Intel Core i5-13400: CPU-Z benchmark highlights paltry single-core and stellar multi-core performance gains over Alder Lake

Intel's entry-level Core i5-13400 and Core i5-13500 got benchmarked well before the official Raptor Lake reveal. Their Alder Lake counterparts packed quite a punch, and that trend is expected to continue with the current generation. The lower-end Intel Core i5-13400 has been put through the paces once again, this time on CPU-Z.

The affordable Raptor Lake processor scores 729.3 and 6,591.5 in the single and multi-core benchmarks. The 65 W processor has a boost clock of 4.59 GHz. It is 3% faster than its predecessor (Core i5-12400) in single-threaded performance. Multi-threaded gains are remarkably better at 31%, thanks to the addition of four Gracemont efficiency cores on top of the six Raptor Cove performance cotes.

Unlike last time, the Intel Core i5-13400 can't hold up against the Intel Core i5-12600K (766/7,220) or even its non-K counterpart in single-threaded performance. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the Raptor Lake processor has the potential to shine in other workloads. After all, the Core i5-13400 and Core i5-12600 are identically specced, at least in terms of pure core count.

A previous rumour speculated that the Intel Core i5-13400 would reuse an Alder Lake C-0 die. However, the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master motherboard compatibility list says that the processor (and its F variant) could use a Raptor Lake B-0 die. The CPU tested above is an engineering sample, so there's no telling what the final product will end up being. Nonetheless, it has the potential to dominate the sub-US$200 CPU market, something that AMD has abandoned entirely of late.

Buy the Intel Core i5-12400 on Amazon