Intel Core i9-13900K & Core i5-13600K Review: Raptor Lake Roars
UL 3DMark CPU Physics Benchmark
Our results in 3DMark's Physics test look much like the computational fluid dynamics test on the previous page. Once again we see the Core i9-13900K in the overall lead, with the Core i5-13600K all of the other processors we tested, except for the Core i9-12900K.
High And Low Resolution Gaming & Graphics Benchmarks
We also ran some mid and high-resolution game and graphics tests on our test rigs with 3DMark, F1 2021, Metro Exodus, Shadow Of War and Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. We used 3DMark's default Time Spy preset, and the games were run in two different configurations -- either 1080p with Medium/High details, or 4K with High/Extreme details. The lower resolution tests are more CPU bound to somewhat isolate processor performance, while the higher resolution tests are more GPU bound.
In the overall 3DMark Time Spy scores, the new Core i9-13900K and Core i5-13600K finish in the 1 and 2 positions, at top of the charts. Their higher clocks, faster memory, and bigger caches paid dividends here.
The new Core i9-13900K and Core i5-13600K also performed very well in all of the "low res" 1080p game tests we ran. The Core i9-13900K led across the board, with the Core i5-13600K not too far behind, battling it out with AMD's best chips.
With the games' resolution cranked up to 4K, and higher image quality settings used, frame rates leveled off and all of the platforms we tested are effectively tied. The 13th Gen Core processors do manage a first place victory in F1 2021, however, due to the game not being completely GPU bound at 4K.
Intel 13th Gen Core Integrated Graphics Tests
We also ran a couple of tests on on the Core i9-13900K and Core i5-13600K using their integrated Intel UHD 770 graphics engines, and compared them to a handful of numbers we had available from other Intel solutions and an array of previous-gen Radeon IGPs, from both desktop and mobile platforms.
The graphics engine in the new 13th Gen Core processors is the same as Alder Lakes, but the increased memory bandwidth that comes by way of Raptor Lake's support for faster memory gives the iGPU a bit more room to breath.
Intel 13th Gen Core Total System Power Consumption
Throughout all of our benchmarking and testing, we also monitored how much power our Intel 13th Gen Core-powered rig was consuming with a power meter, versus the other systems we used for comparison.
Our goal was to give you an idea as to how much power each configuration used while idling at the Windows desktop and while under taxing CPU workloads across one or all cores. Keep in mind, this is total system power consumption being measured at the outlet and not the the individual power being drawn by the CPUs alone.
Intel made some lofty claims regarding power consumption with Raptor Lake-S, but we suspect most of the efficiency gains that may come from this new architecture will be relegated to more mainstream, lower-powered parts. The enthusiast-focused Core i9-13900K and Core i5-13600K weren't off the charts in terms of peak power consumption, but they clearly used more juice their their 12th Gen counterparts or comparable Ryzen 7 7000-series processors when under a full, multi-threaded load. In the idle and single-threaded tests, Raptor Lake was actually quite power friendly relative to some of the other platforms.
Core i9-13900K Hardware Details
How power, frequencies, and thermals play out in a variety of workloads with the Core i9-13900K is laid out in the chart above. All of this data is gathered through a full PCMark 10 run. As you can see, the Core i9-13900K remains nearly pegged at its Turbo frequencies throughout, and temperature and power consumption are relatively tame throughout. Once the sustained, multi-threaded POV-Ray workload is engaged at the very end, however, power and thermals peak, with the Core i9-13900K hitting nearly 100°C, even with an AIO liquid cooler installed.
