Intel Core i3 Raptor Lake i3-13100F BOX

Intel's 13th Gen Core i3 processors (codenamed Raptor Lake) are refreshed entry-level 4-core chips built on a 10nm process. They are compatible with Intel motherboards using the Socket 1700 connector, which Intel introduced in the fall of 2021. Chips of this series provide high performance in their price segment and, according to the manufacturer, can become a moderately productive basis for a gaming system or an entry-level working PC.

Due to the compatibility of the Socket 1700 socket with more powerful Core i7 and i9 chips, the user can upgrade the system in the future without having to change the motherboard and other components, it will be enough to replace the processor with a more powerful model. Unlike the older Intel Core Raptor Lake chips, which have significantly improved single-core performance, the 13th generation Core i3 models are not much different from the previous one.

The scheme is the same: 4 physical Performance cores with turbo boost support + 4 virtual cores due to the activation of Hyper-Threading multithreading technology. In fact, Intel only slightly increased the clock speeds: before it was 3.3 GHz in normal mode or 4.3 GHz with automatic overclocking, now it has become 3.4 GHz and 4.5 GHz, respectively. Given the same 12 MB L3 cache, the average performance of the Core i3 Raptor Lake family outperforms the previous generation by an average of 6%.

As before, these chips are able to work with both DDR4 RAM and the newer DDR5, which in 2023 is gradually taking root in the mass market. The maximum supported clock speed for DDR5 is 4800 MHz, with DDR4 it is limited to 3200 MHz. The highest allowed amount of RAM in both cases is 128 GB. The level of heat dissipation for the entire line is in the range from 58 to 89 W, so a side cooler (if it is included) or the simplest entry-level turntable can easily cope with its cooling. Core i3 modifications without the F prefix have an integrated Intel HD Graphics 730 video card, which eliminates the need to buy additional video cards in the case of low-cost and office builds. There are slight differences between standard models and F processors in terms of power consumption limits.