It seems the i9 13900 is not performing well.
It seems the i9 13900 is not performing well.
Hi everyone, I recently purchased a 10729 motherboard CPU combo (i9 13900HK ES), updated the BIOS, and took a Passmark test. The result is unexpectedly low. I haven’t experimented much with BIOS settings beyond updating the firmware. I’m not very familiar with these boards or advanced BIOS options. Could this be a straightforward solution, or might there be more going on? Temperatures seem normal. Thanks for your assistance!
Performance can be unpredictable on engineering sample chips. Also, looks like someone got the Mr. Su special. the i9-13900HK is a mobile processor. There's a chance that you got screwed with an underperforming, hacked ES CPU. Is this in a desktop form factor? You may be able to get away with overclocking since it's already a low power chip and you likely have quite the thermal headroom. But also remember that 13th and 14th gen have power issues and tend to blow up (not literally but you could put your CPU at risk)
Right, I overlooked that. --- As mentioned before though, it's a mobile CPU. Perhaps there's a power limit option, if there is then maybe it can be increased? (Power Limit 3 Settings menu perhaps)
Almost no improvement. Prior to the BIOS update I experienced very high temperatures, but the seller suggested updating the BIOS which resolved the problem (no other unusual symptoms). The seller appears reliable—I’ve purchased a 12900HK from them before and it functions perfectly. They market it as a “Mini ITX Motherboard with Intel Q1HY CPU.” Attached are the two photos from the listing. He provides a three-month warranty on the components, which gives me confidence I’m not being taken advantage of yet. I’ll review the BIOS power settings and share them soon.
Well, unless the seller knows details about ES chips that no one else does and has a secret, reliable supplier, there is almost a guarantee for variance among their chip supply. What do you reckon a seller does when the ES chip they get is performing well under spec? Loose the money they spent on it? Or how about selling as is and hoping no one notices. Well, if it was properly advertised as ES then I guess the word wouldn't be screwed over. You more so just lost the silicon lottery. After all, if ES were within variance for consumer chips, they wouldn't be so cheap. I'd like to add that 13th gen ES is a niche within a niche and asking in forms dedicated to those processors may yield better results. But honestly, for a K chip using so little power it isn't exceeding 60C even on max power level, that performance looks as expected. Try undervolting and overclocking.
Also keep an eye on your interests—warranty periods are often short at physical stores. Your chip might stop working after a few months, not years. Be cautious about selling stolen Intel parts; the legal rules aren’t clear. It’s not about judging the seller, but about understanding that these components are inexpensive and may lack quality, reliability, or essential features. You might be lucky to find a stable i9-12900HK with a late-arriving ES.
I withdraw my previous statement. That was a mistake in my thinking. Many folks tend to raise online benchmark scores by using their heavily overclocked CPUs, but no one has ever submitted under 20000 for an i9-13900HK. How much were you charged? If it was near 260$, you’d be better off with a i5-14600K and a budget motherboard. The i5-14600K would offer double the performance compared to your custom-built i9. By 2025, 260$ for CPU and board should provide more than just 20K. — Edited August 7, 2025 by HelpMyComputerIsBroke