Intel Core i5-13600k vs Core i5-12600k: The latest Intel Core i5 13th-Gen is a worthy successor and would in no time become the mainstream favourite CPU. It outperforms the Core i5 12th-Gen Alder Lake CPU by a wide margin.
The company bumped up the specs of the Core i5-13600k processor. Which gave it an edge over its predecessor. In this comparison post between the Intel Core i5-13600k vs Core i5-12600k, you’ll get to know which mainstream CPU is better. Also, you can make use of the box at the bottom of this post to purchase either of them from October 20.
See Also: Intel Core i7-13700K vs Core i7-12700K: Is Newer Better?
See Also: Intel Core i9-13900k Price in UK and Availability
Price and Availability
The Intel Core i5-12600k was launched in October 2021 and currently, it is priced at $277. While the latest Intel Core i5-13600k is priced at $319. The new Intel Core i5 13th-Gen is more expensive.
Availability-wise, the Intel Core i5-12600k is widely available for purchase. While its successor, the latest Intel Core i5-13600k will start selling on October 20, 2022. You can use the box at the bottom of this post to purchase either of these CPUs.
Socket Compatibility
Will Intel 13th Generation CPU be compatible with LGA 1700 CPU socket? Absolutely! The Intel Core i5 13th-Gen CPU will use the same LGA1700 CPU socket used by 12th-Gen Alder Lake chips. And since 13th Gen supports Z690 as well as Z790, you can continue with your existing motherboard.
See Also: Intel Core i9-13900K vs Core i9-12900K: Which is Better?
See Also: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is now Available for Purchase for $399
Performance
The latest Intel Core i5-13600k is faster and better than the Intel Core i5-12600k CPU. Intel intentionally bumped up the specs of the Core i5-13600k processor. Which now has 6 Performing-cores and 8 Efficiency-cores, with a total thread count of 20.
It has 20MB of L2 cache and 24MB of L3 cache. The P-cores boost up to 5.1GHz and the E-cores up to 3.9GHz. The latest Core i5-13600k has higher cores and higher threads than the Core i5 12th-gen. So the new Core i5-13600k has a better multi-threaded performance than its predecessor which content creators will appreciate a lot.
| Specs | Intel Core i5-13600k | Intel Core i5-12600k |
| Cores | 14 | 10 |
| Threads | 20 | 16 |
| Boost Clock | 5.1GHz | 4.9GHz |
| iGPU | UHD 770 | UHD 770 |
| CPU Socket | LGA 1700 | LGA 1700 |
The series of tests carried out before now shows the superiority of the Intel Core i5-13600k CPU. The tests include Blender, 3DMark, Cinebench, Geekbench, PugetBench, and CPU-Z with both DDR4-3600 and DDR5-5200 memory. And in the overall summary based on the carried out tests, the Intel Core i5-13600k is about 20-30% faster than the Core i5-12600k.
See Also: Intel Core i5-13600k Price and Availability
See Also: Intel 13th Gen Pricing: Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 Raptor Lake CPUs
Intel Core i5-13600k vs Core i5-12600k: Verdict
The latest Intel Core i5 13th-gen is better and faster than the Intel Core i5 12th-gen. The Core i5-13600k has more cores, a larger L3 Cache size, higher memory bandwidth, and about 4% higher turbo boost frequency. It’s easier to crown it as the new king of mainstream CPUs. Details of how to buy these processors are in the table below.
| Intel Core i5-13600k | Prices |
| Buy on Amazon | $339.99 |
| Buy on Amazon(UK) | £382.33 |
| Buy on Amazon(EUR) | €427.04 |
| Intel Core i5-12600K | Prices |
| Buy on Amazon | $277.99 |
| Buy on Amazon(UK) | £306.48 |
| Buy on Amazon(EUR) | €323.55 |
