13th Gen Core i9-13900K vs Ryzen 5 4500
Short answer: which is best?
13th Gen Core i9-13900K is 93.6 % stronger than Ryzen 5 4500. 13th Gen Core i9-13900K ranks #8 of 104 measured processors at WhatFPS (13,199 CPU score over 2 verified runs). Ryzen 5 4500 ranks #67 of 104 measured processors at WhatFPS (6,817 CPU score over 1 verified runs). The numbers are measured in 3 verified WhatFPS runs — not estimated, not self-reported.
Measured comparison
| Metric | 13th Gen Core i9-13900K | Ryzen 5 4500 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU score (the processor's own performance) | 13,199 | 6,817 |
| Best rig (GAMING — whole PC) | 10,782 | 4,954 |
| Integer (MT) | 12.5 Gop/s | 3.8 Gop/s |
| Single-thread (1T) | 0.88 Gop/s | 0.49 Gop/s |
| Draw calls/s (DX11) | 9,342,700 | 7,131,766 |
| Cores / threads | 24 / 32 | 6 / 12 |
| L3 cache | 36 MB | 8 MB |
Fragz' verdict
The 13th Gen Core i9-13900K takes a commanding lead over the Ryzen 5 4500, outperforming it by 93.6% in our CPU score, though it's important to note this data comes from a very thin sample of 2 verified runs for the i9 and only 1 for the Ryzen. This massive performance gap is evident across the board; the i9-13900K delivers nearly double the single-thread performance at 0.88 Gop/s compared to the Ryzen's 0.49 Gop/s, which directly translates to a higher FPS ceiling in games. It also crushes multi-threaded tasks with 12.5 Gop/s versus the Ryzen's 3.8 Gop/s, benefiting streaming and background applications. The i9-13900K's superior raw compute and higher peak clock of 6119 MHz contribute to its impressive 9.3 million draw calls per second and 77.9 FPS in our Supernova DX11 test, offering a much smoother gaming experience. While the Ryzen 5 4500 offers 59.5 FPS in Supernova DX11, its significantly lower CPU score and performance metrics mean it's clearly a budget-tier option, only making sense if you're building on the tightest possible budget and can accept substantial performance compromises.
Generated November 7, 2026 from the 3 verified runs available then. The verdict is never silently rewritten — new numbers get a new verdict.
What the numbers mean
The CPU score is the processor's own performance — that is what we rank on. GAMING is the whole rig's score in the best PC we measured the processor in, and leans heavily on the graphics card. A strong processor in a weak PC gets a low GAMING score without being worse. We show both and never mix them.
All numbers come from our benchmark suite: four hand-built 3D scenes written directly against the graphics APIs in Rust, the same load on every PC. The methodology is open at https://whatfps.com/metodik
All measurements for 13th Gen Core i9-13900K · All measurements for Ryzen 5 4500