DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE! DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE GOOD REVIEWS!

I installed the 13900 two years ago as soon as it came out, on an Asus Prime Z790 with a Corsair triple fan liquid cooler. The temperature spikes to 100 degrees as soon as you open any game, and you experience crashes every 10-20 minutes in half of the games that have requirements because of this. The "get good cooling" advice is a fairy tale. I spent 300 euros on cooling and it didn't help at all.

Additionally, THEY ARE INCREDIBLY DEFECTIVE! In tests I conducted, I found 2 defective cores, which the Intel diagnostic tool didn't even detect. Now, after 2 years of patience, BSODs and status_Access_violation errors have started appearing in Chrome.

I hadn't gone through the RMA process because after researching, in half of the cases the new processor takes 2 months to arrive (and obviously, I'm one of those who can't stand 2 months without a PC), and in the other half of the cases, they either deny the problem that the diagnostic tool doesn't detect, or they don't have stock to send you.

I never expected to be put through so much trouble. The worst part is, from what I read, that the 14900 has the same problems, which is newer.

So I am forced to change the motherboard and switch to AMD. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DON'T BUY Intel AT THIS TIME.

EDIT: After a lot of searching, I managed to stabilize the system by doing the following:

1) Update the BIOS to the latest version.
2) Choose performance instead of extreme in Intel settings.
3) Disable P-core3, P-core4, E-core3, E-core4, which I found defective in my system.
4) Disable MultiCore Enhancement.
5) Disable Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, which is what causes the cores to overheat.
6) Set short duration turbo power = 253.
7) Set long duration turbo power = 253.

At this moment, it is stable at 70, with brief spikes to 90-95. Under Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, there is another Boost setting that if you disable, the temperature drops to 50-53. Obviously, performance is lost, but you gain stability.

Switching from the i9 9900k to the new generation of processors, and although it is quite expensive, I believe it is worth the money and more, as its current capabilities combined with its potential make it a PC for the next 5+ years. Its power, combined with the 36mb cache, is ideal for multitasking without any lag. Of course, it has not been tested with demanding design programs, etc. that are available on the market, as that is not my area of expertise. It was installed on a Gigabyte z970 motherboard and cooled with the Sharkoon s90 liquid cooling system. Despite many complaints about it, the temperatures are around 34-36 degrees Celsius at idle, but it is used in a case with excellent airflow (Corsair 7000d airflow). Also, under increased load (usage in Microsoft Flight Simulator) with 5 other peripheral programs running alongside it and Google Chrome with 6 open tabs, the temperatures reached up to 70 degrees with very little load. Therefore, it is an excellent choice in my opinion, but you will need good cooling (at least a 36mm cooler) and a case with good airflow, along with high-quality thermal paste

Primarily, throughout my entire career with computers, I have used Intel. My experience comes from a leap to the 10th generation. Generally, this is a monster processor. It draws quite a bit of power and requires pretty good cooling (at least a 360mm radiator for liquid cooling). To be honest, compared to the more popular/affordable processors, I noticed quite a difference and much fewer stutters in all my games (and I don't mean just battle royales).

Positives
- Very good performance for today's applications
- Fairly decent price; I remember in the past monster processors costing up to 900 euros!
- Quite future-proof
- Handles both 4th and 5th generation memory
- Handles both 4th and 5th generation graphics cards

Negatives
- I never saw the E-cores they advertise running, but they generally say it's the motherboards' fault, etc.
- In a machine that doesn't target being quite powerful, it will be wasted
- Requires precise cooling and definitely a good power supply; for example, don't go below 850
- I can't say that the jump from the 12th to the 13th generation is satisfactory; I would have liked double the success because I am power hungry, and I admit it

Here we are comparing titans of processors, so I will speak with a more straightforward critique. Generally, this is a monster of a processor. It is perfect for processing and demanding tasks. Yes, it can do gaming, but I wouldn't recommend it if that's your only goal. Expect high temperatures when it gets to work, but don't worry if you have proper cooling, even if you only have one liquid cooler installed and nothing else in your case. I think the price compared to what I remember from some X versions in the past is more friendly to go for the top of the line. It reaches maximum speed effortlessly, but don’t let that scare you because that’s what you want, believe me! Therefore, if you want to say, "I found what I like for my monster," look here. An alternative option, but I don't trust the architecture of the assembly of the processors, is the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, but what can I say, the poor thing goes to waste because neither the software can utilize the 144MB cache nor the 32 cores, and it is also 150 euros more expensive. If you have read that a revolution is coming, feel free to go to AMD from me; otherwise, settle here, and for 5 years, you’ll be just fine. Please, though, pair it with a good power supply!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT IMPORTANT: So you don't pull your hair out. If you have Windows 10, ignore this; all is well. For Windows 11, I had issues with DirectX errors in COD MW2. Well, I solved it this way: I downloaded Intel Extreme Tuning and lowered the Performance Core Ratio to 54x. If that doesn't help, put the game in the following --d3d11. There are issues with DirectX 12......

EDIT2: Very, very important. Make sure to update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version. Due to overvoltage, which Intel acknowledged as a mistake, problems arose in the 13th-14th generation processors. I was also a victim, resulting in many games crashing. After the update, I didn't see any crashes except in some Ubisoft games, which according to other news, might have only been caused by the Windows 24H2 update. Anyway, to have peace of mind, for boxed Intel CPUs, DHL picked up the old one from me, and I received a brand new one in a completely different cardboard box (while Intel kept the old box I liked for its design) back home; I didn't need to move at all as long as you have the serial number and batch number of the CPU to provide in the ticket request. You will need to create an Intel support account to change the processor.

The processor was used for my personal PC, which I decided to use as an AIO, meaning for both my work (CAD, Vray Render & Video Editing in Premiere PRO) and gaming. In combination with an ASUS RoG Strix Z790-H and G.Skill DDR5 at 7200/34, it worked wonders! Of course, such a product also has high power supply requirements (I used an RM1000x) and for cooling, the EK Nucleus 360. By setting the limit to 92C from the BIOS, I managed to achieve very satisfactory results from the 13900k, which you can see here: https://tinyurl.com/Intellence4th

Of course, regardless of the benchmarks that simply show the limits of the processor in this specific setup, during work, the OC goes "for a walk" and leaves everything on Auto, where ASUS takes over and keeps everything stable with a limit of 70C so far in a 6-hour render in VRAY via CPU. In games, I haven't seen anything above 68C yet, even though I'm still using a 3080. The PC is running with a 4k monitor and a 3k (3400x1440) with the results I mentioned above.

I saw a huge difference from the previous (1090k on Z590) especially in Premiere, with the integration of the UHD770 as a previewer working smoothly on 4k RED videos, while with the predecessor, it showed some "struggles". Also, with the performance cores & efficiency cores, in idle states and simple everyday tasks, it keeps power consumption low (35-75W), making actual power savings, while also keeping the computer completely silent.

Truly a beast in performance and consumption! I am writing this message for those who do not have much knowledge (like me) so that I can save you from the countless hours I spent searching.

Out of the box, the CPU, even with very good cooling, will have high temperatures even in simple games, around 80-95°C. In this case, you will need to adjust the power limit to the standards set by Intel: power limit1 = 125 watts and power limit2 = 253 watts, as motherboards usually allow the processor to draw unlimited power (see Asus pwr limit 2 4000 watts!!). I should note that you can play with the power limit, slightly increasing or decreasing it, or leave it exactly as it was from the beginning, especially if you have custom water cooling or if you don't care that the processor will reach 100°C in many tasks (thermal throttling).

* [Link to overclocking video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecdrKZ0GVr8) (explains the movements, how and why, and what each changed setting does)
* [Link to efficiency video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Bm0Wr6OEQ&t=280s) by DER8AUER (plays with efficiency and shows performance with low power limits)

One last thing that I consider a good move and an easy solution for energy efficiency and thermals is turning off turbo boost