AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i5-12600K

Processor comparisons 05-02-2023

   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i5-12600K and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, video editing, rendering, programming. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as SuperPi, 7zip, Furmark, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 3DMark, WPrime, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, AIDA64, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Blender, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   Gaming performance of processors in:

Cyberpunk 2077
Apex Legends
Last Man Standing
Watch Dogs Legion
Fortnite
Overwatch
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Borderlands 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Valheim
DOOM: Eternal
Grand Theft Auto V
Red Dead Redemption 2
Fallout 76
Death Stranding
Valorant
Halo Infinite
Rainbow Six Siege

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 7 3700X

56%

Core i5-12600K

60%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-12600K is 6% better than Ryzen 7 3700X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 7 3700X

55%

Core i5-12600K

57%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Forza Horizon 4, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, Metro Exodus, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	101.8
Valorant	110.5	115.7
Cyberpunk 2077	61.9	64.8
Apex Legends	103.8	108.7
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	86.8
Overwatch	89.5	93.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	79.8
DOOM Eternal	55.2	57.8
Warzone	86.2	90.2
Assassin's Creed	92.8	97.2
Valheim	91.7	96.0

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 7 3700X

68%

Core i5-12600K

53%

To make a final choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 7 3700X is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12600K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	204	466
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2114	3407
Cinbench 20 Single-core	501	1116
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4834	7736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1294	2611
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12355	25497

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	2716	6117
Multi-Core	22880	35696

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	1339	2009
Multi-Core	9023	13528

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Announcement date	July 07, 2019	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1700
Core name	Matisse	Alder Lake
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	3	12
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	8	10
Threads	16	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	4600 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth		76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	512KB
L2 cache	4MB	9.5 MB
L3 cache	32MB	20 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000071 100-100000071BOX 100-100000071MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Another difference is that Core i5-12600K has 2 more core than Ryzen 7 3700X. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is better: 5
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12600K is better: 30
However, it should be realized that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Core i5-12600K before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12600K - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i5-12600K specs and review.