The Best Intel CPUs (2023 Reviews)

With AMD taking over the CPU market with several generations of Ryzen processors, Intel had to make a move. And, Intel did make a play and released Alder Lake CPUs.

Fortunately for the company and for us (tech enthusiast, gamers, etc.), the release of Alder Lake was extremely successful, bringing competitive processors to the table. The same can be said for Raptor Lake too.

Therefore, if you intend to opt for Intel and wish to obtain optimal performance within your budget, this article on the finest Intel CPUs will guide you in making the correct choice.

Let’s see which processors are actually the best ones Intel has to offer!

The last couple of i5 generations offered outstanding performance per price. Both the i5-10600K and i5-11600K proved as great CPUs for gaming. But AMD still offered better performance for a lower price.

However, Intel’s Alder Lake i5-12600K altered the wind’s direction. It offered more cores, and enhanced single-core performance for the same i5 price tag.

The Intel Core i5-13600K is an enhanced version of the i5-12600K with 4 additional cores. It’s certainly Intel’s top CPU!

Price

The Intel i5-13600K has a price tag of $329, about $40 more expensive than its predecessor, but for a legitimate reason.

Current competition for this i5 is the $229 Ryzen 5 7600, the $329 Ryzen 7 7700 priced at $329, and the $250 i5-13500.

Keep in mind that DDR4 and Intel’s DDR4 platform is more economical than AM5 (Ryzen) motherboards with DDR5 RAM.

Performance

In terms of gaming, the i5-13600K is undoubtedly one of the fastest processors in the world right now.

In the image above, we can see that the i5-13600K is undoubtedly one of the fastest gaming CPUs out there.

But, if you are looking specifically for a gaming processor, there are cheaper and better alternatives. The Ryzen 5 7600X, for example, is cheaper and faster even when the i5 is paired with DDR5 memory.

The Ryzen 5 7600 (not on this chart) is also just as swift as the i5-13600K with DDR5 and the same can be said for the i5-13500.

However, the i5-13600K is not a CPU for gaming exclusively. This is a 14-core CPU that surpasses AMD’s Ryzens in productivity workloads.

In this Blender chart, the i5-13600K requires 27% less time to complete the render than the R5 7600X and 5% less time than the (now) $350 R7 7700X.

So, if you’re looking for a CPU that performs well in all aspects, the i5-13600K is a clear choice!

Power Draw And Thermals

The power draw isn’t Raptor Lake’s strong side, so expect a higher power draw from the i5-13600K.

In the Blender test mentioned earlier, the i5 used a total of 315W of power, which is around 100W higher than the Ryzen 5 7600X. Although the i5 has 14 cores, it’s worth noting that the significantly faster Ryzen 9 7900X only used 302W.

With this type of power draw, you will need a bigger cooler to tame this processor.

But, if you are just gaming, temperatures will stay around the $80 mark even with inexpensive air coolers.

Intel Core i9-13900K is Intel’s present best CPU (excluding Xeon or server CPUs) in both gaming and productivity. Although it is worth noting that the i9-13900KS is the faster CPU, it’s considerably more expensive and draws more power for a negligible increase in performance.

Price

The i9-13900K has a $599 price tag, undercutting AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X by $100 while performing notably better in specific productivity workloads.

However, the Ryzen 9 7950X did get a significant price cut and is now regularly priced around the $580 mark, so it is good competition for Intel’s flagship.

Performance

From a flagship CPU like the i9-13900K, you can expect only the finest and that’s precisely what this processor delivers.

Hardware Unboxed’s testing shows that the i9-13900K comes out on top when it comes to gaming. In this extensive 12-game test, on average, the i9-13900K is about 4% faster than the R7 7700X.

It’s not a substantial margin, but it gives Intel the bragging right for the fastest gaming CPU.

However, when the i9 is coupled with DDR4 memory, it falls behind the powerful Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9.

The i9-13900K has 8 performance and 16 efficiency cores, with boost clocks of 5.80 GHz. It is similar to the Ryzen 9 7950X.

However, Ryzen does perform superior in certain applications such as Blender, 7-Zip decompression, Corona, Adobe Premiere, etc.

Still, the i9 is an exceptionally swift CPU, at the top of the CPU hierarchy and slower than the R9 by a very small margin.

Power Draw And Thermals

We mentioned previously that Raptor Lake suffers from excessive power consumption and the i9-13900K is probably the worst offender.

Intel’s flagship is extremely power-hungry, making the Ryzen 9 7950X miles more efficient. This also leads to elevated temperatures, so if you plan to get this processor for productivity workloads, we suggest getting adequate cooling.

Even in gaming, with a more affordable cooler, the i9-13900K will start throttling while its rival, the 7950X will maintain its boost clocks.

While the Core i9-13900K is undoubtedly Intel’s fastest CPU, it’s no secret that the real value lies in the processors under it, like the i5-13600K and, the best-value premium processor, the Intel Core i7-13700K.

Price

The i7-13700K is priced at $420, which puts it in a slightly awkward position because the Ryzen 9 7900X is now often priced at around $420 too. The 7900X is faster most of the time, especially if the i7 is paired with DDR4 memory.

However, for $20 less, the i7-13700KF is also an option. It is practically the exact same CPU without an integrated GPU.

That’s not all, the i7-13700F and i7-13700 are $384 and $359 respectively. These are considerably cheaper with a lower TDP, which leads to a reduced clock speed/boost clock, but even that won’t impact performance too much.

Performance

From a CPU like the i7-13700K, you can only expect premium-tier performance and that’s what you will get.

The i7 paired with fast DDR5 memory is on par with the Ryzen 7 7700X. This puts the i7 in a bad light considering the 7700X is about $70 cheaper and the 7700 non-X $90 cheaper.

However, the i7 isn’t solely for gaming. This 24-thread CPU can handle high-end gaming, streaming, video editing, rendering, and everything else you throw at it.

Hardware Unboxed’s assessment in Blender shows that the i7-13700K finishes the render 26% faster than the 7700X and it’s about 8% slower than the 7900X.

Power Draw And Thermals

Again, this is where the 13^th-Gen’s negative side shines. It’s a blistering CPU and it demands a high-end cooler, otherwise, it will throttle in most productivity workloads.

A mid-range cooler might be able to keep the i7 in place during gaming workload, but it’s still desirable to go with something that can handle the 13700K’s peak power consumption. Why? Check out the image below.

At peak power draw, the i7 brings the total system power draw up to 391W, almost 30% higher than the 7900X.

The i5-12600K and i5-13600K are undeniably Intel’s best overall CPUs because of the combination of high clock speeds, an abundance of cores/threads, and cost.

However, the genuine value for gaming is found in the more economical 6-core CPUs. In this inventory, we selected the i5-12400 instead of the i5-13400 due to the minuscule difference in performance and the higher cost of the newer i5.

Price

The i5-12400 initially costed $220, just like the i5-13400. However, after being on the market for a year, the i5-12400 is now frequently priced under $200, chiefly around the $180 range.

The i5-13400 on the other hand is often above its initial price without providing any significant gains over the previous generation.

So, the obvious choice here is the 12^th gen i5.

Performance

The Intel Core i5-12400 is one of the top-value CPUs for gaming. At just $180, you can get elite-like performance. Even with a GPU like the RTX 4090, the compact 6-core i5 can still surprise.

Looking at this 12-game average chart, we can see that the i5-12400 and i5-13400 show a minuscule difference even when paired with a flagship GPU.

The i5-12400 is closely trailing the Ryzen 7 5700X, which initially launched at $300.

However, the Ryzen is often around the $200 price point, so if you can find it at a reduced cost, going with the Ryzen might be a smarter option.

For productivity workloads, you can’t anticipate too much out of this CPU since it is just a 6-core processor. The 5700X is the superior option if you plan to do more than gaming on your computer.

But, for light video rendering work, photo editing, or code compiling, the i5-12400 is more than adequate.

Power Draw And Thermals

One of the more substantial points of the i5-12400 is its power draw.

In this Cyberpunk 2077 test, the i5-12400 uses less power than the Ryzen 5 5600X, i5-12600K, and most of the other main processing units.

Since this is a highly effective CPU, any CPU cooler should be able to handle it (including the Intel box cooler.)

Unlike AMD, Intel does offer quite a few inexpensive CPUs. With the 13^th generation of CPUs, the best budget option is undoubtedly the Intel Core i3-13100F.

Yes, the i3-13100 is still an option, but the non-F variant is simply not worthwhile.

Let’s talk about that!

Price

The i3-13100 has a $150 price tag, while the i3-13100F is often sold below $125. Sure, $25 might not sound like a lot, but for a thrifty PC build, every dollar counts!

So, for $25 less, it’s the identical performance just without an integrated GPU. Of course, if you require an iGPU, then go for the non-F version.

Alternatively, check out the i3-12100/F, which hovers around the $100 mark.

Performance

These small 4-core CPUs are incredibly fast. Both the i3-12100F and i3-13100F provide more than enough performance for a budget computer.

Looking at this chart by Gamers Nexus we can see the i3s offer similar performance, but what’s intriguing is that they are faster than AMD’s 16-thread Ryzen 7 3700X (2019) and Intel’s 12-thread i5-10600K from 2020.

Power Draw And Thermals

From a 4-core CPU, the power draw is quite low as expected.

In Gamers Nexus’ testing, the i3-13100F draws only about 66W, matching the Ryzen 5 5600 and 5600X.

Which Intel CPU Should You get?

So, out of these 5 varied CPUs on this list, ranging from $100 and up to ~$600, which is the one that should end up in your PC build?

If you’re looking for a no-compromise and cost-effective CPU, the i5-13600K is the one that makes sense. For $330 (sometimes less), you get performance for gaming and productivity work.

If you’re on a tighter budget and want a gaming-only Intel CPU, the i5-12400/F is the favored option since it cost around $180 (less for the F variant). To cut down on CPU costs even further, the $120 i3 is also a reasonable option.

However, for premium Intel performance, the i7-13700K is unrivaled. At $420, it offers performance in gaming that is comparable to the i9-13900K and it keeps up in productivity too.

However, if you desire the top tier and have the resources, the i9-13900K is the sensible choice.