Intel has unveiled its 13th Gen Intel Core desktop processor family and a new software solution designed to integrate Windows PCs with iOS and Android devices.
The industry giant showcased those and other offerings this morning on the opening day of its Innovation conference in San Jose, Calif.
Code-named Raptor Lake, the 13th Gen Core family will eventually include 22 processors offering what Intel says will be up to 15% better single-thread performance and up to 41% faster multi-thread performance versus previous generation technology.
The new chips will all be compatible with existing Intel 600 chipset motherboards as well as a new series of Intel 700 motherboards announced today. They will also all support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory.
Six unlocked “K” desktop processors, set to ship October 20th, will be the first 13th Gen Core SKUs to reach market. Included among them is the top-of-the-line 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900K, packed with eight Performance-cores, 16 Efficient-cores, 32 threads, 36MB of Level 3 cache, and 32MB of Level 2 cache, resulting in what Intel says will be up to 24% better gaming performance and up to 34% faster content creation workflow.
“This is the fastest, best desktop processor ever built,” said Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (pictured) during a keynote today.
Due next month as well is the i7-13700K with eight P-cores and eight E-cores, 24 threads, 30MB of L3 cache, and 24MB of L2 cache, as well as the i5-13600K, with six P-cores, eight E-cores, 20 threads, 24MB of L3 cache, and 20MB of L2 cache.
Intel’s specialized P-cores, which are optimized for faster speeds, and E-cores, which are designed to extend battery life, debuted with the 12th Gen Core processor family.
Recommended pricing for “K” series chips will start at $564 for the i9-13900K, $384 for the i7-13700K, and $294 for the i5-13600K.
A new gaming GPU introduced today, the Intel Arc A770, will ship October 12th. Offering what Intel says will be 65% better ray tracing performance than comparable products from NVIDIA, the device will list at $329.
“The last few years, they’ve just gotten super expensive,” said Gelsinger today of gaming GPUs. “We’re about to fix that.”
The new software solution announced today, named Unison, is designed to connect Intel-based PCs seamlessly with ARM-based mobile devices running iOS and Android. The first release, due later this year, will let Windows users make and receive voice calls, send and receive texts, and view phone notifications on their desktop or laptop. The system will support file, video, and photo transfers across devices as well.
Microsoft’s Phone Link (formerly Your Phone) app, which is included with Windows 11, provides similar functionality, but only for Android. Apple’s Continuity feature, meanwhile, works only with macOS and iOS hardware.
Unison will initially be available only on select Intel Evo laptops from Acer, HP, and Lenovo with 12th Gen Intel Core processors. Intel will extend it to 13th Gen designs starting early next year.
Intel Innovation concludes tomorrow.
