Introduction
Intel’s 13th-Gen CPUs have been incredibly popular since their launch back in October of 2022, and we imagine these processors are only going receive more of the limelight with the impending and possibly weak 14th-Gen release. The reason why 13th-Gen options are so worthwhile is because of their price to performance metrics. Consumers can pick up high performance options that cover the entire span of pricing, from budget, all the way up to enthusiast level chips.
I would go even further to argue that Intel have dominated this space for the past couple of years due to the lacklustre performance we saw from AMD‘s initial Ryzen 7000 launch. Regardless, 13th-Gen is ever-impressive, and worth taking a look at if you’re looking to upgrade, or build a new PC from scratch. Team Blue tends to thrive particularly well at the top-end of the market, with their Core i7 and Core i9 CPUs offering excellent multi-core metrics due to their insane core and thread capacity. In this roundup, we’ll be taking a look at some of these CPUs, to determine which ones are the best options for gaming.
Suggested Article: Best High-End Ryzen 7000 CPUs to Buy for Gaming
Our Recommendations
1. Intel Core i7 13700K
👑 The best value high-end 13th-Gen gaming CPU.
First up is the Core i7 13700K, somewhat of an unnoticed CPU during the initial launch. The 13700K was overshadowed by the Core i5 13600K and Core i9 13900K due to their insane performance metrics. But despite not being the most popular choice, we believe the Core i7 to be one of the best options on the market right now. Consumers can leverage 16 cores and 24 threads, alongside a clock speed of 5.4GHz, designed to prop up single core speeds, making this CPU ideal for gaming. At a pretty affordable price point, the 13700K is definitely worth considering if you’re being a bit more price conscious too.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | Intel Core i7 13700K |
|---|---|
| Total Cores | 16 |
| Total Threads | 24 |
| Max Boost Clock Speed | 5.4GHz |
| Cache | 54MB |
| Max Turbo Power | 253W |
| Socket | LGA1700 |
Things We Like
Competitively priced: The 13700K will be more expensive versus the likes of a 13600K or a Ryzen 7700X, but I’d say for a top-end CPU, this isn’t that poorly priced. Consumers can pick up the 13700K for well under the $400 mark.
Decent upgrade over the 13600K: The Core i5 13600K is one of the strongest options on the market right now due to its price and performance. However, if you’re looking for an upgrade to a strong single, and multi-core option, the 13700K can provide around a 15% performance bonus in certain applications.
Things We Don’t Like
Ridiculous power draw: Unfortunately, the biggest draw back of the 13700K is its ridiculous power draw. In multi-core applications, consumers can expect power draw of over 200W at stock settings, which is ridiculous, and may require consumers to re-think their PSU option.
Better options for threaded applications: Although the 13700K has a strong set of cores and threads, there are better options for those that need optimal performance, especially in more complicated applications.
Summary
Intel’s Core i7 13700K is a solid CPU geared towards those looking for a solid upgrade, or a high performance chip for a fresh build. There are some small caveats, such as the power draw and overall core count, but if you’re willing to push these aside, the 13700K comes in at an excellent price point versus market alternatives.
Power Draw: 3.8/5
Thermals: 4.1/5
Performance: 4.4/5
Value for Money: 4.4/5
Pros
- Competitive price point.
- A solid upgrade over the 13600K.
- Holds up very well at 4K.
Cons
- Power draw is a bit ridiculous.
- Stronger alternatives for multi-threaded performance.
Where to Buy
Buy the Intel Core i7 13700K on:
2. Intel Core i9 13900K
👑 The best multi-core high-end 13th-Gen CPU for gaming.
Our second choice is the Core i9 13900K, Intel‘s flagship top-end option within the 13th-Gen range. This CPU is currently the strongest performing option on the market, aside from the ‘KS’ model, which we’ll be touching upon later. Specs wise, this chip is equipped with 24 cores and 32 threads, making it perfect for those looking to build a multifaceted workstation and gaming system. The 13900K can boost up to 5.8GHz, which means it is capable of handling pretty much any game you throw it at for the next five years. This is definitely a huge win for those looking to build a top-end system.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | Intel Core i9 13900K |
|---|---|
| Total Cores | 24 |
| Total Threads | 32 |
| Max Boost Clock Speed | 5.8GHz |
| Cache | 68MB |
| Max Turbo Power | 253W |
| Socket | LGA1700 |
Things We Like
Likely to last for a long time: Games are becoming more demanding, but performance requirements only tend to be incremental. This means top-end CPUs like the 13900K are likely to last for a significant amount of time in modern games.
Excellent multi-core performance: The 13900K is equipped with 24 cores and 32 threads, making it one of the most capable processors on the market. If you’re planning on pushing your system with some complex threaded workloads, the 13900K will not disappoint.
Things We Don’t Like
Very Expensive: This Core i9 is a solid performing option, but it comes in at a not-so affordable price point. Sitting well above the $500 mark, if you’re being a bit more price conscious with your component purchases, you might want to look at some alternative high-end CPUs.
Insane power draw: The 13900K is an absolute behemoth when it comes to power draw. We’ve found during out multi-core benchmarks that this Core i9 can draw well over 300W, which might make you reconsider your PSU choice especially if you’re utilising productivity applications.
Summary
Intel’s Core i9 13900K is one of the most powerful CPUs on the market right now offering incredible performance in both single and multi-core applications. It is worth being aware that the power draw and the price of this CPU are quite high, and we imagine this will be off-putting for those wanting to spend a little bit less, or for consumers looking to pick up a lower wattage PSU.
Power Draw: 3.6/5
Thermals: 3.9/5
Performance: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 4.4/5
Pros
- Likely to last for the next 3-5 years.
- Perfect for complicated workstation applications.
- Excellent single core performance.
Cons
- Ridiculous power draw.
- Not cheap at all.
Where to Buy
Buy the Intel Core i9 13900K on:
3. Intel Core i9 13900KS
👑 The best enthusiast 13th-Gen CPU for gaming.
The final high-end CPU in this roundup is the Core i9 13900KS, Intel’s strongest CPU to date. Intel’s ‘KS’ CPUs, are their ‘special edition’ chips, that dial clock speeds up to 11, while maintaining pretty much the same specs, versus the standard Core i9 versions. This particular model still offers the 24 cores and 32 threads that we saw with the 13900K, but it also offers a clock speed that surpasses the 6GHz mark. Much like the 13900K, the KS will be able to handle everything you throw at it, and will provide some pretty strong performance bonuses with the stronger clock speed.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | Intel Core i9 13900KS |
|---|---|
| Total Cores | 24 |
| Total Threads | 32 |
| Max Boost Clock Speed | 6GHz |
| Cache | 68MB |
| Max Turbo Power | 253W |
| Socket | LGA1700 |
Things We Like
Perfect for enthusiasts: The Core i9 13900KS is currently the only CPU that offers a 6GHz boost clock speed out of the box. For those pushing their system with some multi-core workloads, the KS will not disappoint. And if you’ve got a solid motherboard and PSU, overclocking is always an option.
Will last for years: Not too dissimilar from the standard 13900K, this KS model will last for many years to come. If you’ve decided to pick up one of these titans, you aren’t going to need an upgrade for quite a while.
Things We Don’t Like
Insanely expensive: The special edition Intel CPUs have always been expensive, and this unfortunately hasn’t changed. If you’re squeamish when it comes to high priced components, we’d recommend looking at some alternative options.
High thermals and power draw: Much like it’s non-special edition sibling, the 13900KS also comes with high power draw and thermals. We’d only recommend liquid coolers for this CPU, and an 850W PSU or above dependent on the graphics card that you’ve chosen.
Summary
Intel’s Core i9 13900KS is the most capable CPU on the market right now, offering 6GHz clock speeds out of the box, 24 cores, and 32 threads, designed to handle the hardest workloads. Needless to say, if you’re building a power house of a PC, this is the CPU to pick up. But you’ll want to be aware of the high price, power draw, and thermals that come with this chip.
Power Draw: 3.7/5
Thermals: 4.1/5
Performance: 4.8/5
Value for Money: 4.2/5
Pros
- Can handle pretty much anything you throw it at.
- Perfect for enthusiasts.
- Will last for a significant amount of time.
Cons
- Very high power draw and thermals.
- Not cheap at all.
Where to Buy
Buy the Intel Core i9 13900KS on:
Do I Need a High-End CPU for 4K Gaming?
4K gaming comes with a significant amount of overhead that can cause your system to crumble under the pressure. This can happen for a number of different reasons. Mismatched components, resulting in bottlenecking, poor game optimisations, a weak CPU, but more important, a weak GPU too. Your CPU is the brains of your PC, which means that if you plan on maxing out your system with some high-end gaming, you’ll want a good one. But is this the most important decision to make, and you need a high-end option?
To break this down, gaming performance is generally determined by your graphics card and CPU working in tandem. You CPU executes all of the instructions and processes the visual data from your graphics card which is then relayed and output to your monitor. At 1080p, the majority of the workload is CPU-bound, because your graphics card has a much simpler job at lower resolutions. If we move up the chain to 4K, this is reversed, where your graphics card becomes the most important component for your system.
However, your CPU still plays a hugely important part when it comes to performance at a higher resolution. In order to ensure your performance isn’t going to suffer at 4K, you’ll want to pick up a processor that offers great single core metrics. Games only tend to use a couple of cores at maximum, so being able to reach a high boost speed with fewer cores is better for those playing games at 4K. This way, your CPU is able to process all of the data it is receiving from your GPU quickly, while your graphics card deals with the majority of the workload. To summarise, you don’t need a high-end CPU for 4K gaming, but it can be useful, to ensure the best performance possible.
Why You Can Trust Us
Whenever we get our hands on a new component or product at the GeekaWhat office, our team of PC hardware experts instantly get to work testing and evaluating it. After putting it through various gaming and productivity benchmarks, the results are used to create an extensive overview. In this overview, we’ll compare the product in question’s quality, value, and features to the rest of the market.
If you’re interested in learning more about our editorial team and promise, head to the About Us section on our website.
How We Tested the Best High-End 13th-Gen CPUs
In order to test and evaluate the best high-end 13th-Gen CPUs, there are a number of factors that we take into account, these are:
- Performance
- Platform Longevity
- Upgrade Paths
- Thermals
- Power Draw
- Value for Money
Conclusion
Best High-End 13th-Gen CPU for Gaming: Intel Core i7 13700K
Finishing up this roundup, we’ve picked out the 13700K as the best high-end 13th-Gen CPU. Although this CPU doesn’t have an insane core count, or the ridiculous clock speed that we’ve seen with the 13900KS, for gaming, you don’t need those. The 13700K is the best value option for consumers looking to enjoy 4K gaming with no hindrances, and utilise some possible workstation applications on the side too.
Read our full Intel Core i7 13700K Review, or Buy the Intel Core i7 13700K on Amazon
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need to Buy DDR5 RAM?
No you don’t. Fortunately, 13th-Gen CPUs support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, so you can choose between either, which will save you some money.
Do I Need to Buy a Z790 Motherboard?
No you don’t. B760 or even B660 boards are perfectly suitable at handling these CPUs. However, if you plan on overclocking you’ll need a Z690 or Z790 option are CPU overclocking is locked to this chipset.
Do I Need a Strong GPU for 4K Gaming?
Yes you do 4K imposes a lot of load on your graphics card, so you’ll want a GPU that can handle this higher resolution.
Is 13th-Gen at the End of its Life?
Yes it is. 14th-Gen CPUs are just on the horizon, which means these CPUs will be the natural choice for most consumers. However, this does mean 13th-Gen options will be available at a discounted price.
