Intel's core CPUs below the i5 as the K model were considered an insider tip for gamers in the 12th generation: They cost significantly less, but were almost as fast as the K CPU. This is different in the 13th generation, because Intel only gives the new Raptor Cove cores 13600K and larger. The effects on the 13400F in the test.
Raptor Lake doesn't mean Raptor Cove
As a member of the 13th generation, Intel officially speaks of "Raptor Lake" for all non-K CPUs, but there is a technical difference: Only the non-K versions of Core i9 and Core i7 are based like the three K CPUs on the new Raptor Lake die with Raptor Cove cores, which have significantly increased performance with significantly more L2 cache, especially in games. All other new processors under the Core i5-13600K, on the other hand, are still based on the smaller Alder Lake core from the previous year - and thus the old Golden Cove cores.
The Core i5-13400(F) plays a special role again: It is based either on the old small die or the new big one. However, the latter was then trimmed to match the old, smaller die – and doesn't work any faster in games either.
So the new Core i5 below the 13600K all benefit from the introduction of the E-Cores in the segment and additional clocks, which bring advantages in applications, but not from the Raptor Cove cores, which provide a large performance increase in games.
Based on the test of the Core i5-13400(F), ComputerBase classifies what Intel's decision to stay with the old die with more active E-Cores in this segment means in concrete terms.
power consumption
Officially, the Core i5-13400F is a CPU with a 65 watt TDP. This means: operated according to Intel's specifications, the processor may not consume more than 65 watts of electrical power in a time-weighted average. OEMs in particular can be sure that the CPU can at least maintain the base clock guaranteed by Intel in continuous loads if the cooler is able to dissipate 65 watts.
In practice, however, Intel's CPUs can clock higher (turbo) and consume more (MTP, "Maximum Turbo Power", PL2) than the PBP ("Processor Base Power", formerly PL1 = TDP) suggests. You can do this for a maximum of the time "tau" defined by Intel (28 seconds for the Core i5) or until the moving weighted average (EMWA) of the power loss has reached the TDP. Most mainboards that are sold in retail shops ignore this and permanently provide the CPU with MTP = PL2. With the Core i5 without iGPU (F) that is 148 watts, with iGPU it is 154 watts.
However, the 6P+4E core processor as 13400F does not need these 148 watts: With AV1 encoding in Handbrake it is almost 100 watts, in Prime95 it is around 115 watts. Higher clocked Core i5 would be slowed down by the 117 watts of the last generation, which is why Intel opted for the increased TDP to 148 watts in this class. The 13400F doesn't need the higher budget.
The Core i5-13400F is also more frugal in games than in applications. Only in Spider-Man Remastered does the CPU exceed the 65 watt TDP on average, so it would act a little slower with a hard limit. At its peak, consumption in Cyberpunkt 2077, Death Stranding and Dota 2 is also slightly above 65 watts - experience has shown that this has almost no effect on the performance in the game. Compared to the Ryzen 5 7600(X), the Core i5-13400(F) is on a comparable level. This also applies to the Core i5-12500, which offers the same turbo clock, also 6 P cores, but no E cores.
performance in applications
In applications, the Core i5-13400F benefits from its four E-Cores, which allow it to gain 33 percent over the Core i5-12400 in multi-core loads. This corresponds 1:1 to the increase in threads (16 to 12, the cores are 6+0 to 6+4, i.e. 66 percent more) and puts the CPU on a par with the Ryzen 5 7600 if it is also in the factory state is operated with 65 watts TDP (88 watts PPT). Core i5-13400(F) and Ryzen 5 7600 are almost as fast in applications, but the Ryzen is a bit more economical (max. 88 watts to max. 100 watts in Handbrake).
If the Core i5 is braked hard to 65 watts, it loses 11 percent in the multi-core course and falls behind the Ryzen 5 7600 with an upper limit of 65 watts.
The watts specified in the diagrams refer to the PPT (AMD)/MTP (Intel), i.e. the electrical power that the CPU can continuously consume in the test, provided the temperatures are right - which they do in the editorial team's test system. In this case, the information is only given if the CPU is slowed down by this limit. Otherwise, the processor is considered to be operated "openly" and the actual consumption can be found in the "Power consumption" section.
Conclusion
Core i5-12600K and Core i5-12500 do not separate 10 percent in the absolute CPU limit in the gaming course in this test. No wonder that in the 12th generation Core it was often said: If you want a lot of gaming performance for little money, you should use one of the smaller Core i5 from Intel and not the K model. Things are different in the 13th generation. The Core i5-13600K and Core i5-13400F are separated by 27 percent and thus a gap that is three times as large.
Core i5-13400(F) oder Ryzen 5 7600(X)?
With a price (all information for the boxed version) of just under 250 euros for the Core i5-13400 and 225 euros for the Core i5-13400F without an active iGPU, the decision for a completely new purchase is made as to whether to go for the non-K model of the Core i5 or the current Ryzen 5 for 245 euros should be used, with a view to the CPU, because both don't take much - the Ryzen tends to be superior in terms of performance and platform support, but idle consumption is high.
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