Intel’s Raptor Lake processors will launch with 12 different models of desktop CPUs for consumers, according to the latest rumors.
This comes from Wccftech, which got its hands on a leaked spec sheet for the initial line-up of 13th-gen chips.
The theory is that Intel will initially debut the Core i9-13900K and vanilla 13900, along with the Core i7-13700K plus 13700, Core i5-13600K, and Core i5-13400.
That’s six models, and supposedly there’ll also be ‘F’ versions of these six processors, such as the Core i9-13900KF and 13900F. The addition of that letter simply means these are variants without an integrated GPU (allowing for slightly cheaper prices for those who have a discrete graphics card).
That makes 12 CPUs in total for the initial launch (plus a couple of enterprise-targeted chips, the 13900T and 13700T which are low-power variants).
The flagship Core i9-13900K is shown with a maximum boost of 5.8GHz, a speed which has long been rumored, and an all-core boost of 5.5GHz (for the performance cores that is – the efficiency cores, 16 of them, top out at 4.3GHz).
Wccftech maintains that Raptor Lake will be revealed on September 27, at Intel’s big Innovation event, with the processors actually going on sale come October 20, as recent speculation has indicated.
Analysis: More models than we expected
It’s interesting to see leaks which show quite a number of processors present right out of the gate, as elsewhere we’d heard that Intel could be shooting for a more limited release of just a few ‘K’ model CPUs to begin with (namely the 13900K, 13700K and 13600K). It could be the case, though, that these are the chips which go on pre-order a week before the October 20 on-shelf date, and the other 13th-gen processors might arrive very swiftly after that.
Other notable points made in the leaked specs here include the assertion that the TDPs for Raptor Lake run from 65W to 125W at the high-end, which sounds all very palatable. But remember: the flagship 13900K is rumored to have an extreme performance mode which could peak at much, much higher wattages than that (although enthusiasts who want this kind of performance are unlikely to be too worried about power bills).
Raptor Lake CPUs look set to deliver some seriously nippy frame rates, but the same is true for AMD’s next-gen offerings. Indeed, what we’ve seen of Ryzen 7000 chips thus far following their initial reveal makes the Zen 4-based silicon look pretty strong – with some good news on the pricing front, too.
AMD will also be getting a key advantage in terms of actually going on sale come September 27 – way ahead of Raptor Lake (in theory), and with plenty of stock rumored to be on hand, that could give Team Red a major head-start in the battle for next-gen turf.
