Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
While it ’s true that Intel has no shortage oftop - notch CPUs , there ’s only one you should really be corrupt in 2024 for gaming role , and it ’s well over a yr erstwhile . It ’s not that the other CPUs arebad — it ’s that this processor is quite one and only in terms of execution per dollar , and it ’s more than good enough for most uses .
The central processing unit in motion is theIntel Core i5 - 13600K. You might be invite to bribe something pricier , perhaps even something as over the top as theCore i9 - 14900KS . But I ’m here to tell you that you really do n’t need to . And if you ’d rather drop even less , I ’ll show you my favorite choice .
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
A value pick
Intel ’s Core i5 series is typically the one to direct in term of value , but there ’s unremarkably a spread between the midrange i5 and the fancier i7 . While that crack is still present in this generation , it ’s nowhere close big enough for you to have to worry about it if all you ’re looking for is gaming .
With that said , the Core i5 - 13600 K has mickle of objectively honorable rivals at this point . I ’m not even talking about AMD , which currently has theworld ’s fastest gaming C.P.U. , theRyzen 7 7800X3D. Intel ’s Raptor Lake chips face a fortune of competition from within Intel ’s own product muckle , and that ’s what makes the pick between them all unmanageable — but only on paper .
For starters , the Core i5 - 13600 K is overshadow by the Core i7 - 13700Kl ; then , there are the two alternatives from Intel ’s late Raptor Lake refresh , meaning theCore i5 - 14600Kand the Core i7 - 14700K.
Are these processors better than the Core i5 - 13600 potassium ? In some fashion , yes , they are . B are they worth the supernumerary cash ? If you ’re a gamer , not really .
Before diving deeper , let ’s see how these CPUs liken to one another in footing of specs .
Upgrading from the Core i5 - 13600 K to its i7 counterpart gives you two extra performance cores , a 300MHz bump in maximal exclusive - essence clock speeds , and a bit of extra cache . All of those thing are nice , but they ’re not going to make or discover your gaming public presentation .
As for the Raptor Lake refresh … the Core i5 - 13600 K and its 14600 K sib are near the same . Intel has n’t made a single alteration to the specs apart from a 100MHz boost to the frequency of the effective ( Es ) CORE .
The 14700 K tells a slightly unlike story . Intel increased the number of CORE , bumping the total up to 20 , but the P - cores stayed the same — it ’s the E - cores that engender a hike , meaning that the central processor sports eight phosphorus - cores and 12 east - gist now . The maximum turbo frequency went up to 5.6GHz and the cache size of it saw an increment . But that ’s a CPU that ’s a banging $ 140 more expensive than the Core i5 - 13600 K , which redact it in a unlike league entirely . At that price , as a gamer , you ’re honestly honest off just flummox the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
At its current price of , orfor the KF version ( with no incorporate graphics ) , the Core i5 - 13600 K is hard to beat in terms of note value . To prove that , let ’s go over the performance of these scrap .
Better CPUs? No need
We tested theCore i5 - 13600 K and the Core i5 - 14600Kextensively , and the issue were n’t incisively surprising . After all , what can you expect from two chips with almost exactly the same specification ?
The Core i5 - 13600 K was about 10 % slow than its successor in 3DMark Time Spy , but that sexual conquest did n’t go for up across tests in actual gaming scenarios . face at the difference in frame per second ( Federal Protective Service ) shows us just how close these two crisp are .
For instance , inRed Dead Redemption 2 , the 14600 K is a measly six fps forward , hitting 152 fps on ordinary whereas the 13600 K average 146 fps . However , inFar Cry 6and inF1 2022 , the 14600 K manages to pull forward by 10 % and 12 % , respectively .
Even in productivity , the flake are very close , with almost the same single - threaded performance and an up to 5 % uplift in multi - threaded work load . In true statement , it ’s nothing to write rest home about .
The fact that the Core i5 - 14600 K only offer a small carrying out boost is not the remnant of the macrocosm , but it induce it a surplus upgrade when you’rebuying a new processor . As mention , the Core i5 - 13600 K costs $ 295 and the KF version is $ 30 cheesy . Meanwhile , the Core i5 - 14600 K hovers around $ 320 , and the KF model matches the non - KF 13600 thousand at $ 295 . It ’s not give way to recrudesce the bank building , but it also puddle next to no departure , so you might as well skip the upgrade unless you discover a good business deal on the 14600K.
Assuming you ’re a gamer with no motivation for a productivity workhorse , you also do n’t need to consider upgrading to the Core i7 - 13700 K or the 14700K. Those two extra P - cores and a few more Es - pith are nice in tasks like television rendering and editing , but they ’re less impactful in game scenario , and this indicate in benchmarks .
Most reappraisal pin the 13700 K as around 5 to 10 % quicker in game , and this vary a lot by rubric . Considering the price difference , it makes little common sense to grease one’s palms over the 13600 K if all you ’re doing is punt , browsing the internet , and even some occasional streaming — although in the compositor’s case of the latter , the 13700 K becomes more viable .
The dependable note value of the Core i5 - 13600 K shows when you compare it to the 13900 K in gaming , and it turns out that it achieves very similar inning compare to its much pricier sib . Some games see bigger amplification than others , but the 13600 K is within a stone ’s stroke of the 13900 K at 1080p , and no one is buying the 13900 atomic number 19 for 1080p gaming , anyway .
With the kind of performance it can put out and the damage you’re able to get it at , Intel ’s Core i5 - 13600 K is just about the good gaming CPU right now . rent ’s not leave that overclocking will increase the performance , closing the gap even further .
You can get away with less
If you ’re on a tight budget and the near-$300 spend feel like a lot , there are other Intel CPUs that concenter on value . This is something I often say to people who are building a gaming semi — the GPU is more important , so you ’re better off spending a piffling less on the CPU and adding that to yourgraphics cardbudget instead . void pushing it too far in the other way , though , or you will pass into central processing unit bottlenecks finally .
For gamers , the good value - orientate alternatives to the Core i5 - 13600 K are the Core i5 - 13400F and the Core i5 - 12600KF . The latter belongs to an even older coevals , namely Alder Lake , but that does n’t affect compatibility — it ’s still the same socket and it also substantiate DDR5 RAM , just like Raptor Lake .
The 13600 K is still the top weft thanks to its extra cores and higher clock speeds .
The 13400F is a step down in footing of gist , with only six atomic number 15 - cores and four E - cores , plus a miserable clock speed . However , it only costs , and it ’ll do well enough in gaming scenarios . It is a fair routine slower than the 13600 K , though , with benchmarks present a drop between 15 % and 25 % in games .
Lastly , the Core i5 - 12600K(F ) . Intel made great pace between Alder Lake and Raptor Lake than it did between the base version of Raptor Lake and the refresh , so it ’s not quite as beneficial , but it holds up . However , the 13600 K is still the top pick thanks to its extra cores , high clock speed , and overall performance .
If I had to choose between the 13400F and the 12600 K , I ’d go for the 12600 K , which currently costs just . While it ’s technically two generations behind at this percentage point , Intel ’s changes have been pernicious enough that it ’s still a solid pick for a gaming PC .
Best choice for right now — and for later
I ’m a huge fan of the Core i5 - 13600 K , but I ca n’t traverse that there ’s one job with buying Intel at this time — it ’s a root for powerful now .
A few age down the line , when you start thinking of upgrading your central processor to something well , you ’ll run into the obstacle of not having much to choose from . Your only upgrade path from the Core i5 - 13600 K is the Raptor Lake refresh batting order , and as I ’ve outlined above , it ’s not depart to make much of a difference . Sure , you could always swap theCore i5 - 13600 K for the Core i9 - 14900 K , but that ’s not just a new multiplication — that ’s a whole young conference of products .
Future - proofread selection are very slender with the Core i5 - 13600 K because the Raptor Lake generation is Intel ’s last hurrah on the LGA1700 socket . Next - gen CPUs , namely theArrow Lakerange , will swap to the LGA1851 socket and will expect a whole new motherboard . And you know that that means — buying a new motherboardoften rival swapping a few more constituent . At that point , you ’re often well off work up a whole new PC .
you may safely pair it with a high - ending graphics card and not worry about bottlenecks .
If future - proofing is what you ’re after , then you ’re better off sticking to AMD , as the AM5 socket is allege to be supported at least through 2025,and fuck AMD ’s track track record , it might be even longer .
As much as I lean to go for future - proof myself , I can also attest to the fact that you do n’t need to concern yourself with that overly much . My previous C.P.U. was the Core i5 - 8400 , which was no fauna by any means , but it live a substantial six years without a problem . At that point , jolly much every other component part I own was seriously outdated , so I was more than quick to just make a whole new PC .
The good thing about the Core i5 - 13600 K is that I can see it live even longer than that . This is a powerful Saratoga chip with more than enough core to fend for various workloads , most of all gambling . you’re able to overclock it slightly and contract a little bit more out of it in a couple of years if you see fit , but you most belike wo n’t receive anyCPU bottlenecks . What ’s more , you’re able to safely pair it with a gamy - remnant graphics menu and rest well-off have a go at it that the C.P.U. can keep up .
As far as Intel ’s current range operate , you ’d be hard - pressed to find oneself a more open midrange chip that marries bang-up value with top - notch performance . I have a feel this one will be a fan darling for the years to come , and with the price on a regular descent , it ’ll age like fine wine-colored .
