Anyone who’s anyone in computing is getting crazy excited about the Core i5-13500 ES CPU which dropped in January this year. YouTubers have already put it through its paces and found that it eclipses the Core i5-12500 with benchmark testing demonstrating its 56% multi-threaded performance advantage.
In this article, we take a closer look at the Core i5-13500, comparing it to the Core i5-12500 and explaining why the i5-13500 might just be one of the best CPUs on the market.
What is Intel Core i5 and What Does it Do for My Computer?
Intel Core i5 is a microprocessor brand that is manufactured by Intel. Processors like the i5 are central processing units (CPU). The CPU is the brain of your PC, making lightning-fast calculations that are necessary for the other computer components to execute tasks.
Core i5 is One of Intel’s Leading Consumer Brands
Intel Core i5 processors have been around since 1999 and have built up a strong industry rep for their speed and processing power. Intel Core i5 processors can take on demanding applications like gaming or computer-aided design using embedded Intel Turbo Boost Technology.
Core i5 CPUs have between two and six cores and are capable of supporting multiple threads (task performance) simultaneously. The Core i5-13500 ES CPU and Core i5-12500 have some of the fastest Core i5 clock speeds and multi-thread performance in the consumer PC market.
Core i5-13500 ES CPU is the Latest CPU in the Core i5 Series
Intel’s release of the Core i5-13500 is one of the top PC hardware launches of this year. This chip is a game-changing piece of technology that has demonstrably overtaken the already impressive i5-12500 from last year, 2022.
It has also performed favorably against the recent 13th Gen Raptor Lake and some of 2023’s other chip releases including:
- AMD Ryzen 7000 3D V-Cache
- Ryzen 7 5800X3D
- 14 cores (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores)
- 24MB Cache
- Up to 4.8 GHz
- 20 threads
- Compatible with Intel 600 series and 700 series chipset-based motherboards
- Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, and PCIe 5.0 & 4.0 support. Intel Optane Memory support. Intel Laminar RH1 Cooler included
Eight Efficiency Cores are Key to the Success of This Latest i5 Processor
The Core i5-13500’s performance is down to the addition of eight efficiency cores (E-cores) that have been added alongside the 6 standard performance cores that the Core i5-12500 has. This means that the Core i5-13500 has 14 cores in total for superior speeds and multi-threaded performance.
Impressive Early Benchmarking Results
Engineers and PC enthusiasts like Alva Jonathan have already put hush-hush early-release Asian market versions of this chip through its paces in leading test environments and found that its Turbo frequency can be pushed as high as 4.9 GHz, while the all-core frequency is an impressive 4.4 GHz, and the E-cores are clocking up frequencies of up to 3.4 GHz by themselves.
Key aspects of the benchmarking profile of the Core i5-13500 include:
- A multi-threaded Cinebench R23 score of 19,891 points, versus 12,678 points for the Core i5-12500
- A score of 8,222 versus 5,108 points for the Core i5-12500 in the CPU-Z multi-threaded benchmark
Take a look at this content creator’s benchmarking video for the Core i5-13500 ES CPU and the Core i5-12500 below.
Core i5-13500 ES CPU vs. Core i5-12500: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Core i5-13500 | Core i5-12500 | |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Central processing unit (CPU) for consumer computing | Central processing unit (CPU) for consumer computer |
| Primary Use | Data processing logic and control | Data processing logic and control |
| Initial Release | January 2023 | January 2022 |
| Release Price | $250 | $280 |
| Influential Developers | Intel Corporation | Intel Corporation |
| Clock Rate | 4.80 GHz | 4.60 GHx |
| Turbo Boost | 4.80 GHz Boost 3.0 | 4.6 GHz Boost 2.0 |
| Cores | 6 performance cores, 8 efficient cores | 6 performance cores only |
| Cache | L1 cache: 80KB per core L2 cache: 1,250 KB per core L3 cache: 24 MB | L1 cache: 80KB per core L2 cache: 1,280KB per core L3 cache: 18 MB |
| I/O Bus | DMI | DMI |
| Clock Multiplier | 25x | 30x |
| Memory | 128GB | 128GB |
| Voltage | 1.2V | 1.2V |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 65W | 65W |
| CPU Socket | LGA1150 / LGA1151 / LGA1155 / LGA1156 / LGA1200 / LGA1700 | LGA1150 / LGA1151 / LGA1155 / LGA1156 / LGA1200 / LGA1700 |
©Rost9/Shutterstock.com
The Intel Core i5-13500 ES CPU Offers Outstanding Value
Intel has pulled off a seemingly impossible feat, producing a higher specification CPU for a lower release price. It sounds crazy, but this is actually a shrewd maneuver by Intel to dominate the low-to-mid end of the processor market, giving competitors like AMD and Ryzen a big headache.
Core i5 processors have always been perceived as a little pedestrian. However, the i5-13500 may be capable of forays into lucrative sectors like gaming. It appears to be an overclocker’s dream and is able to meet the computing demands of content creators.
- 14 cores (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores)
- 24MB Cache
- Up to 4.8 GHz
- 20 threads
- Compatible with Intel 600 series and 700 series chipset-based motherboards
- Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, and PCIe 5.0 & 4.0 support. Intel Optane Memory support. Intel Laminar RH1 Cooler included
Final Thoughts
Once the Core i5-13500 goes mainstream, it will set new standards on the kind of value-for-money consumer PC processors should be delivering. It’s important to remember that the production model chip may have even higher clock speeds, compared to the early-release processors we’re seeing right now.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Rokas Tenys/Shutterstock.com.
