Core i5-13600K vs Core Ultra 9 288V

The Core i5-13600K packs 14 cores / 20 threads, while the Core Ultra 9 288V offers 8 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-13600K has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i5-13600K versus 5.1 GHz on the Core Ultra 9 288V — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i5-13600K uses the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core Ultra 9 288V uses Lunar Lake (2024) (3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13600K scores 37,655 against the Core Ultra 9 288V's 20,280 — a 60% lead for the Core i5-13600K. L3 cache: 24 MB on the Core i5-13600K vs 12 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 9 288V.

The Core i5-13600K uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core Ultra 9 288V uses FCBGA2833 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. The Core i5-13600K supports up to 192 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 142.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-13600K) vs 8 (Core Ultra 9 288V) — the Core i5-13600K offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 600 series,Intel 700 series (Core i5-13600K) and SoC (Core Ultra 9 288V).

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-13600K) vs true (Core Ultra 9 288V). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 770 (Core i5-13600K) and Intel Arc 140V (Core Ultra 9 288V) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-13600K targets Desktop.

The Core i5-13600K launched at $329 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 9 288V debuted at $600. At current prices ($319 vs $600), the Core i5-13600K is $281 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-13600K delivers 118.0 pts/$ vs 33.8 pts/$ for the Core Ultra 9 288V — making the Core i5-13600K the 111% better value option.