Intel Core i9-13900K vs Intel Core i9-12900K

Processor comparisons   27-08-2021
   If there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-13900K vs Intel Core i9-12900K and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, video editing, programming, machine learning. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, MATLAB, Furmark, 3DMark, WPrime, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, PCMark 10, RealBench, AIDA64, SuperPi, Blender, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Overwatch
Cyberpunk 2077
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Valheim
Red Dead Redemption 2
Last Man Standing
Death Stranding
Fallout 76
Halo Infinite
Rainbow Six Siege
Apex Legends
Grand Theft Auto V
Watch Dogs Legion
Fortnite
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
DOOM: Eternal
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Borderlands 3
Valorant

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900K or Intel Core i9-13900K.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i9-13900K

68%

Core i9-12900K

67%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-13900K is 1% better than Core i9-12900K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-13900K

64%

Core i9-12900K

64%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, Metro Exodus, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	114.3	113.8
Valorant	129.9	129.3
Cyberpunk 2077	72.7	72.4
Apex Legends	122.1	121.5
Call of Duty Warzone	97.4	97.0
Overwatch	105.2	104.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	89.6	89.2
DOOM Eternal	64.9	64.6
Warzone	101.3	100.8
Assassin's Creed	109.1	108.6
Valheim	107.8	107.3

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-13900K

66%

Core i9-12900K

97%

To make a finishing resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i9-12900K is more energy efficient than the Core i9-13900K as it consumes less power: 125W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i9-12900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	531	489
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5603	5150
Cinbench 20 Single-core	887	816
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	12458	11450
Cinbench 23 Single-core	3150	2896
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	35852	32950

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i9-12900K
Single-Core	2879	7546
Multi-Core	61110	56332

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i9-12900K
Single-Core	2502	3641
Multi-Core	25761	25262

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i9-12900K
Announcement date	December 13, 2022	July 21, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1700
Core name	Raptor Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	13	12
Turbo Frequency	5.8 MHz	5.2 MHz
Frequency	4.3 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	24	16
Threads	32	24
Bus rate	16 GT/s	16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	14200 millions	12400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	125 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6500	6400
Memory bandwidth	89.6 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2 MB	2 MB
L2 cache	8 MB	14 MB
L3 cache	36 MB	30 MB
Overclocking	yes	No
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-13900K is 9% better than Core i9-12900K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-13900K has 8 more core than Core i9-12900K. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-13900K is better: 31
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900K is better: 2
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-13900K and Intel Core i9-12900K before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i9-13900K - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i9-13900K specs and review.

Intel Core i9-12900K - all data

• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score
• Cinebench r15 score

• Intel Core i9-12900K specs and review.