Intel is launching its new line of 13th generation Core processors soon, and one of its most interesting models, the Core i5-13500, is already on sale in some Asian stores. Lucky for us, Alva “Lucky_n00b” Jonathan, a well-known overclocker from the JagatOC team, managed to buy one before the official release, which allows us to have first-hand information on this Intel desktop CPU.
The Core i5-13500 is a 14-core processor, with 6 Performance cores and 8 Efficient cores. This is one of the biggest leaps forward over the 12th Gen series, as its predecessor had no Efficient cores at all. What's intriguing is that Alva seems to confirm that this i5-13500 could use the Alder Lake C0 die.
The Core i5-13500 is part of the new 65W TDP series. This power level applies to PL1 (Power Limit 1) or Processor Base Power, as Intel now calls it. However, the CPU also supports 2W PL154 or MTP (Max Turbo Power), which can actually be forced into the motherboard BIOS. Many existing and upcoming Intel motherboards will offer an option to increase the amount of time the CPU will remain boosted with maximum power, thus putting the CPU in a higher performance state for an extended period.
According to Alva, this CPU gains hugely when used in MTP mode, with a 1,5 GHz difference for all cores running simultaneously during heavy workloads such as Cinebench. With a default TDP of 65W, the maximum boost of all cores is 2,9-3,0 GHz, but with an unlocked TDP, it increases to 4,5 GHz with all cores. This of course applies to performance cores, but efficient cores also gain a higher frequency, from 2,9 GHz to 3,5 GHz, according to the report.
The CPU running in 4,5GHz Maximum Boost (MTP) mode almost achieves multi-core performance of Core i7-12700K processor, while in 65W mode it almost matches i5-12600K (both tested in Cinebench R23). However, still in MTP, the original heat sink is not enough and it is not recommended to use it.
Alva claims to have purchased the processor for just $270 (after conversion). It also confirms that the CPU has a maximum single-core boost of 4,8 GHz.
In summary, the Core i5-13500 seems to be a very interesting 13th generation desktop processor from Intel, offering solid performance at an affordable price. Although it is recommended to use a higher performance heat sink when operating at maximum power, users can expect significant performance gains using this mode. We can't wait to see how this processor performs when it's officially released and to learn more about its full performance.