Intel completes 13th Gen Core CPUs for desktops with E-cores for locked i5s

Intel completes its thirteenth generation of Core processors with a total of sixteen new models. These include various Core i3 and i5 CPUs, which are much cheaper than the existing i5 13600K, i7 13700K and i9 13900K.

The most striking change compared to the twelfth generation is that the non-overclockable Core i5 processors now also have E-cores. For example, the i5 12400 only had six P-cores, while the new i5 13400 is equipped with six P-cores and four E-cores. The i5 13500 and 13600 also distinguish themselves more than was previously usual, because they have twice as many E-cores as the i5 13400.

Only the Core i3 13100 still has no E-cores in the new series. That model has to make do with four P-cores, although they are clocked slightly higher than the i3 12100. The rest of the additions to the line-up consist of 65W versions of the i7 and i9 CPUs, six special T versions with an extra low 35W TDP and various F models where the IGPU is disabled.

Notably, the i5 13600 and below officially have a maximum speed of only DDR5-4800 for memory and less L2 cache per core. These are features that remind us of Alder Lake, the twelfth generation, and Intel confirms our suspicion that the manufacturer uses both Raptor and Alder Lake chips for these models. “We used the Alder Lake die to quickly make the new lineup widely available, while leaving more capacity with the latest technology (Raptor Lake, ed.) for our top models,” Intel writes in its response. “When we use the Alder Lake die, we validate that the end user gets the exact same specs (such as clock speed and cache) regardless of which one is used.” If you are ‘lucky’ enough to get a chip with Raptor Lake die, you will not suddenly get the extra cache at your disposal, even though it is present in hardware.

The table below shows an overview of all new desktop CPUs, excluding the 35W SKUs with the T suffix. Since Intel only provides recommended retail prices in dollars, we have converted the prices using the daily exchange rate and including 21 percent VAT. We have also done this again for the dollar prices of the existing K models. Since the dollar has lost a lot of value since the introduction of those processors, the prices are a lot more favorable than in our review upon release.

Existing processors in italics