In this review we will provide an in-depth look at the replacement of the popular Core i5 12400F. How fast is the cheapest Core i5 processor of the new series?
The series of Core processors in the 13th generation began to flood computer stores in recent months, and now the processors that complement the ones we saw at the launch are arriving on store shelves. While Core i5 13600K, Core i7 13700K and Core i9 13900K made the breakthrough, recently the lower thermal envelope processors that come in frequencies and more relaxed prices have also started to arrive.
The new processor series includes those based on the Raptor Cove architecture for the P-Core cores alongside those based on Golden Cove that we met in the 12th generation series.
The new Core i7 and Core i9 processors mainly include a slight lowering of frequencies, thermal envelopes and a lock for overclocking, while the Core i5 processors gain additional cores compared to the previous generation, with a slight increase in frequency without fundamental architectural improvements. The pair of new Core i3 processors are very similar to those of the previous generation, with a slight increase in frequency and no additional cores.
A particularly popular category among users, and in fact the intersection of every Intel product line is known to us as Core i5 and especially the cheap processors of the Core i5 family. In the last decade, the cheap processors of the Core i5 series have become best sellers for gaming and general uses. This is mostly due to the combination of an accessible price tag and respectable processing power.
So far this role has been filled by the Core i5 12400 (or in the F version without a built-in graphics core). It would follow the path of processors such as the Core i5 11400 and Core i5 10400 which did so faithfully. Now the torch is passed to the new processor with the accessible price tag – Core i5 13400 and Core i5 13400F which does not include a built-in graphics core.
In terms of processing performance – everything said in this review about the Core i5 13400F is also relevant to the standard Core i5 13400. Both contain the same hardware at the same power.
Core i5 13400F is the cheapest 13th generation Core i5 processor for Intel’s LGA1700 socket that you will find in stores. This processor contains 6 P-Core cores now for the first time along with 4 efficient E-Core cores. The addition of 4 E-Core cores compared to the previous generation brings the lowest level of Core i5 to 16 threads of processing, where the 6 P-Core cores benefit from HyperThreading technology for multi-threading.
The turbo frequency for a single core is at 4.6GHz for the P-Core cores in this processor. When it is at full effort and without a cooling limit, all six of these fast cores are expected to operate at a frequency of 4.1GHz. The E-Core cores stay at a relaxed frequency of 3.2GHz in effort.
The official thermal envelope of the processor is 65W, but today most motherboards allow processors to operate much more than that as long as the heatsink allows it. We will detail power consumption later.
Competing processors and the market situation
Intel’s Core i5 13400F arrives on the market when Core i5 12400F processors are still expected to be found on store shelves. Tomorrow’s local tag for the new Core i5 is about 900 shekels, while that of the 12400F is about 200 shekels lower, and you should remember that when looking at the performance tests.
Additionally, AMD recently launched the Ryzen 5 7600, which is its new affordable 6-core processor for the competing AM5 socket. This is a processor that costs about a thousand shekels, supports only DDR5 and motherboards for it start from around 850 shekels.
Above the Core i5 13400F there are processors like the Core i5 13500 and the Core i5 13600KF. At this point we don’t have the Core i5 13500 but we hope to cover it soon, as it is another interesting processor in the series with the same price tag as the Ryzen 5 7600.
The examination system and the performance tests
Our test system includes Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system with the latest update as of this writing. The rest of the system components specification includes:
- Memory: Kingston Fury DDR5-5200 CL40 16GBx2 for general processing tests
- Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 CL30 16GBx2 for gaming exams
- Power Supply: ASUS Thor 1200W Platinum
- Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming OC 24GB
- CPU cooling: ASUS Ryujin 360II
- storage: Kingston Fury Renegade NVMe 2TB PCIe 4.0 M.2
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero for Intel
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero for AMD
A new record of graphic power has been launched into the world of hardware and we are harnessing its power in order to present the performance of the various processors in games. In games, we tested the processors at three resolutions together with the GeForce RTX 4090. 1080p results are shown in green, 1440p results are shown in blue and 4K results are shown in orange. This performance represents average frames per second. Let’s start with the general processing exams
In the Cinebench R20 rendering test, the Core i5 13400F shows interesting dynamics. Its single-core performance is lower than that of the Ryzen 5 7600 and the 12600K naturally, but its rendering performance for all cores is also better than that of the 7600X thanks to the participating E-Cores.
In the 7ZIP compression and extraction test, the 13400F shows respectably high results compared to its predecessor, the 12400. They are close to those of the 12600K and Ryzen 5 7600.
In the Photoshop and Lightroom test we see that expenses and the difference between the 13400F and other processors shows the different requirements of these two programs. In these two tests, the Core i5 13400F is practically identical to the Ryzen 5 7600. They are even better than the 8-core processors of the previous Ryzen generation. This is not good news for AMD in the discounted processor category.
Rendered using the V-RAY engine, the Core i5 13400F performed identically to the Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 7 5800X. As mentioned – very respectable for the cheapest new Core i5.
Rendering a scene in Blender The extra cores of the Core i5 13400F compared to the previous generation puts it again in a somewhat awkward place (for AMD) next to the more expensive Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 5800X.
When converting video using Handbrake from one resolution to another, the Core i5 13400F performed the task at a slightly higher speed than the Ryzen 5 7600X and its non-X sibling.
In gaming we will start to see the hot hand of the Core i5 13400F cool down a bit compared to productivity. Although, it is important to put things in perspective. We use a GeForce RTX 4090 and create bottlenecks with the processor deliberately in one of the modes (1080p). In Overwatch 2, the maximum number of frames that the 13400F managed to produce is lower than any other processor of the new generation that we tested. When there is no bottleneck with the processor the situation improves.
In Horizon Zero Dawn the discounted Intel processors don’t have much of a chance when there is a bottleneck or partial dependency on the processor. This title belongs to AMD.
The story in Borderlands 3 is similar to the one we saw in Horizon. When there is no dependency on the processor the situation is the same between all the new processors, when there is a dependency the Core i5 13400F gets a cold shower. Although, to its credit, it is the cheapest modern processor of the bunch.
In Forza Horizon 5, the Core i5 13400F manages to handle above certain AMD processors and place itself close to the 12700K (although we believe that the 12700K suffers a bit from a strange core preference in this title).
In Watch Dogs: Legion, the story is similar to most other tests and more or less sums up gaming with a discounted Core i5 processor in the modern generation – as long as you rely on the video card that is the bottleneck in the system, no problems are expected at all.
electricity use
In the power consumption category the Core i5 13400F allowed itself to reach 108W when rendering. It’s not the most efficient processor we’ve ever tested, and it’s no secret that today AMD is far ahead of Intel in terms of efficiency. Look, the 12-core Ryzen 9 7900 showed lower power consumption. We really hope to see Intel working on the electrical efficiency of its processors in the future, and in particular moderate power consumption for the cheap processors without the need for user intervention.
In this situation the NH-D15 sitting on the 13400F calmed it down with a maximum core temperature of 69 degrees Celsius with an ambient temperature of 22 degrees. It’s not a perfect situation with such advanced air cooling, but we are 30 degrees Celsius away from any worries. Using any relatively advanced air cooling is expected to keep 13400F in the normal range.
Analysis of the performance tests and summary
The Core i5 13400F enjoys a privilege that not many products enjoy in a competitive market. Core i5 12400F warmed his seat as the depolitic choice for the general market and now it’s his turn to sit down and continue the role.
In terms of productivity, we see that the Core i5 13400F took the weaknesses of the Core i5 12400F and improved them relatively considerably. This didn’t happen thanks to a small increase of 100MHz for the P-Core cores, but mainly thanks to the use of 4 new E-Core cores that the predecessor did not have. We see performance that parallels that of the Ryzen 5 7600X horizontally.
In gaming, the situation is a little different. In the games we tested, the competing Ryzen 5 7600 is not a weaker processor. If you consider the fact that the 7600 is an open processor for overclocking. The gaming advantage will probably remain with him in this generation. Although, when the bottleneck rests entirely on the video card, the difference between them is not particularly relevant. Both will provide a good gaming experience.
While the price of the Core i5 13400F is similar to that of the Ryzen 5 7600, Intel has a clear advantage in user value for the price. Motherboards with the B660 chipset combined with DDR4 memory will cost much less than any cheapest AM5 board with DDR5 memory (AMD does not support DDR4 in the new generation). The cost of a complete computer system on Intel’s side is simply significantly lower. A combination of motherboard, processor and memory can lead to a point where you can place an Intel Core i7 with DDR4 against the cheapest AMD. The situation is not pleasant for AMD.
Credit is given for the fact that on AMD’s side it is not a socket that is expected to end life this year (like Intel’s LGA1700) but one for which we will see new processors this year, next year, and probably the year after. An upgrade horizon based on the same motherboard exists there.
If you are purchasing a new computer system where the emphasis is on a cheap and powerful processor used with an advanced graphics card, without thinking about upgrades in the near future – Core i5 13400F is a fairly easy choice. “Easy upgrade on Core i5 12400F” is absolutely all this processor needed, as even today Core i5 12400F if available very cheaply is not a bad choice at all. The addition of 4 E-Core cores upgrades this processor and makes it much more flexible for productivity and multitasking. Core i5 13400F is a bit more hardcore for advanced users in terms of the amount of resources it allows and a welcome upgrade for the cheap Core i5 tier.