Given how well each of these chips performs the tasks for which they were created, choosing between the Intel 13600K and 13700K when it comes to desktop CPUs is a real challenge. These two CPUs from Intel aren’t just the best ones available; they’re the best two processors ever.
For a very affordable price for such a cutting-edge piece of technology, the Intel Core i5-13600K offers good performance for productivity and commonplace chores like streaming video, web browsing, and even some very intensive gaming.
The Intel Core i7-13700K, on the other hand, is the workhorse of the Intel Raptor Lake series, getting down to business putting its head down and giving absolutely great performance across every major workload you can throw at it without breaking a sweat.
Because each of these processors has advantages and disadvantages, it can be challenging to choose the best computer processor for your needs and budget. The good news is that I’m here to lay out the actual numbers for you so you can make the best selection possible. I recently put both of these chips through a lot of testing using the most recent PC firmware and benchmarking tools.
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13600K vs 13700K Price
Given that these are two separate kinds of computer CPUs, the pricing differences between the 13600K and 13700K are only marginal. With an MSRP of $319, £299.99, or AU$498, the Core i5-13600K is around 10% more expensive than the Core i5-12600K.
The MSRP of the Intel Core i7-13700K, on the other hand, is $419 / £399 / AU$669, making it somewhat (approximately 2.5%) more expensive than the Intel Core i7-12700K and almost 30% more costly than the 13600K.
The best selling point of the Core i5-13600K is that it provides the best performance for the price of any of Intel’s mainstream 13th-generation processors, so by any standard, it wins this round. I’ll go into more detail about which chip offers the better value in the performance section that follows.
13600K vs 13700K Specs
The specs of the two chips are the next thing to look at. Both the 13600K and the 13700K are made using the same 10nm Enhanced SuperFin process. This process is more power efficient and faster than the 14nm process it replaced. Both chips have a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 125W, which means they use a lot of power and make a lot of heat. To keep them going smoothly, you will need a good cooling solution.
The number of cores and threads on each chip is the main difference between the two. The 13700K has 16 cores and 24 threads, while the 13600K only has 14. This means that the 13700K is more powerful than the 13600K and can handle more jobs at once. But not every core in these chips is the same. Both chips use a hybrid design that blends two kinds of cores: Efficiency Cores (E-Cores) and Performance Cores (P-Cores).
The E-Cores are made for low-power tasks like web browsing, streaming videos, and office work. The P-Cores, on the other hand, are made for high-performance tasks like games, making content, and doing more than one thing at once.
The 13600K has eight E-Cores and six P-Cores, but the 13700K has eight E-Cores and eight P-Cores. This means that the 13700K has more P-Cores than the 13600K, which gives it an advantage in tasks that require a lot of processing power.
Here is a table with a summary of the Intel 13600K and the Intel 13700K’s features:
| Specification | Intel 13600K | Intel 13700K |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | 10nm Enhanced SuperFin | 10nm Enhanced SuperFin |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 125W | 125W |
| Core Count | 14 cores | 16 cores |
| Thread Count | 20 threads | 24 threads |
| Core Types | 8 E-Cores, 6 P-Cores | 8 E-Cores, 8 P-Cores |
| Base Clock Speed (E-Cores) | 2.6 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| Base Clock Speed (P-Cores) | 3.5 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed (E-Cores) | Up to 3.9 GHz | Up to 4.2 GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed (P-Cores) | Up to 5.1 GHz | Up to 5.4 GHz |
| Total Cache Size | 68MB | 78MB |
The clock speeds of the two chips are another difference. The base clock speed is the lowest frequency at which the chip can run under normal circumstances. The boost clock speed is the highest frequency at which the chip can run under ideal circumstances.
The base clock speed of the E-Cores is slightly higher in the 13600K than in the 13700K (2.6 GHz vs. 2.5 GHz), while the base clock speed of the P-Cores is slightly lower in the 13600K (3.5 GHz vs. 3.4 GHz). But the 13700K has faster boost clock speeds for both types of cores than the 13600K.
In the 13600K, the E-Cores can boost up to 3.9 GHz and in the 13700K, they can boost up to 4.2 GHz. The P-Cores can boost up to 5.1 GHz in the 13600K and to 5.4 GHz in the 13700K. This means that when it needs to, the 13700K can reach higher speeds than the 13600K. This can make it work better.
The last thing that makes these two chips different is the size of their caches. The cache is a small amount of fast memory that saves instructions and data that are used often so that the CPU can get to them quickly.
The CPU can run faster and more smoothly the bigger the cache is. The 13600K’s entire cache size is 68 MB, while the 13700K’s is 78 MB. This means that the 13700K has more cache than the 13600K, which can decrease delay and increase throughput.
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13600K vs 13700K Performance
The i7-13700K is an incredible powerhouse when it comes to performance, while the i5-13600K does a commendable job but ultimately falls short of the higher-tier processor, as one would anticipate.
The 13700K runs roughly 6% better than the 13600K in our test of synthetic benchmarks, which isn’t a huge difference.
However, the 13700K performs 22% better overall when running multiple cores, in large part because of the two additional performance cores and higher overall clock rates.
The i7-13700K once again wins for productivity tasks, but not by much. Since most productivity programs are single-core dependant, it is sense that it outperformed the 13600K by roughly 7% overall. However, multitasking between multiple apps will undoubtedly be much simpler with the 13700K.
Overall, the 13700K outperforms the 13600K in terms of creative performance by about 22%, which is not surprising given that the 13600K has fewer performance cores and slower turbo clock speeds, giving it less power to deal with creative workloads like complex video editing with layered effects and filters.
One of the 13700K’s main points is gaming performance, where it performs roughly 16% better than the 13600K, averaging about 305 frames per second versus the 13600K’s 262.
The 13700K drew a maximum of 281.793W under load, compared to the 13600K’s 227.579W, or around a 24% increase in power draw, when considering thermals and power draw.
Despite having a higher maximum power, the 13700K was able to maintain a cooler temperature than the 13600K, which was unexpected. The 13700K reached a maximum temperature of 94°C, compared to the 13600K’s 97°C, although it’s important to note that neither chip throttled at any point throughout our tests, according to HWINFO64.
Although the i5-13600K was able to produce reasonable results in productivity and other single-core-dependent workloads, the 13700K outperformed the 13600K by almost 14% overall, giving the i7-13700K a clear victory.
13600K vs 13700K Verdict
The i5-13600K is a more mainstream processor designed for everyday usage, basic to moderate productivity, light media processing (such as dealing with family photos and video), and moderate gaming, according to the 13600K vs 13700K comparison.
Those with heavier workloads, such as professional designers, video editors, 3D modellers, and program developers, should choose for the Intel Core i7-13700K. Since many games require a lot of computational power at a relatively consistent rate for extended periods of time—something very few other programs require—gamers are another important market for the 13700K.
With that breakdown in mind, the i5-13600K should be more than adequate for your needs if you’re looking for something for more casual use on the family PC or you need a new processor for light to moderate business tasks like data entry or accounting work.
The Core i7-13700K is the ideal chip for you if you want to play the best PC games at the fastest frame rates (assuming you have the best graphics card for the job) or if you need a workstation PC processor that can handle a moderately heavy workload but aren’t looking for industrial-scale computing power.