Intel 13th gen power consumption – what PSU do you need?

Here we will analyze the 13th-generation CPUs from Intel and their power consumption

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Intel dropped its long-awaited 13th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs in September 2022. However, there are still some concerns among prospective upgraders over just how much power the new best CPUs will consume, despite Intel’s best efforts to increase the efficiency of its CPUs. So what is the Intel 13th gen power consumption? and what PSU will you need when buying or upgrading?

There are four tiers of SKUs in the 13th-gen line-up, each consuming a little more power than the last. We will now list each 13th-generation Raptor Lake SKU and its power consumption. Below are some PSU options to get you started. Before we jump in, however, it might be best to check whether your CPU and GPU will cause a bottleneck, or else you’ll be wasting money.

How much power do the 13th-generation Intel CPUs consume?

Here is a list of every 13th-gen CPU, along with its base and boost power consumption. We’ve ordered this list from most power consumed to least.

13th gen Intel i9 power consumption

CPU	Base power consumption	Boost power consumption
Intel core i9-13900K	125 W	253 W
Intel core i9-13900KF	125 W	253 W

13th gen Intel i7 power consumption

CPU	Base power consumption	Boost power consumption
Intel core i7-13700K	125 W	253 W
Intel core i7-13700KF	125 W	253 W

13th gen Intel i5 power consumption

CPU	Base power consumption	Boost power consumption
Intel core i5-13600K	125 W	181 W
Intel core i5-13600KF	125 W	181 W

13th gen Intel i3 power consumption

CPU	Base power consumption	Boost power consumption
Intel core i3-13100	60 W	110 W
Intel core i3-13100F	58 W	110 W

What is the difference between processor base power and maximum turbo power?

There are two measurements of TDP in this day and age, these are processor base power and maximum turbo power. Both of these are incredibly significant, especially when choosing a power supply to suit your 13th-generation CPU.

Processor base power is the minimum amount of TDP your processor will have, so 125W is the minimum amount of thermal energy every single 13th-generation CPU will emanate.

On the flip side, max turbo power is the amount of thermal energy the CPU will produce at maximum performance. So this will be 253W for the 13900K and the 13700K, but only 181W for the 13600K thanks to its fewer cores, threads, and lower clock speeds.

What PSU do I need for the Intel 13th-gen CPUs? 

Here’s a good place to start, The ASUS ROG Thor is a PSU that will support your 13th-generation rig with ease. No matter what GPU you pair even the strongest 13th-generation CPU, the Thor will provide more than enough power at an increased efficiency.

ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II

Wattage

1000W

Efficiency

80 PLUS Platinum

Modularity

Fully-modular

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We recommend a strong, high-efficiency PSU for powering any CPU, but this is especially true for the 13th-generation CPUs. A PSU with a higher efficiency rating is paramount when you have such a thirsty CPU. Of course, it depends on the components in the rest of your system. But as a base, we recommend you leave around 300W of wiggle room for any 13th gen CPU, and around 350W if you’re planning to manually overclock.

For instance, if you had an RTX 3070 and a 13900K, we would recommend at least a 950W PSU. This may be “overkill” but this ensures you have enough power for overclocking and high boost situations, especially if you’re soon upgrading to Intel 14th gen. If you’re feeling brave you can just use the base requirements of each component to add up a target wattage but sometimes those metrics don’t account for boosting speeds. So be careful when doing this.

13th generation power consumption FAQs

What PSU do I need for a 13900K?

We recommend a PSU of 1000W or greater, especially if you’re planning to overclock, and have a powerful GPU to power too. Please check your GPU-recommended power supply before deciding.

What PSU do I need for a 13700K?

We recommend a PSU of 1000W or greater, especially if you’re planning to overclock, and have a powerful GPU to power too. Check the recommended power supply for your particular GPU beforehand.

What PSU do I need for a 13600K?

We recommend a PSU of 800W or greater, especially if you’re planning to overclock, and have a powerful GPU to power too. Ensure you check the recommended power supply for your GPU first.

Final word

So how much power does the 13th generation consume? The best of the 13th generation will consume 253W at the max, meaning you need a PSU that can support that kind of demand. Not only that, but you need a CPU cooler that can also keep up with the demand. The best PSU that we recommend is the ASUS ROG Thor, this is a PSU that will support your 13th-generation rig with ease.