While many people think that Intel’s i5 processors are more pocket-friendly, they won’t perform as well as the i7 or i9 chips, and the 13th-generation architecture would beg to differ. This chipset is powerful enough to be paired with top-performing GPUs, but that doesn’t mean that the processing of selecting one is made any easier.
There are various options available, from original cards to third-party variants that come with different bells and whistles. So, understandably, picking one option can be a bit daunting. However, this is where we come in.
We took the liberty of doing the research for you and filtering through multiple options to present you with the best GPUs for Intel i5-13600k. In this guide, you’ll find those options listed along with their details, as well as the pros and cons so that you can make an informed decision.
Products at a glance
- BEST GPU FOR I5-13600K OVERALL
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super OC Edition
- BEST AMD GPU FOR I5-13600K
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
- GPU: Navi 31
- Stream Processors: 5,376
- VRAM: 20GB GDDR6
- Bandwidth: 800GB/sec
- Memory bus width: 320-bit
- Base clock speed: 1,387 MHz
- BEST NVIDIA GPU FOR I5-13600K
Gigabyte RTX 4080 Super Windforce V2
- GPU: AD103
- CUDA Cores: 10,240
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 736.3 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Base clock speed: 2295 MHz
How we picked the best GPU for i5-13600K
We researched the market and found various options from Nvidia and AMD. We filtered those options based on their price, compatibility, performance, and other features, such as DLSS and FSR. On top of that, we also conduct rigorous in-house testing of the three cards in today’s lineup. This gives us insight into how they’ll perform, and we can help you pair them with various CPUs, including an i5-13600K. What’s more, we’ve also done a review of the Intel Core i5-13600K itself, so we’ve been able to cross-reference our benchmarking and thoughts on performance too, to make sure we’re only providing GPU combinations that are sensible matches. Naturally, we’re always updating our list with the latest information, so if there are better pairings than these, we’ll be sure to update them, so check back with us.
Our top picks
- GPU: AD103
- CUDA Cores: 8,448
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 672.3 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Base clock speed: 2340 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2670 MHz
- Excellent for 1440p gaming
- Top-notch synthetic results
- Has dual BIOS for gaming and silent mode
- Third-party cards have varying sizes and power draw
- 12 GB of VRAM might be limiting in some scenarios
If you were looking for the best GPU for i5-13500K, check out the RTX 4070 Ti. We recommend this pairing because, in our review of the RTX 4070 Ti Super, we found that this card excels at 1440p and makes headway in 4K for some titles.
Let’s kick things off with some specifications. This GPU packs 8,448 CUDA cores, has a base clock of 2.34GHz, and a boost clock of 2.67GHz. To put things into perspective, it’s got a nice boost in CUDA cores over the base model. These cores are responsible for the GPU’s ability to handle and process large amounts of data in parallel, and it shouldn’t be surprising that this card has no issues making quick work of almost anything you put in front of it.
Under the hood, it has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 192-bit memory interface width. While this might be a bit less, seeing how modern titles are getting more demanding, you should be able to run multiple titles at 1440p with max settings. As for 4K, it also had decent performance but not the best. So, you’ll have to tweak a couple of settings if you plan on gaming in 4K with this card.
Regarding its Ray Tracing performance, considering that it has 26 more Ray Tracing cores than the RTX 4070, you should get good RT results in various titles. However, remember that enabling RT will hit the framerates, which is the tradeoff we’re presented with this technology.
This GPU has one HDMI 2.1a and three 1.4a display ports for connectivity options. These should be more than enough to connect multiple monitors. Nvidia also claims you could have four 4K monitors with 120Hz refresh rate or two 4K monitors with 240Hz with this GPU. That said, we don’t think this GPU would be able to push full 240Hz on two 4K monitors simultaneously, and you would need to adjust some settings.
However, you can also connect gaming monitors that can be used for productivity purposes and take your gaming experience to the next level.
The RTX 4070 Ti also has support for various Nvidia technologies like Nvidia DLSS 3.5, Reflex, Ansel, and more. These technologies should enable this GPU to deliver excellent performance by boosting framerates and reducing the system latency for a snappier gaming experience. On top of that, if you’re a content creator or run a blog, you can take high-quality screenshots with Nvidia Ansel, edit them, and upload them as your next thumbnail or part of your blog.
Overall, given its performance at 1440p and 4K with some older and better-optimized titles, the RTX 4070 Ti Super secured the top spot and is the best GPU for i5-13600K.
What users say
Unsurprisingly for our top pick, much like the i5-13600K the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4070 Ti Super OC is highly rated on Amazon for its performance at its price point. For example, one user has commented that “the 4070 Ti was the best price/performance/power consumption ratio by far, so much so that it was a no brainer for me to settle for it over the 4090”, which is high praise considering Nvidia’s flagship is unrivaled in performance. As is often the case with these powerful GPUs, one of the few criticisms you might run into concerns the size of the card: as it’s on the bigger side, investing in a GPU support or a bigger case is often the way forward.
- Great for 1440p and 4K gaming
- Reasonable price point
- Higher up on AMD’s performance stack
- Not very energy efficient
- Has a USB-C port
- Ray Tracing performance is lacking
If you’re looking for the best AMD GPU for i5-13600K, give the RX 7900 XT a shot. We recommend this card as in our RX 7900 XT review, it performed exceptionally.
For starters, this GPU has 5,376 stream processors, a game frequency of 2,000MHz, and a boost frequency of 2,400MHz. Stream processors are AMD’s CUDA cores, and this card has plenty of them, which means that it should have no issue processing graphical tasks of varying intensity. On top of that, even if the processing seems a bit slow, you can always increase its clock speed and get the best performance out of this card.
It packs 20 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 320-bit memory interface width. This should be more than enough to handle 4K gaming and other professional tasks like deep learning, video editing, and rendering. The 320-bit interface should also be enough to handle massive amounts of data going to and from the GPU for processing.
That said, the RX 7900 XT is still using the slower GDDR6 memory, which could limit its performance in multiple domains. However, during our testing, the RX 7900 XT showed exceptional results in 1440p and 4K gaming without Ray Tracing or any upscaling features enabled. So, whether you’re a competitive FPS player or enjoy intense story-based games, the RX 7900 XT should easily cater to your needs by providing quick performance, high framerates, and detailed breathtaking visuals. However, since it is a powerful card paired with a powerful CPU, you might experience some bottleneck issues if you’re playing at 1080p.
It also supports various AMD technologies like Smart Access Memory and FSR. Smart Access Memory basically removes the middleman and gives the CPU and GPU direct access, resulting in better and faster performance with reduced access times. However, this only comes into effect when you pair an AMD GPU with a Ryzen processor. So, if you plan on making the shift to Team Red, this should give your setup’s gaming performance an overall boost.
The AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution, or FSR, uses upscaling and advanced frame generation to enhance the in-game performance. According to AMD, for the RX 7900 XT, you should see a performance increase from 50 FPS to 175 FPS in titles like Forspoken with FSR3 Performance mode and frame generation enabled. This shows how effective this technology can be and should be able to break through hardware limitations.
This GPU’s dimensions are as follows: 276 mm in length, 110 mm in width, and 51 mm in height (10.9” L x 4.3” W x 2” H). This means that this card is on the larger side, and you’ll need to ensure that the casing has enough space to install it onto your motherboard.
Also, make sure that the card isn’t crowded, as AMD claims it has a typical draw of 315W, which means it should generate a good amount of heat. So, if it doesn’t have enough clearing, it could lead to overheating. So, ensure that your casing has enough space; if it doesn’t, consider upgrading to a larger PC case for better airflow. If you’re interested in checking out some options, we’ve got you covered with our best full tower case guide, which has the top picks.
So, all in all, the RX 7900 XT has great performance, and considering it costs a lot less than the RTX 4070 Ti, we think it’s a steal and the best GPU for i5-13600K.
What users say
The Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 XT is a highly rated card, with performance and value that sway many users over from Team Green to Team Red. One user in particular commented that “this GPU is just better value considering the extra 4gb in vram” despite the fact that they’ve “always been more of an NVIDIA person”. It’s also commonly referred to as “worth every penny”, so if you’re looking to build a budget-focused gaming machine with an i5-13600K at its core, the RX 7900 XT is certainly one to consider.
- GPU: AD103
- CUDA Cores: 10,240
- VRAM: 16GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 736.3 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 256-bit
- Base clock speed: 2295 MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2550 MHz
- Great for gaming at all resolutions
- 16GB of GDDR6X VRAM
- Great Ray Tracing results
- The RX 7900 XTX is considerably cheaper
- The price isn’t justified with newer cards performing better at a lower cost
If you’re looking for the best Nvidia GPU for i5-13600K, we recommend pairing it with the RTX 4080.
In our RTX 4080 Super review, we found that it performed exceptionally well at 1440p and 4K with varying settings. It crossed the 60 FPS mark in almost every title that we tested.
This GPU features 10,240 CUDA cores, 113 teraflops of Ray Tracing cores (TFLOPS), a base clock of 2.29GHz, and a boost clock of 2.55GHz. What this means is that this card packs enough hardware under the hood to handle even the toughest of graphical tasks easily. The 113 TFLOPs of RT cores should also ensure you get the best in-game visuals, but remember that enabling ray tracing does affect the framerates. So, if you’re an FPS gamer, we don’t recommend turning on Ray Tracing.
It has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 256-bit interface. What this translates to is fast processing and better in-game performance. With these specifications, you should find that almost all games are already set to the highest settings, and you might have to turn some of them down.
The RTX 4080 supports DLSS 3.0 and 3.5. It works by leveraging AI to render extra frames and upscale them to the native resolution. This improves your FPS and enhances your in-game performance. Nvidia tested its DLSS technology with an RTX 4060 Ti and ran Warhammer 40,000: Darktide at 1080p with max settings. They saw an increase from a minimum of 49 FPS to a maximum of 130 FPS with RT enabled. This should put things into perspective as to how powerful this technology is, coupled with a powerhouse like the RTX 4080, and you should be able to blow through any title with ease.
While it may not be the cheapest option on the market, it certainly delivers the performance that justifies its price point. So, considering its capabilities, we think this is one of the best GPUs for i5-13600K.
What users say
If you’re looking for top-tier performance, the Gigabyte RTX 4080 Super certainly shouldn’t disappoint. In fact, it’s highly praised in the majority of its Amazon reviews, with one user even saying that “this card provides the smoothest gaming experience i’ve had so far”. However, while the RTX 4080 Super might seem like “great value compared to 4090”, it’s still noticeable that this card is definitely on the premium side and is priced above $1000.
How to pick the best GPU for i5-13600K
Before investing in any GPU, there are a handful of factors that you need to keep in mind. These factors should help you avoid needless upgrades and filter your options until you have the best balance between performance and value. We’ve listed some of these factors below to help you make an informed decision.
Compatibility
Generally, GPUs and CPUs don’t have compatibility issues; however, you need to check your motherboard, PC case, and PSU. First, ensure that your motherboard has a free slot where the GPU can go. If you have the latest motherboard, it will still work with a PCI 4.0 GPU, as PCI generations are backward compatible. This means that you won’t run into compatibility issues, but you might experience some performance drops due to the bandwidth limitation of the older generation.
The next part to look for is the casing. Go to the manufacturer’s or third-party’s website and look for the dimensions of the graphics cards you’re leaning toward. Check whether your PC case has enough space to comfortably accommodate it. If you get a GPU that won’t fit inside your case, you’ll have to upgrade to a more spacious casing, and that is just an added cost that can be avoided.
The last thing you need to check is the power rating. If your PSU can handle the load of all the components, including the GPU, then you’re good to go. If not, consider upgrading your PSU because if the power draw exceeds its limitations, your system will keep tripping, resulting in disruption and another added cost.
Price
One of the most important factors to consider is the price of the GPU and your budget. There is no point in getting an overkill GPU like the RTX 4090, which we’ve also had hands-on experience with, to pair with the i5-13600K, as it’ll most likely result in some bottleneck issues at lower resolutions.
So, filter your options based on your budget and then pick a GPU that compliments the computational capabilities of the Intel Core i5-13600K. You should be able to easily run gaming in high 1080p and 1440p settings if you pair this GPU with mid-range and slightly higher-tier cards like the RTX 4080 Ti.
Usage
Consider what you plan on using the GPU for, and take into account the capabilities of the CPU as well. Generally, i5 processors offer a good balance between performance and value. They are considered “budget” picks, but with the architecture of the 13th generation, these chips are more than powerful enough to handle various resource-intensive tasks.
That said, if you want to use the GPU for professional reasons, consider getting a GPU that is higher on the performance stack, such as the RX 7900 XT. However, if you plan on doing casual and competitive gaming, an RTX 4070 Super should also suffice.
