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Intel Core i9-13900KF

Intel Core i9-13900KF: Raptor Lake Power for Professionals and Gamers

Updated: March 2025

1. Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

The Intel Core i9-13900KF is the flagship of the 13th generation, built on the Raptor Lake architecture. This is an evolution of Intel's hybrid approach: 24 cores (8 Performance-cores and 16 Efficient-cores) and 32 threads provide extreme multitasking capabilities. The Intel 7 process (10nm Enhanced SuperFin) is optimized for a balance between energy efficiency and frequency.

Key Features:

- Turbo Boost Max 3.0 — boost up to 5.8 GHz on P-cores.

- 36 MB L3 cache — speeds up data handling in games and applications.

- Intel Thread Director — smart task distribution among cores.

- Support for PCIe 5.0 and Thunderbolt 4 for future upgrades.

Performance:

- Geekbench 6: 2974 (Single-Core), 20137 (Multi-Core).

- In games (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra, 4K), the processor delivers a stable 120+ FPS partnered with an RTX 4090.

- For rendering in Blender (BMW scene), time is reduced to 2.1 minutes — 18% faster than the i9-12900K.

2. Compatible Motherboards: Socket and Chipsets

The processor uses the LGA 1700 socket, compatible with Z790, B760, and H770 chipsets.

Recommendations:

- Z790 (e.g., ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming, $350–$450): Best choice for overclocking, supporting DDR5-5600+, PCIe 5.0 x16, and up to 4 NVMe SSDs.

- B760 (e.g., MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk, $180–$220): Budget option with basic overclocking and DDR4/DDR5 support.

- H770 (e.g., Gigabyte H770 Aorus Elite, $150–$190): For office builds without overclocking.

Selection Tips:

- Ensure the board has 16+1 phase VRM for stable power delivery.

- For PCIe 5.0, choose models with heatsinks on M.2 slots — for example, ASRock Z790 Taichi.

3. Memory Support: DDR4 vs DDR5

The i9-13900KF supports DDR5-5600 and DDR4-3200, but with nuances:

- DDR5: Best performance in high bandwidth tasks (e.g., 3D rendering). A 32GB DDR5-6000 kit (e.g., G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB) costs around $120–$150.

- DDR4: Savings of up to 40% (32GB DDR4-3600 — $70–$90). Suitable for gamers if the graphics card is a bottleneck.

Tip: In games, the difference between DDR5 and DDR4 is 5–10% FPS (tests in Hogwarts Legacy), but for work tasks, DDR5 wins by 20–30%.

4. Power Supplies: How to Ensure Adequate Power

The official TDP of the processor is 125W, but actual power consumption under load reaches 250–300W (when overclocked).

Recommendations:

- Minimum: 750W PSU (e.g., Corsair RM750e, $110).

- For RTX 4080/4090 level graphics cards: 850–1000W (e.g., Seasonic Prime TX-1000, $250).

- An 80+ Gold/Platinum certification is mandatory for stability.

Pitfalls: Using cheap PSUs with poor filtering can cause instability during overclocking.

5. Pros and Cons of i9-13900KF

Pros:

- Best-in-class single-threaded performance (games, Photoshop).

- DDR4 support — cost savings on RAM.

- Compatibility with older LGA 1700 coolers (e.g., Noctua NH-D15).

Cons:

- High heat output: Without good cooling (e.g., Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360), temperatures under load exceed 95°C.

- No integrated graphics (indicated by "F"), complicating diagnostics without a graphics card.

6. Use Cases: Who is the Processor Designed For?

- Gamers: Max FPS in 4K and VR. In Alan Wake 2 with DLSS 3.0, the processor won’t be a bottleneck even with an RTX 4070.

- Content Creators: 8K video rendering in DaVinci Resolve is 30% faster than with the Ryzen 9 7900X.

- Streamers: NVENC encoding + separate E-cores for smooth streaming without lag.

Practical Example: A build for a streamer: i9-13900KF + RTX 4080 + 64GB DDR5 — streaming in 1440p@60fps without FPS drops in games.

7. Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D ($650): Better in games due to 3D V-Cache (+15% FPS in CS2), but weaker in multi-threaded tasks (Geekbench Multi-Core — 18700).

- Apple M3 Max ($2200): Energy efficiency and video work in Final Cut Pro, but limited compatibility with Windows software.

- Intel Core i9-14900K ($600): Younger sibling with a 5–7% gain in Multi-Core but $50 more expensive.

Conclusion: The i9-13900KF wins on price/performance among flagships.

8. Build Tips

- Cooling: Only AIO cooling of 360mm or a top-tier tower cooler. Example: Lian Li Galahad II Performance ($150).

- Case: Minimum 3 fans for airflow (e.g., Fractal Design Meshify 2).

- Storage: PCIe 5.0 SSD (e.g., Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, $180) to fully leverage the potential.

Hack: Set "Power Limits" in BIOS to reduce heat without significant performance loss.

9. Final Verdict: Who is the i9-13900KF Suitable For?

This processor is the choice for those who don’t want to compromise:

- Gamers aiming for maximum FPS.

- Professionals in 3D, video editing, and engineering.

- Enthusiasts who value upgrades without changing platforms (DDR4 + LGA 1700).

Price in 2025 — $550–$600, making it more advantageous than the latest models. If you need a "tank" for any tasks — this is your option.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

September 2022

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.

i9-13900KF

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.

5.8 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 Frequency

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. Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 frequency is the clock frequency of the CPU when running in this mode.

5.70 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Yes

L3 Cache

36 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

125 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.

125 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.

253 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 5600 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).

89.6 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.

36 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

2974

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

20137

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

2228

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

25099

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

4626

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

58685

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

M4 Ultra

3978 +33.8%

Core i9-13900KF

2974

Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100

2676 -10%

Core i9-12900KF

2525 -15.1%

Snapdragon X Plus X1P-46-100

2375 -20.1%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

M4 Ultra

32188 +59.8%

Core i9-13900KF

20137

Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

15946 -20.8%

Xeon w7-2475X

14254 -29.2%

Core i9-12900

13001 -35.4%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i9-14900KS

2536 +13.8%

Core i9-13900KF

2228

Core i7-13705H

1870 -16.1%

Core i9-11900KF

1768 -20.6%

Ryzen 7 7700

1690 -24.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

EPYC 9684X

86607 +245.1%

Xeon Gold 6442Y

36476 +45.3%

Core i9-13900KF

25099

Core i9-14900HX

19393 -22.7%

Xeon Gold 6130T

16064 -36%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core Ultra 9 285K

5268 +13.9%

Core i9-13900KF

4626

Ryzen 9 7900X

4273 -7.6%

Core Ultra 5 225H

4139 -10.5%

Core i7-12700KF

4021 -13.1%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

EPYC 9754

81404 +38.7%

EPYC 9224

62900 +7.2%

Core i9-13900KF

58685

Core i9-13900F

51600 -12.1%

Core Ultra 7 265

46618 -20.6%