Canadian electronics retailer listings for what looks like the Intel 13th Gen Core Raptor Lake lineup have appeared online. The listings, spotted by Twitter’s momomo_us, are for the Intel Core i9-13900K / KF, Core i7-13700K / KF, and Core i5-13600K / KF. Take these prices with a pinch of salt — there’s a chance they’re just placeholders for the upcoming CPUs. However, it looks like Intel’s new processors could be priced about 15% higher than the previous generation.
Looking at the launch flagship first, the Intel Core i9-13900K is advertised at CAD 941, which is about $725 using today’s exchange rate. The same site lists the 12900K for CAD 818, or roughly $630. Intel has previously stated it will be increasing CPU prices, due to inflation.
Maybe there’s more than just inflation at play here. Intel Raptor Lake CPUs have a larger die, with more cores (except the rumored 4C/8T Core i3-13100 and lower). The i9-13900K / KF has 33% more CPU cores compared to the i9-12900K / KF (but the additional cores are all Efficiency cores). Do the extra silicon/cores justify a noticeable premium? Depends on your view — and what tasks you need your computer to perform.
|
Core count |
Max boost |
USD price |
Generational price increase |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Core i9-13900K |
24C / 32T |
5.8 GHz |
$725 |
15% |
|
Core i9-13900KF |
24C / 32T |
5.8 GHz |
$695 |
17% |
|
Core i7-13700K |
16C / 24T |
5.4 GHz |
$511 |
17% |
|
Core i7-13700KF |
16C / 24T |
5.4 GHz |
$483 |
17% |
|
Core i5-13600K |
14C / 20T |
5.1 GHz |
$355 |
16% |
|
Core i5-13600KF |
14C / 20T |
5.1 GHz |
$327 |
19% |
Data from Canadian retailer listing, CAD converted to USD
The KF variants are a little cheaper — about $30 less per SKU — with their fused-off non-functional iGPUs. As well as being cheaper, the inactive GPU portion of the die is sometimes credited with helping to keep thermals in check. The KF drawback, as ever, is that you need to install a graphics card for display purposes. Moreover, it means you won’t have an iGPU as a fallback option for system troubleshooting.
Some Alder Lake platform upgraders may find these 13th Gen Core CPUs attractive for upgrades, as they will slot right into existing 600 Series motherboard setups. Meanwhile AMD is moving to a completely new platform within a similar timescale — meaning upgraders will also need to pick up a new motherboard and DDR5 RAM.
Intel 13th Gen Core Raptor Lake processors are expected to launch for desktops in late September or October, according to the latest rumors.