• Intel Core i7
    Intel Core i7-13700K
    Editor's Choice

    Intel's Core i7-13700K is one of the company's mid-tier 13th Gen processors, rocking 16 cores and 24 threads. It's mightily powerful and doesn't cost as much as a Core i9.

    Cores
    8/8
    Threads
    24
    Base Clock Speed
    2.50 GHz / 3.40 GHz
    Boost Clock Speed
    4.20 GHz / 5.40 GHz
    TDP
    125 W
    Pros
    • Hybrid core design
    • Supports DDR4 RAM
    Cons
    • Older mnaufacturing process
    • Higher power draw
  • AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
    AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
    Best Value

    The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is one of the most powerful Ryzen 7000 processors. It has 12 cores and 24 threads, uses a newer manufacturing process, and offers great value.

    Cores
    12
    Threads
    24
    Base Clock Speed
    4.7 GHz
    Boost Clock Speed
    5.6 GHz
    TDP
    170 W
    Pros
    • Newer manufacturing process
    • Lower power draw
    Cons
    • Worse per-core performance
    • No DDR4 RAM support

The Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Ryzen 9 7900X are two very different processors. Intel's chip is a mid-range processor whilst the 7900X is from the Ryzen 9 range of chips and is positioned to be one of the more powerful options from team red. We've reviewed the processors and tested them extensively to get an understanding of how they perform and who they're designed for. This guide will help you decide between the Intel Core i7-13700K vs. AMD Ryzen 9 7900X.


  • Intel Core i7-13700KAMD Ryzen 9 7900X
    Cores8/812
    Threads2424
    ArchitectureRaptor LakeZen 4
    ProcessIntel 7 (10 nm)TSMC 5nm
    SocketLGA 1700AM5
    Base Clock Speed2.50 GHz / 3.40 GHz4.7 GHz
    Boost Clock Speed4.20 GHz / 5.40 GHz5.6 GHz
    Cache24 MB76 MB
    RAMDDR4-3200 / DDR5-5600DDR5-5200
    PCIe5.05.0
    GraphicsIntel UHD Graphics 770AMD Radeon Graphics
    TDP125 W170 W

Price & availability

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is the more expensive processor out of the two, costing $450. The Intel Core i7-13700K comes in at just $410. Interestingly, the Core i7-13700K has the same number of cores and threads as the AMD processor, but comparing the two chips outright simply isn't possible with specifications alone. That's because Intel and AMD are using different manufacturing processes and core designs, as we'll now go into more detail.

Intel Core i7-13700K vs. AMD Ryzen 7900X: Comparing apples to oranges

AMD Ryzen 9 7900
Source: XDA-Developers

Intel makes its desktop processors a little different from AMD, especially with 12th and 13th Gen chips. The company switched from a traditional core design to a hybrid one, consisting of the usual performance (P-cores) and newer efficient (E-cores) cores. AMD simply uses P-cores with its Ryzen 7000 generation of processors. Intel's approach does allow the Core i7-3700K to draw less power and produce less heat when not under full load, but performance isn't too different between the two.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X has a total of 12 cores and 24 threads. They're capable of boosting up to 5.6GHz, which is brilliant for a processor without manual overclocking. The Intel Core i7-13700K has 8 P-cores, 8 E-cores, and a total of 24 threads. This required Intel to change how Windows interacts with its processors, which caused some issues at the start, but we're seeing some positive results now that the tech has matured. We'll touch on performance shortly.

Intel's Raptor Lake processors still use an older, less efficient 10nm manufacturing process. AMD utilizes TSMC's 5nm process, which allows the company to achieve some excellent results for power draw and performance per watt. This allows AMD to push the processors harder without heating up too much.

Intel Core i7-13700K vs. AMD Ryzen 7900X: Gaming & general performance

The difference between the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Ryzen 9 7900X isn't massive, largely because they both have an equal number of cores and threads, as well as similar clock speeds — at least for the full-power performance cores. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X may be part of the company's flagship range of SKUs, but this is the entry-level Ryzen 9, which is going up against the top mid-tier Intel processor, the Core i7-13700K.

Cinebench R23

Intel Core i7-13700K

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

Single core

2,116

2,005

Multi core

30,997

28,893

We're looking at Cinebench R23 first and the Intel Core i7-13700K performs really well. It beats the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X in both single and multi-core tests.

Geekbench 5.0

Intel Core i7-13700K

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

Single core

2,797

2,204

Multi core

16,879

18,833

The story is similar to Geekbench 5.0, but AMD wins with the multi-core test here. Performance for both processors is excellent and you'll appreciate the available power. Finally, we've got 3DMark and its Time Spy Extreme CPU test. The Core i7-13700K comfortably beats the Ryzen 9 7900X.

3DMark

Intel Core i7-13700K

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

Time Spy Extreme (CPU score)

10,214

9,419

These synthetic benchmarks aside, you'll not notice much of a difference between the two processors, unless you're planning to use the best graphics cards or need a capable CPU for enthusiast or workstation use.

Which CPU is right for you?

Even though the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is one of the most powerful Ryzen 7000 chips, we'd still recommend the Intel Core i7-13700K thanks to its excellent performance and value. It beats the Ryzen processor in many tests, including gaming, and is one of the best CPUs you can buy. The ability to use existing DDR4 RAM with newer 12th and 13th Gen motherboards can also save you considerable amounts of money.

Intel Core i7
Intel Core i7-13700K
Best Performance

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a mid-range processor from the company's 13th Gen family of chips. It has a total of 16 cores and 24 threads, offering considerably high levels of performance at a reasonable TDP and price.

It's not all good news for Intel as the Core i7-13700K, like other 13th Gen Intel chips, draws considerable amounts of power. They're designed using a less efficient process and have more cores and threads. All that additional performance requires more electricity, and you can expect to see the Core i7-13700K draw more than the Ryzen 9 7900X. AMD's Ryzen 9 7900X is priced more aggressively, though we'd still recommend the cheaper AMD Ryzen 9 7900 non-X version since you could easily overclock it to meet the performance of the 7900X.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
Best Value

With 12 cores, the Ryzen 9 7900X is the lighter weight flagship CPU of the Ryzen 7000 series. It's great for both multicore workloads and gaming, and while it's not as fast as the 7950X, it's quite a bit cheaper.