Intel Core i7-13700H Buyer's Guide
Positioning and generation
The Intel Core i7-13700H is a 13th Gen mobile processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. On our site it sits in the modern mainstream tier band. It is a laptop chip, so the spec picture belongs to the mobile platform, and a desktop chip with a similar name lives on a different platform.
It includes integrated graphics, which means a laptop using it can show a picture and handle everyday apps without a separate graphics card. For games, though, the graphics card does most of the heavy lifting, and the processor plays a supporting role.
Keep in mind that this chip is soldered to the laptop motherboard. You cannot buy it separately or swap it later. Sustained performance also depends on the laptop's power limits and cooling, so a long gaming session may not match the headline numbers on a thin machine.
Key specs explained
This processor has 14 cores and 20 threads. Cores let the game engine spread work such as asset loading, physics and background tasks across several threads at once, which helps reduce stutters. Threads let each core juggle more tasks, which helps with multitasking as well as games.
The Raptor Lake architecture is a fairly recent Intel generation, so it stands a good chance of clearing the official requirements of newer games. Newer platforms also tend to have better long-term software support.
The integrated graphics make the chip usable for basic display and light work. For demanding games, pair it with a dedicated graphics card. The data we hold does not list clock speeds, cache sizes or power figures, so we do not make claims about them here.
Suitable games and resolutions
Our catalogue covers 439 games with official requirements, and we can place 416 of them at a requirement level. Of those, 328 sit well above the recommended tier, 84 meet the recommended tier, and 4 meet only the minimum tier. No game in the set falls below the minimum on the processor side. For most titles, the official CPU requirement is not the bottleneck.
Among the example titles, Palworld, Scrap Mechanic, Forza Horizon 6 and Big Ambitions clear the recommended tier on this processor. PowerWash Simulator 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are in the group that meets only the minimum tier.
For resolution, 1080p is the practical target for a chip in this band. Going higher usually puts the load on the graphics card rather than the processor. Upscaling technologies such as DLSS or FSR can ease the graphics load at higher resolutions, but how much they help depends on the card and on game support.
Compared with similar hardware
On our tier ladder, the Intel Core i7-13700H sits close to the desktop AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Core i5-12600K, just below the AMD Ryzen 5 7600, and above the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Ryzen 5 7500F. This comparison is based only on where each chip sits against official requirement tiers. It is not a measure of real-world speed.
Desktop and laptop processors differ in platform, power and cooling, so treat the tier position as a rough guide rather than a like-for-like pick. If your main goal is a desktop gaming PC, the desktop options on that ladder give you more flexibility. If portability matters, this mobile chip is the right class.
Buying new or used
You cannot buy this processor on its own, because it is soldered to the motherboard. Shopping is really about the whole laptop. Check the cooling design and the power settings before buying, since these decide whether the chip can hold its performance during long sessions.
When buying used, the risks lie in the machine's condition: dust clogging the fans, aged thermal paste, battery health and any signs of damage. Because the processor cannot be replaced, any fault usually means repairing the laptop as a whole.
With a new machine, check the warranty terms and the included memory and storage, and make sure they suit your games. We have no BIOS or chipset update information for this chip, so we say nothing about that.
Upgrade advice
Since the processor is soldered in, most people cannot upgrade it. The real upgrade path is a new laptop. If higher game performance is the goal, prioritise a model with a stronger dedicated graphics card and better cooling.
If you are considering a move to desktop instead, the desktop options in our data that are clearly higher on the tier ladder are the Intel Core i7-13700F, Intel Core i9-12900K and AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. Those need a full desktop build, so they only make sense if you are ready to switch platforms.
Whichever route you pick, balance the graphics card and memory with the processor. Upgrading only one part can leave another part as the bottleneck.