Intel Core i9-13900K Processor

The Intel Core i9-13900K Processor — 24 cores and 32 threads, 3.0 GHz base rising to 5.8 GHz with Turbo Boost, 36 MB Intel Smart Cache, 125 W processor base power, LGA1700. Supplied from stock with a 1-year warranty.

The unlocked Raptor Lake, 5.8 GHz

The i9-13900K is the enthusiast Raptor Lake i9: eight Raptor Cove performance cores plus sixteen efficiency cores — twenty-four cores, thirty-two threads — at 3.00 GHz P-core base with a 5.80 GHz Turbo, an unlocked multiplier, 36 MB of cache and a 125 W base power, launched Q4 2022. It took back the absolute performance crown at launch and held it through the following year.

The 8+16 hybrid layout with Thread Director, DDR5-5600 with DDR4-3200 fallback, PCIe 5.0 on the graphics link and UHD 770 for display make it a complete platform part. Sustained all-core loads are famously power-hungry — the cooling budget is the real design constraint.

Technical specifications

Instruction set extensions: Intel SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX and AVX2. Security and virtualisation: AES-NI, Intel VT-x with EPT and VT-d, Intel Boot Guard.

Which systems take this processor

Anything on the LGA1700 socket with an Intel 600 or 700 series chipset: H610, B660, H670, Q670, Z690, W680, B760, H770 and Z790. Both DDR4 and DDR5 boards exist for this socket — the memory type is a property of the board, not the processor, and these parts support either (check the memory-speed column for the maximum per type).

Workstation and high-end desktop builds — Dell Precision 3660 / 3680, HP Z2 G9, Lenovo ThinkStation P360 / P520s-class. The hybrid P+E core layout with Thread Director handles heavy parallel workloads from rendering to virtualisation.

Performance desktops — Z690 / Z790 boards take the unlocked i9 parts in stride; note that sustained all-core loads on the K-series run well past the base power figure, so budget cooling accordingly.

Home lab and NAS builds — W680 boards support ECC UDIMMs with Core parts, and the integrated UHD 770 engine keeps transcoding on the iGPU (KF-variants need a discrete card).

One caveat when buying a board separately: 600 series boards may need a BIOS update before they recognise a 14th Generation part, and the LGA1700 socket has a loading-frame retention mechanism — check that the board ships with the correct frame. Tell us the board or the machine model when you enquire and we will confirm.

How it compares across the i9 line

The 13900 is the 65 W locked variant, and the 14900K is the Raptor Lake Refresh successor on the same board with a modest clock bump.

How each processor is tested before it ships

1. Visual inspection of the integrated heat spreader, substrate and contact pads; the sSpec laser marking (SRMBH on our i9-13900K stock) is verified against the Intel specification sheet.
2. Burn-in on a matched diagnostic board with a pair of memory modules of the correct type for this platform.
3. All populated memory channels and the primary PCIe lanes are validated, then the processor is identified in the BIOS and in the operating system.
4. A sustained multi-threaded load test at full core count, with the clock and thermal readings recorded.
5. Thermal paste cleaned off, final inspection, then packaging in an anti-static tray with foam — which is how it arrives to you.

Warranty and lead time

Every processor is covered by a 1-year warranty against defects in workmanship and function. If a part fails within the period we replace it or refund it, and we cover return shipping on a verified fault. Stock is held in our own warehouse and normally dispatches within three to seven working days; tracking is issued at dispatch.

Purchasing and volume enquiries

The minimum order quantity for this processor is 2 units. Price is quotation-based rather than listed, because CPU pricing moves with each incoming batch — send us the quantity you need and we will come back with a firm quote and the current lead time. Larger quantities ship from the same production batch so the sSpec and the stepping stay consistent across your order.