Intel Core i9-13900K and i5-13600K Review: Raptor Lake Brings More Bite
by Gavin Bonshor on October 20, 2022 9:00 AM ESTZ790 Chipset: More I/O Than Z690, But Same Performance
One of the main talking points surrounding all processor launches at present is platform affordability. When Intel launched its 12th Gen Alder Lake core series processors towards the tail end of 2021, it enabled users to utilize the higher bandwidth DDR5 memory in a desktop platform. As DDR5 memory supply was low and consumer demand was high during Alder Lake’s initial launch, this sky rocketed prices and it made it near impossible for users to buy a DDR5 kit to use with 12th Gen. Intel did offer support for both DDR5-4800 and DDR4-3200, but motherboards (600-series) could only support one or the other.
Although this hasn’t changed with Intel’s latest Z790 chipset, Intel does offer support for both DDR5 and DDR4 with its 13th Gen Raptor Lake Core processors; something AMD doesn’t do with Ryzen 7000 series, much to consumer’s angst. Even though Intel has opted for a higher DDR5 memory speed (5600 MT/s versus 4800 MT/s) compared to Alder Lake, DDR4 memory support remains at DDR4-3200.
| Intel Z690, Z590, and Z490 Chipset Comparison | ||||
| Feature | Z790 | Z690 | Z590 | Z490 |
| Socket | LGA1700 | LGA1700 | LGA1200 | LGA1200 |
| PCIe Lanes (CPU) | 16 x 5.0 4 x 4.0 |
16 x 5.0 4 x 4.0 |
20 x 4.0 | 16 x 3.0 |
| PCIe Lanes (Chipset) | 20 x 4.0 8 x 3.0 |
12 x 4.0 16 x 3.0 |
24 x 3.0 | 24 x 3.0 |
| PCIe Specification (CPU) | 5.0/4.0 | 5.0/4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Memory Support | DDR5-5600B DDR4-3200 |
DDR5-4800B DDR4-3200 |
DDR4-3200 | DDR4-2933 |
| PCIe Config | x16 x8/x8 x8/x8/x4 |
x16 x8/x8 x8/x8/x4 |
x16 x8/x8 x8/x8/x4 |
x16 x8/x8 x8/x8+x4 |
| DMI Lanes | x8 4.0 | x8 4.0 | x8 3.0 | x4 3.0 |
| Max USB 3.2 (Gen2/Gen1) | 10/10 | 10/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) | Y (5) | Y (4) | Y (4) | ASMedia |
| Total USB | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Max SATA Ports | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Memory Channels (Dual) | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
| Intel Optane Memory Support | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Intel Rapid Storage Tech (RST) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Integrated Wi-Fi MAC | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Intel Smart Sound | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Overclocking Support | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Intel vPro | N | N | N | N |
| ME Firmware | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| TDP (W) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Looking at the Intel chipset comparison table above, one could really question what’s actually different about Z790 when compared directly to Z690, especially given that Z690 does allow full support for 13th Gen processors; yes, there is no hidden secret sauce or performance unlocking features, Z690 and Z790 will perform the same in compute and gaming.
The key differences are that Z790 offers an additional 8 x PCIe 4.0 lanes from the chipset, but at the cost of 8 x PCIe 3.0 lanes. This means Z790 still offers a total of 28 x PCI lanes when compared to Z690, but it gives vendors further flexibility to utilize the extra PCIe 4.0 lanes for high bandwidth M.2 slots and additional Thunderbolt 4 controllers, while still offering a few PCIe 3.0 lanes for devices such as additional NICs, streaming cards, and other non-bandwidth critical devices.
Intel says Goodbye to Optane Memory (Cache), No Support on Z790
One thing to note with Z790 is that along with Intel’s decision to kill its Optane business; this chipset will NOT support Intel's Optane Memory, Intel's Optane-based drive caching solution. Using Z690 combined with 12th Gen should still yield the same level of support as before, but using Z790 will not allow Optane Memory to be used, which is understandable as Intel winds down its Optane and 3DXpoint storage division.
The main benefit for opting for Z790 over Z690 is essentially down to PCIe 4.0 I/O capabilities, with support for one more additional USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C port compared to Z690. Having spoken to Intel directly about processor performance with either chipset, they made it clear that they do not expect compute or gaming performance to be any different regardless of whether you’re using the new Z790 or the existing Z690 chipset.
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nandnandnand - Monday, October 24, 2022 - link
I can see a couple of things that make sense:1. Buy onto the platform early, upgrade very late. Like 1700X to 5800X3D. Except that didn't work for every motherboard on AM4.
2. Buy a budget chip, upgrade to an expensive chip 1+ gen later. The Ryzen 5 7600X is currently the cheapest but at $300 it doesn't really qualify.
Nobody should buy AM5 or Raptor Lake (new system) right now. Wait for 7800X3D/Zen5 and Meteor Lake. Reply
Kangal - Monday, October 24, 2022 - link
This.Initially the r7-1700 and x370 offered mixed value, and the upgrade path looked great. But AMD wasn't able to properly fulfil their AM4 promise.
So perhaps AMD realised their issues, and fixed things for AM5. So perhaps but the most expensive motherboard and the best value cpu to upgrade the cpu later. Or maybe nothing has changed, since AMD is so far ahead of Intel when it comes to motherboard relevancy.
So for new system builders, you can blow the budget and go all-in on a new Intel + Nvidia tower. For the best value builders, customising an older AMD (5800x3D) and RDNA is the way to go. For the risk takers, you can overpay for things that are going to last, and cut-back on things you know yobare going to upgrade (gpu, cpu, more storage).
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GeoffreyA - Tuesday, October 25, 2022 - link
The promise of upgrading is great, but sometimes doesn't work out as planned. I built a 2200G + B450 Tomahawk in 2019, with the hope to upgrade to a 6-core APU later on. Now, the 5600G is the one to go for, but has considerable issues when joined with the Tomahawk. So, I tend to think I'll just wait for a whole new system, AM6 perhaps, who knows? Replytvdang7 - Sunday, October 23, 2022 - link
Is it to much for the reviewer to add the 7900x and 7700x into the graphs just so we know what we are dealing with ? ReplyRyan Smith - Monday, October 24, 2022 - link
We do not currently have those chips. AMD has only sampled the top and bottom SKUs.We'll get them eventually through other means. We just don't have them right now. Reply
o01326 - Sunday, October 23, 2022 - link
Just signed up to comment this: why are you benchmarking Civ IV by FPS? ReplyTheinsanegamerN - Monday, October 24, 2022 - link
The same reason they were, up until this review, still using a 2080ti for their CPU gaming benchmarks. Replycoolkwc - Monday, October 24, 2022 - link
this review is failed, don't even post what's the core temperature under stress? So difficult to get that reading huh? ReplyAnnnonymmous - Monday, October 24, 2022 - link
Transient power spikes with an RTX 4090 and 13900K mean you will need at LEAST a 1500w power supply to prevent random computer shutdowns. That's crazy! Of course, this will only happen when you are running a game 4K, Max Settings, with Ray Tracing enabled. Still, getting 1,000-1,200w spikes is crazy! Replytrueonefix - Monday, October 24, 2022 - link
Awesome Reply