Core i5-13600K vs M4 Pro (14 cores)

CPU

GPU

Core i5-13600K

14 Cores20 Thrd125 WWMax: 5.1 GHz2022

Popular choices:

•••••••••

M4 Pro (14 cores)

14 Cores14 Thrd4 WWMax: 4.5 GHz2024

Popular choices:

••••••i5-13600K•••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-13600K

14 / 20

37,655

0.0%

38,127

+1.3%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i5-13600K

2022

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (37,655 vs 38,127).
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while M4 Pro (14 cores) mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3025% higher power demand at 125W vs 4W.

M4 Pro (14 cores)

2024

Why buy it

✅+1.3% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 4W instead of 125W, a 121W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i5-13600K

2022

M4 Pro (14 cores)

2024

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+1.3% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 4W instead of 125W, a 121W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (37,655 vs 38,127).
❌Launch MSRP is still $329 MSRP, while M4 Pro (14 cores) mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3025% higher power demand at 125W vs 4W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is M4 Pro (14 cores) better than Core i5-13600K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-13600K is ahead with a 1.5% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, M4 Pro (14 cores) pulls ahead with 1.3% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, M4 Pro (14 cores) is the better fit. You are getting 1.3% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 14 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

M4 Pro (14 cores) is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i5-13600K makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. M4 Pro (14 cores) is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you 1.3% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i5-13600K is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 1.5% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-13600K is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (114.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1700 + DDR5 setup, Core i5-13600K can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

M4 Pro (14 cores) is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2022) and more multi-core headroom with 14 cores / 14 threads instead of 14/20. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i5-13600K Benchmark Check

M4 Pro (14 cores) Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13600K	M4 Pro (14 cores)
1080p
low	281 FPS	178 FPS
medium	264 FPS	144 FPS
high	220 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	188 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	144 FPS
medium	198 FPS	115 FPS
high	158 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	79 FPS
medium	133 FPS	68 FPS
high	102 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	43 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open M4 Pro (14 cores)

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13600K	M4 Pro (14 cores)
1080p
low	632 FPS	464 FPS
medium	533 FPS	382 FPS
high	450 FPS	326 FPS
ultra	416 FPS	285 FPS
1440p
low	540 FPS	399 FPS
medium	474 FPS	342 FPS
high	403 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	351 FPS	252 FPS
4K
low	316 FPS	277 FPS
medium	282 FPS	244 FPS
high	269 FPS	225 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	194 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open M4 Pro (14 cores)

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13600K	M4 Pro (14 cores)
1080p
low	663 FPS	812 FPS
medium	543 FPS	643 FPS
high	477 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	509 FPS
1440p
low	600 FPS	632 FPS
medium	499 FPS	507 FPS
high	434 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	376 FPS	396 FPS
4K
low	441 FPS	456 FPS
medium	381 FPS	360 FPS
high	344 FPS	321 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	254 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open M4 Pro (14 cores)

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13600K	M4 Pro (14 cores)
1080p
low	941 FPS	953 FPS
medium	941 FPS	924 FPS
high	923 FPS	809 FPS
ultra	831 FPS	718 FPS
1440p
low	941 FPS	817 FPS
medium	850 FPS	718 FPS
high	738 FPS	629 FPS
ultra	651 FPS	553 FPS
4K
low	651 FPS	562 FPS
medium	588 FPS	503 FPS
high	529 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	399 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open M4 Pro (14 cores)

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13600K and M4 Pro (14 cores)

Core i5-13600K

The Core i5-13600K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture. It features 14 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 37,655 points. Launch price was $319.

M4 Pro (14 cores)

The M4 Pro (14 cores) is manufactured by Apple. It was released in 30 October 2024 (1 year ago). It features 14 cores and 14 threads. Base frequency is 2.59 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: none. Thermal design power (TDP): 4 MB. Memory support: LPDDR5X. Passmark benchmark score: 38,127 points. Launch price was $499.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-13600K packs 14 cores / 20 threads, matching the M4 Pro (14 cores)'s 14 cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i5-13600K versus 4.5 GHz on the M4 Pro (14 cores) — a 12.5% clock advantage for the Core i5-13600K (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.59 GHz). The Core i5-13600K is built on the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture. In PassMark, the Core i5-13600K scores 37,655 against the M4 Pro (14 cores)'s 38,127 — a 1.2% lead for the M4 Pro (14 cores).

Feature	Core i5-13600K	M4 Pro (14 cores)
Cores / Threads	14 / 20	14 / 14
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+13%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+35%	2.59 GHz
L3 Cache	24 MB	—
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	—
Process	Intel 7 nm	3 nm-57%
Architecture	Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022)	—
PassMark	37,655	38,127+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13600K uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the M4 Pro (14 cores) uses none (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5600 on the Core i5-13600K versus 8533 on the M4 Pro (14 cores) — the M4 Pro (14 cores) supports 199.8% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-13600K supports up to 192 GB of RAM compared to 64 — 100% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-13600K) vs 0 (M4 Pro (14 cores)). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-13600K) vs 0 (M4 Pro (14 cores)) — the Core i5-13600K offers 20 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 600 series,Intel 700 series (Core i5-13600K) and Apple M4 (M4 Pro (14 cores)).

Feature	Core i5-13600K	M4 Pro (14 cores)
Socket	LGA1700	none
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	8533+170560%
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB+314572700%	64
RAM Channels	2	0
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	20	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i5-13600K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-13600K) vs VT-x, VT-d (macOS) (M4 Pro (14 cores)). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 770 (Core i5-13600K) and Apple M4 Pro GPU (20-core) (M4 Pro (14 cores)) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-13600K targets Desktop. Direct competitor: M4 Pro (14 cores) rivals Core Ultra 7 258V.

Feature	Core i5-13600K	M4 Pro (14 cores)
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 770	Apple M4 Pro GPU (20-core)
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d (macOS)
Target Use	Desktop	—