No way would I take my 13900kf that is a virgin to that ILS and soil it. Sure my 12700k didn't see much difference in temps with my Prime Z690 P ILS, but there was a depression that will always be there at least a little.

Essentially bonks its competitors and its predecessors over the head with insanely good performance in every possible area. However, when pushing this chip to the absolute limits of its performance, it turns into a seriously power-hungry beast. We registered a max power draw of 337W during our tests, massively more than any other mainstream CPU on the market right now. This isn’t a deal-breaker by any means, but it does mean that you may need to spring for a hefty power supply if you want to routinely use this chip for highly resource-intensive tasks. When it comes to processors, we look at four key metrics: synthetic single and multi-core performance, "general" performance, creative performance, and gaming performance. The ‘F’ in 13900KF stands for “Graphics-Free,” which means it doesn’t include integrated graphics. In contrast, the 13900K comes with Intel’s Xe integrated graphics, providing a one-stop solution for users who don’t require a separate graphics card. The Power Struggle I think the selection of coolers is quite fine, since it's covering what I'd consider the good reasonable range (maybe adding a 240 AIO would be good?) and it demonstrated via CB, that after a certain point, the CPU even if throttling still performs fine-ish. The caveat is the noise, since it's pegged at 100% everything, but still performs close to what you'd like/expect.

So, whether you’re Team 13900K or Team 13900KF, one thing is for sure: with either of these processors, you’re in for a fantastic computing experience. Just make sure your CPU cooler is up to the task, or your PC might end up hotter than a summer day in the Sahara. Depending on the game, the CPU will often handle tasks including scene management, gameplay logic, physics calculations, and asset loading. We took these factors into account when assessing the expected CPU performance for gaming. The more cores a CPU has, the more applications you can run simultaneously without noticing a performance impact.

The Z790, H770, Z690, and H670 can support the most USB ports for the 13900KF at USB 3.2 2x2 (20 Gbps), USB 3.2 2x1 (10 Gbps), and USB 3.2 1x1 (5 Gbps) speeds.

Max Turbo Frequency

Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900F CPU for professional tools, you can expect excellent tool performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. Raptor Lake processors will run just fine inside of existing Alder Lake motherboards, but Intel also launched a new Z790 chipset for Raptor Lake, too. Both the 13900K and 13900KF belong to Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake lineup (see TomsHardware), promising impressive performance gains over their predecessors. They both feature 16 cores and 24 threads, making them absolute powerhouses for multitasking and content creation. However, there’s a key difference between the two, and it involves that little ‘F’ at the end of the 13900KF.

It's good to see that the 13900K can be cooled to 74C at peak load with a cheap cooler, using a 200W power limit. I hope this puts to rest all the partisan carping about RPL needing expensive high-end AIOs. People always tend to believe the worst in things they don't like. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900KF CPU for general apps, you can expect excellent app performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. I wholeheartedly agree with this recommendation. While there'll always be people who wants balls-out speed and hang the noise/power, using power limits (for both Intel & AMD) is a much more reasonable approach for the vast majority, and cheaper, if you want to use a budget air cooler. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900KF CPU for professional tools, you can expect excellent tool performance with a high-performance CPU cooler.

When I began testing coolers on Intel’s i9-12900K, I found that many products that cooled the i9-10900K well now struggled in some scenarios when paired with the Alder Lake CPU – and Raptor Lake is even more difficult to cool in these situations. I would advise against running the 13900K without power limits. Because attempting to cool a CPU that’s using over 300W results in a lot of fan noise and heat output for very little increased performance. Synthetic single and multi-core benchmarks test the performance of specific instruction sets and processor operations like floating-point calculations using benchmark tools like GeekBench, Cinebench, and CPU-Z.

Overall, we concluded that the MSI MEG Z790 ACE Gaming motherboard strikes a balance between performance and functionality, offering an exceptional gaming experience. With its advanced features and versatile connectivity options, this motherboard is a reliable choice for gamers looking to elevate their gameplay. Processors that support 64-bit computing on Intel® architecture require an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Also as a side note, I saw a 200W max power dissipation in CB23 with my 12700k with a Mugen B, 240W with a NH-D15, and 260W on a 13900kf+CB23 with a Cooler Master ML280 in my personal, less controlled use.That is one of the other things I would have liked to see: a gaming test with those same conditions and coolers. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900F CPU for gaming, you can expect excellent game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. After putting both these processors through their paces, I have to say I’m leaning towards the 13900KF for my personal setup. The slight edge in single-threaded performance and the flexibility it offers for future GPU upgrades are compelling factors for me. However, I can’t deny the convenience of the integrated graphics in the 13900K, which could be a lifesaver in a pinch.Lastly, I would like to see R23 bench numbers for the 125W and 200W power levels, and not just temp. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-13900K CPU for professional tools, you can expect excellent tool performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. Overall, we concluded that the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 motherboard strikes a balance between performance and functionality, offering an exceptional gaming experience. With its advanced features and versatile connectivity options, this motherboard is a reliable choice for gamers looking to elevate their gameplay.