Intel brings 13th Gen to the mainstream market with their Expanded Raptor Lake lineup

Intel delivers a boost to the mainstream CPU market with their latest 13th Gen offerings

Intel has just enhanced their 13th generation Core CPU product line with new 65W mainstream and 35W low-power (T-series) CPU models. This has added new i9, i7, i5, and i3 series CPUs to Intel’s 13th generation product line, all of which support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. 

When compared to their last-generation counterparts, Intel’s new 13th generation processors mostly offer users higher core clock speed than their predecessors and more cores, with Intel’s new i5, i7, and i9 models offering four additional E-cores then compared to their last-gen counterparts. For Intel’s new i7 and i9 models, Intel has also delivered larger L2 caches, which is great news for gamers.  

Are Intel’s non-K i5 processors Alder Lake in disguise?

If you look at Intel’s i5-13600, i5-13500, and i5-13400 models, you will see that they all feature much less L3 Cache then their i7 and i9 counterparts. It looks like these CPU models feature less L2 cache per P-core and less L2 cache per E-core cluster, making these CPUs look a lot more like Alder Lake CPUs than Raptor Lake CPUs.

These new 13th gen i5 (non-K) models appear to feature 1.25MB of L2 cache per P-core and 2MB of L2 cache per E-core cluster (four E-cores). For Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs (i5-13600K and above), 13th Gen CPUs offer users 2MB of L2 Cache per P-core and 4MB of L3 cache per E-core cluster (four E-cores).

New 13th Generation T-Series Processors

For those who want processors that are a little less power-hungry, Intel has launched new 13th generation T-series processors that feature a based TDP of 35 watts and maximum turbo power levels that are significantly lower than their standard 13th generation CPU SKUs. These CPUs are great for compact systems, or PCs where minimal power draw is attractive. These CPUs have low cooling requirements and low power requirements, allowing them to be used with smaller cooling solutions and smaller power supplies, making these models great for low-cost, low-power systems.  

Great news for the budget CPU market

For PC builders wo want a sub-£250 CPU, Intel’s latest i5 offering appear to be solid purchases. Six P-cores and up to eight E-cores is a compelling proposition, offering owners a solid mix of single-threaded performance and multi-threaded performance to put AMD’s 6-core Ryzen 5 7600X in its place. 

If AMD does not respond with lower prices for its Ryzen 5 class processors, it looks like Intel has successfully won the mid-range CPU market.

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