Left · Intel
Intel Core i5-13600K
Spec score
Spec score 70
$339
Amazon US, Oct 24
Core i5-13600K against Core i9-12900K
Level on the overall index; the details below decide it. The price beside each button is the Amazon US reading where ScoutPrices has one; the comparison below is worked on typical prices.
Right · Intel
Intel Core i9-12900K
Spec score
Spec score 71
$279
typical price
Which one for what
Office & everyday
Core i9-12900Kright
74 vs 76 on the office & everyday blend.
Coding & development
Core i9-12900Kright
70 vs 74 on the coding & development blend.
Light gaming
Core i5-13600Kleft
73 vs 71 on the light gaming blend.
Gaming
Core i5-13600Kleft
72 vs 69 on the gaming blend.
Heavy gaming
Core i5-13600Kleft
71 vs 69 on the heavy gaming blend.
Content creation
Core i9-12900Kright
67 vs 71 on the content creation blend.
3D & rendering
Core i9-12900Kright
64 vs 71 on the 3D & rendering blend.
Gaming & streaming
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
AI & local models
Core i9-12900Kright
66 vs 72 on the AI & local models blend.
Head to head
Scores
Indices out of 100 on ScoutSpecs' own scale, one per kind of work. They are not frames per second and not a measurement of any one sample.
Spec score
Core i5-13600K: 70
Core i9-12900K: 71
1 ptsto the right
Gaming
Core i5-13600K: 71
Core i9-12900K: 66
5 ptsto the left
Multi-core
Core i5-13600K: 58
Core i9-12900K: 68
10 ptsto the right
Single-core
Core i5-13600K: 82
Core i9-12900K: 82
level
Price and value
Worked on typical prices, the figures the comparison is built on.
Value, points per $100
Core i5-13600K: 21.2
Core i9-12900K: 25.4
20%to the right
Typical price
Core i5-13600K: $330
Core i9-12900K: $279
$51to the right
From the spec sheets
Cores
Core i5-13600K: 14
Core i9-12900K: 16
14%to the right
Threads
Core i5-13600K: 20
Core i9-12900K: 24
20%to the right
Boost clock
Core i5-13600K: 5.1 GHz
Core i9-12900K: 5.2 GHz
2%to the right
Turbo power
Core i5-13600K: 181 W
Core i9-12900K: 241 W
33%to the left
The verdict
- The Core i5-13600K leads in games by 8%.
- The Core i9-12900K has 17% more all-core throughput for renders, compiles and exports.
- Core i5-13600K and Core i9-12900K are level on single-core.
- The Core i9-12900K typically costs $51 less.
- Per dollar, the Core i9-12900K is the better buy: 25.4 points per $100 against 21.2.
Specifications
| Spec | Core i5-13600K | Core i9-12900K |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Raptor Lake | Alder Lake |
| Socket | LGA1700 | LGA1700 |
| Cores / threads | 14 / 20 | 16 / 24 (better) |
| Base clock | 3.5 GHz (better) | 3.2 GHz |
| Boost clock | 5.1 GHz | 5.2 GHz (better) |
| TDP / turbo power | 125 / 181 W | 125 / 181 W |
| Memory | DDR4 or DDR5 | DDR4 or DDR5 |
| Built-in graphics | Yes | Yes |
| Cooler in the box | No | No |
| Brand | Intel | Intel |
| Released | 2022 (better) | 2021 |
| Typical price | $330 | $279 (better) |
The better figure of each pair is in green, with a tick.