The Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS, two of the best CPUs for gamers, will look somewhat different the next time you see them on a store shelf. Intel has notified its customers that the chipmaker is altering the retail packaging for the two 13th Generation Raptor Lake processors.
The packaging change will apply to both boxed Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS universal and China SKUs. The reason for the modification is that Intel wants to decrease the volumetric storage of the processors for shipping. It'll help increase the units per pallet to lower shipping costs. Although pallet quantities vary by region, Intel estimates that this new packaging will help boost the number of units from 324 to 1,620, a whopping fourfold improvement.
Intel has downgraded the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS packaging from a "Tier 2" box to a "Tier 4" box. The company will replace the current packaging with a standard folding carton. While Intel provided a visual guide to the new packaging, the company didn't share its dimensions in the Product Change Notification (PCN) document. Judging by the renders, the new packaging looks thinner.
Since there's no preview of the silicon wafer-inspired plastic case, we can only assume that Intel will deliver the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS in a regular paperboard box, like the other Core i7 and lower SKUs. The initial hype for Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS is long gone, so there's no more need to commercialize the chips with premium packaging. Depending on how fast retailers move their inventory, customers will likely see a combination of old and new packaging.
Logically, the changes are superficial, so they won't affect the Core i9-13900K or Core i9-13900KS operation. The package makeover benefits Intel because it'll help the company save a few bucks. However, we don't expect Intel to issue price drops on the Core i9-13900K or Core i9-13900KS. Intel processors typically hold their value very well unless there's a new chip in town. Even so, they retain a lot of their value.
A change in promotional packaging usually conveys that something new is coming. Intel has a history of simplifying the flagship Core i9 K-series packaging following up to the release of a successor. It's a practice that Intel has kept, one that we've seen with the Core i9-10900K (Comet Lake), Core i9-11900K (Rocket Lake), and Core i9-12900K (Alder Lake). Intel is likely doing the same for Raptor Lake.
Assuming that there is some credence to the recent rumors that Intel has allegedly canceled desktop Meteor Lake, the chipmaker may be paving the way for the rumored Raptor Lake Refresh. In the past, Intel has revamped the packaging on Core i9 K-series processors around one to two months before a new processor launch. If we abide by the traditional cadence, Intel may talk about Raptor Lake Refresh very soon.
