No One Wants Intel Anymore…. I bought it and now I see why
This YouTube video details a YouTuber’s experience switching from an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU to an Intel Core i7-13700K. Key points include:
Performance Comparison:
- Gaming: The 13700K performs very close to the 7800X3D, especially at 1440p and 4K resolutions where games are mostly GPU-limited. The 7800X3D holds a slight advantage in some titles, most notably Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Productivity: The 13700K significantly outperforms the 7800X3D in productivity tasks (Cinebench, Blender, Handbrake encoding), often by margins of 50% or more. This advantage is particularly pronounced in video encoding using Intel’s Quicksync technology, which the integrated GPU on the 13700K greatly accelerates. It even surpasses the RTX 4080 Super’s hardware encoding in some tests.
Power Consumption and Cooling:
- The 13700K has significantly higher power consumption than the 7800X3D, often double or more under full load. This necessitates substantially better cooling; a small air cooler is insufficient, requiring a large air cooler or water cooling to prevent throttling and extreme temperatures (near 100°C). Even with robust cooling, the 13700K runs much hotter than the 7800X3D.
- Undervolting can mitigate power consumption and temperature issues, but it requires technical expertise and results in a small performance decrease.
Intel CPU Degradation Issues:
- The YouTuber discusses the widely reported degradation issues with Intel’s 13th and 14th generation CPUs, including voltage spikes leading to potential failure. They returned their first 13700K due to these concerns.
- Multiple BIOS updates have been released to address the degradation, but the issue persists, with the latest BIOS update even causing a performance regression. The YouTuber expresses concern about the long-term reliability of the CPU.
Platform Considerations:
- Intel’s platform upgrades are less frequent and less appealing compared to AMD’s AM5 platform, meaning buying an Intel CPU often locks the user into that generation.
Overall Conclusion:
- The 13700K offers excellent performance and phenomenal value for its price, especially in productivity workloads. However, its high power consumption and associated cooling challenges, coupled with the ongoing degradation concerns, present significant drawbacks. The YouTuber ultimately chooses to switch their main system to the 13700K despite these risks, partly for testing purposes and because of its strong overall performance, but strongly advises against it for average users due to AMD’s superior platform and ease of use. They recommend AMD for most users.