The first reviews of Intel’s 13th Gen non-K budget CPUs are out. Featuring twice as many efficiency cores as 12th Gen and higher boost clocks, DIYers are in for a treat. The Core i5-13400 and 13500 are the highlights of the bunch, with sub-$250 prices and a 65W TDP. We’re looking at six P-cores paired with 4 E-cores for the 13400 and 8 E-cores for the 13500.
Source: Quasar Zone
The non-K Core i5s offer solid gaming performance at a $200 price point, eclipsing the i7-12700 at $100 less. The Core i5-13500 is just a few percent slower than the 12700, while the 13400 lags by a bit under 10%.
The Core i5-13500 comes within striking distance of the i7-12700 in four out of five games. Similarly, the Core i3-13100 levels with the i5-12400, even beating it in certain DirectX 12 titles like Cyberpunk 2077. Meanwhile, for $11 less, the Core i5-13400 is a bit of a misfit with a 4-5% deficit compared to the 13500.
Content creation performance on the Core i5-13500 is similar to gaming, but the i5-13400 and i3-13100 fail to replicate their gaming capabilities. Either way, the 13th Gen non-K lineup will stir things up in the desktop DIY market, possibly leading to additional price cuts across AMD offerings.
