Intel Core i5-13600KF Desktop Processor 14 cores (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores) - Unlocked

Updating my review for mid 2025, this processor is a beast, it has enough power to handle anything I've thrown at it. it's stable and safe so long as you have the correct bios. It's easy to install but it does run hot. I'd strongly recommend a 360 aio or Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 which is what I have on mine right now. The vetroo V5 which is a fantastic budget cooler struggles at load even with push-pull fan set-up. With adequate cooling my bench marks match or beat the 14600 with zero over clocking and over a year of use with zero signs of degradation which was a real concern for this generation.

There was a ton of controversy around this generation of @intel CPUS. Mine has been a beast. Probably a little over kill for my PC but, oh well. Welcome to the master race! It is fast, consistent, I've had no issues... however, I do use a pretty strong AIO Cooler with it.

I come from an i5 4690k, no complains about that processor. But wow, everything is snappy now! Most apps loading is almost instantaneous, with the same SATA SSD that I used before. I had to manually adapt my old cooling system, because the mounting size was different, but eventually I will change it. This CPU takes more power that my previous processor, so when it hits 130 or 150 watts the AIO fan spins and the temps go up to 80+ or 90+ °C. Power saving mode from the mobo helps when it happens if you dont want to keeo temps at that numbers, but I guess it's all normal with this moddel. Iddle temps go from 28 to 34 with an old 140mm Corsair AIO. Below 100 watts it remains under 70-80, again I assume it's normal.The degradation issue reported with 13th and 14th generation got me worried for sure, but I got my mobo updated to the lastes BIOS, so we will see how it goes. For 175 dollars, no other CPU was close in performance. Great value and performance overall so far!

Even now in the age of Ryzen X3D chips, the i5 series (now Core Ultra 5) are still some of the bests for gaming builds on a budget. I ran this CPU for a while, just used it to upgrade my wife's old 9600K and it's a night and day difference. Everything loads significantly faster; it just works well.

Powerful Cpu

Let’s be real, most gamers do not need more than 165fps in 2024 Call of Duty Black Ops 6. I likely get over 1000 frames in Fortnite with low graphics settings. You can pretty much get away with any game if you’re a casual player. Now if I was a streamer, or very highly competitive FPS gamer, then yes 240+ is probably normal across all games. At that point you do need an RTX 4090 paired with the latest greatest 14900k or 7800x3d etc.Point is, this CPU and my 4070 will ride me through the next 4 years before i do another full upgrade (if I’m still gaming by then).This CPU is great and actually an incredible value for the price.

This thing kicks serious butt, runs everything perfectly have no issues with it, I will say you do need a good cooler when it's running high usage or it'll easily go hot. It seems to be stable has no issues. The installation is like any other cpu, easy but you gotta take your time. Supports my ram oc and keeps up perfectly with my 4070 Super. Overall, would definitely recommend to anyone building a PC and doesn't wanna break a bank and a leg.

This CPU is powerful enough to run my pc super fast. I have a simple air cooler, and the temps do get a bit hot, so I wish that was better. It did get too hot one time when playing Black Ops 6 and shut down my computer on me, but I restarted it and gave it more ventilation. My room was fairly warm, which could have contributed to this. I bought an AIO cooler to combat this problem. Other than that, the CPU has been very stable, and I’ve been able to play demanding games with no problem. For reference I also have a 4070 super, ASUS B760 motherboard, and 32GB of DDR5 Ram. For a decent pc on a budget, this CPU is the way to go especially for the price point, but it’s definitely not perfect or the most powerful in its generation so keep that in mind.