Is Intel 13th gen worth it?

Intel’s 13th gen Raptor Lake is nearly here– replacing 2021’s 12th-generation Alder Lake chips.

Arriving in 3 different CPUs, the i9, i7 and i5, Intel 13th gen claims to boast a 15% better single core performance gain on the prior generation, and a 41% multi-thread performance gain.

NOW READ: Intel 13th gen i9 CPUs are here – everything you need to know

The good news is that you won’t need to upgrade your motherboard, so long as you’re rocking a Z690. Raptor Lake CPUs are based on the same LGA 1700 socket – just like the12th generation Alder Lake that came before it.

So, is the 13th gen worth it? Let’s find out.

Is 13th gen worth it?

As always, upgrading the CPU is a personal decision – but these 13th gen CPUs are not cheap. The flagship i9 variant will costs around $500 with the cheapest i5 coming in at $320.

When compared with the previous Alder Lake generation, the stated improvements are not mind-blowing, but we’ll be able to give a more detailed view once our full reviews are published on launch day (October 20).

For those looking at upgrading a CPU, it could also be a great time to look at 12th Gen Intel variants. Typically the previous generation will see price drops, so you can snap up a seriously powerful piece of hardware for a fraction of the price at launch.

NOW READ: Here’s everything you need to know about the Ryzen 7000 series

As the 13th gen is compatible with the Z690 mothetboard, there is no rush to rebuild your system if you currently have a 12th gen CPU. This means it may make sense to wait until prices come down, which typically happens around six months after the initial launch.

Sometimes, but very rarely, there are also Christmas and Black Friday offers, but these tend to be for CPUs a generation behind.

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For those wanting to splash the cash, the Z790 motherboards boast faster RAM and also PCIE Gen 5 slots, which is double the speed of the prior motherboard generation and double the bandwidth. In short, it allows your GPU to theoretically pump out up to twice the performance.

You’ve also got to consider AMD’s next generation of CPUs, Ryzen 7,000. This generation saw AMD focus largely on single-core performance and efficiency – with incredible results. In fact, the Ryzen 9 7950X is arguably the fastest CPU in the world.

You can keep up with the Intel 13th Gen launch right here – including our prediction as to when stock will become available