -3.8%

Core i7-12800HE

1537 -7.6%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Core i9-12950HX

12526 +17.8%

Core i7-13650HX

11475 +7.9%

Core i5-13400F

10633

Core i9-9820X X-series

9895 -6.9%

Core i7-6950X

9253 -13%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen AI 7 350

3840 +4.9%

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

3758 +2.6%

Core i5-13400F

3661

Core i9-11900KF

3556 -2.9%

Core i3-12100E

3481 -4.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i9-10940X

27859 +10.3%

Ryzen 7 5700X3D

26429 +4.6%

Core i5-13400F

25268

Xeon E5-2699A v4

24208 -4.2%

Xeon Gold 6140

23016 -8.9%