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The Intel Core i5-13600K and Ryzen 7 5800X3D are two CPUs that target different performance levels, yet they cost similar. The Intel CPUs feature the new P and E-core-based hybrid design with higher clock speeds for better performance and efficiency. On the other hand, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D has a traditional eight-core design with 96MB of 3D cache for better gaming performance.
But which is the best mid-range CPU? Overall, the Intel Core i5-13600K is the best CPU. It is better for productivity, video editing workloads, and gaming, and you can also overclock it for even better performance. This article explains why the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU is the best and how the Ryzen 7 5800X3D can be a great alternative CPU.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinions.
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Intel Core i5-13600K vs Ryzen 7 5800X3D
The Intel Core i5-13600K and Ryzen 7 5800X3D are two vastly different CPUs. Let's look at the specs of the two CPUs to better gauge what they are made of.
Specs
The Intel Core i5-13600K is built on the 13th Gen Raptor Lake architecture that brought higher E-cores compared to 12th Gen. On the contrary, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is based on Zen 3 architecture, which brought significant IPC improvements compared to its previous generation.
Here are the detailed specs of the two CPUs:
As you can see, the Intel Core i5-13600K has higher core counts, higher clock speeds, support for DDR5, and higher RAM capacity. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D loses out on all three of those but has a significantly higher L3 cache, which is better for gaming performance.
Synthetic benchmark
There are a lot of factors when it comes to performance, and specs alone don't determine which has more performance. It's time we put the two CPUs to the test and see how they perform. We will start with a few synthetic benchmarks like Cinebench, Geekbench, and more.
Here's how the two CPUs perform:
On average, the Intel Core i5-13600K is 25% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in single-core tests, 34.33% faster in multi-core tests, and is also 29% faster in Blender 3D rendering workloads. This performance advantage of the Intel Core i5-13600K can be seen in many productivity applications, and it is a clear win against the Ryzen CPU.
Gaming performance difference
Intel takes the lead in productivity due to drastically higher core counts, but it matters less in gaming. Higher core clocks and higher cache size benefit games more and you will soon see why. The Intel CPU benefits from higher clock speeds while the Ryzen CPU benefits from higher cache size. But which is better? Let's find out.
Note: The FPS numbers were provided by the "optimum" channel on YouTube.
The Intel Core i5-13600K is the ultimate winner since it won in five out of seven games. Intel won in games that favor higher clock speeds, and Ryzen won in games that prefer higher cache. On average, the Intel CPU scores 5.08% higher FPS than the AMD Ryzen CPU, which suffered due to lower clock speeds.
The new Ryzen 7 7800X3D fixed that now and has both higher clocks and more cache.
Price
The Intel Core i5-13600K costs $283, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D costs $238, which is quite a bit cheaper. You can also get a more affordable version of this Intel CPU with the Core i5-13600KF, which is the same as other models except it doesn't have an integrated GPU. This variant of the Intel CPU costs just $249.
Which is the best mid-range CPU?
Intel Core i5-13600K is the best mid-range CPU. It excels in both productivity and gaming and leads the battle of the two CPUs. Intel has two advantages, higher core count and clock speeds.
Comparatively, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor only has a cache advantage. However, if you have a lower budget and only need gaming performance, it is also a great alternative CPU.
