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日本[Comparison] Intel Core i7-13700H vs Intel Core i9-13900H – Do you need to splurge for a Core i9?
Today we have two CPUs that might as well be the same. From looking at their specs, it does seem that Intel is just playing with the clock speeds a bit and coming out with a new product entirely. That’s how we got both the Core i7-13700H and the Core i9-13900H. Today we’re here to compare these two CPUs, to see which is better value and what you should go for, if all you want is performance.
You can find more information about both processors here: Intel Core i7-13700H / Core i9-13900H
Since last year, Intel has implemented a new hybrid architecture, dividing the cores into Efficiency and Performance cores, or E-cores and P-cores for short. E-cores have only one thread, while P-cores are hyperthreaded, so two threads per core. The Core i7-13700H and the Core i9-13900H both come with 14 cores and 20 threads. 6 of these 14 cores are P-cores while the 8 left are E-cores. The cache size is also the same, but the Core i9 does come with slightly higher clock speeds. However, with laptop processors, clock speeds rarely matter, as everything is so closely tied to cooling and if the chip throttles or not.
Specs table
| Intel Core i7-13700H | Intel Core i9-13900H | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Raptor Lake-H | Raptor Lake-H |
| Cores / Threads | 14/20 | 14/20 |
| Clock Speeds – Base/Boost | 1.80 – 5.00GHz | 1.90 – 5.40GHz |
| Cache | 24MB | 24MB |
| Lithography | 10nm | 10nm |
| TDP | 45W | 45W |
| Memory type | DDR5-4800, LPDDR5-5200 | DDR5-4800, LPDDR5-5200 |
| Integrated GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU) | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU) |
Performance
Kicking the comparison off in our usual way, the Core i7-13700H is the faster chip in Cinebench R23, with a lead of 5%. However, as we’ve said before, the performance of the CPU is tied to the cooling, so depending on the laptop that you go for, you’ll get either more or less performance. Moving onto the Photoshop test, here the Core i9 takes the lead, as its higher clock speeds are very usable in shorter bursts like the Photoshop benchmark. It finishes the test 0.7 seconds faster.
Results are from the Cinebench R23 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
Conclusion
Being that the Core i9-13900H is considered a higher-tier product than the Core i7-13700H, but delivers very similar performance, it feels like the Core i9 is in name only, so in our humble opinion, there’s no need to spend more on it, while the Core i7-13700H sits there waiting for you. Even there, if you feel like the 13th Gen CPUs demand too much of a premium despite us already being close to the second half of the year, you can check out last year’s Alder Lake models, which still command a lot of presence in the market, offering similar, slightly lower performance, but in day to day use, you’ll hardly feel the difference. Below you can check the pricing and availability of laptops with both the Core i7-13700H and the Core i9-13900H.
