Intel Core i3-13100F vs Intel Core i5-12600

Processor comparisons 31-01-2023

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i3-13100F vs Intel Core i5-12600 and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, rendering. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, AIDA64, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, Furmark, MATLAB, PCMark 10, PassMark, SuperPi, WPrime, Handbrake, 7zip.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12600 or Intel Core i3-13100F.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i3-13100F

57%

Core i5-12600

57%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-13100F

54%

Core i5-12600

55%

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 play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.4	97.6
Valorant	108.4	110.9
Cyberpunk 2077	60.7	62.1
Apex Legends	101.9	104.3
Call of Duty Warzone	81.3	83.2
Overwatch	87.8	89.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.8	76.5
DOOM Eternal	54.2	55.5
Warzone	84.5	86.5
Assassin's Creed	91.0	93.2
Valheim	89.9	92.1

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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

Core i3-13100F

99%

Core i5-12600

96%

To make a final decision 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 Core i3-13100F is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12600 as it consumes less power: 58W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software 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 turns out to be unnecessary.

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

	Intel Core i3-13100F	Intel Core i5-12600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	220	326
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2369	2380
Cinbench 20 Single-core	375	780
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5273	5404
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1332	1824
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15179	17812

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

	Intel Core i3-13100F	Intel Core i5-12600
Single-Core	1215	4273
Multi-Core	25878	24937

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

	Intel Core i3-13100F	Intel Core i5-12600
Single-Core	1726	1877
Multi-Core	7216	9425

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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 even in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i3-13100F	Intel Core i5-12600
Announcement date	January 19, 2023	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1700
Core name	Raptor Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	13	12
Turbo Frequency	4.5 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate	14 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	12400 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	58 W	65 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	4800
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	1 MB
L2 cache	4 MB
L3 cache	12 MB	18 MB
Overclocking	y	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i3-13100F is 2% better than Core i5-12600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-12600 has 2 more core than Core i3-13100F. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-13100F is better: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12600 is better: 25
Although it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i3-13100F and Intel Core i5-12600 before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i3-13100F - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-13100F specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12600 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12600 specs and review.