Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i5-11600K

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i5-11600K tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as Gears 5, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, WPrime, SuperPi, RealBench, UserBenchmark, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, MATLAB, AIDA64, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Prime95.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11600K or Intel Core i5-12500.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-12500

56%

Core i5-11600K

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12500

55%

Core i5-11600K

54%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	95.2
Valorant	110.5	108.1
Cyberpunk 2077	61.9	60.6
Apex Legends	103.8	101.6
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	81.1
Overwatch	89.5	87.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	74.6
DOOM Eternal	55.2	54.1
Warzone	86.2	84.3
Assassin's Creed	92.8	90.8
Valheim	91.7	89.7

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-12500

86%

Core i5-11600K

43%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i5-12500 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-11600K since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since 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 i5-12500	Intel Core i5-11600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	199
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2182	1905
Cinbench 20 Single-core	715	465
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4955	4270
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1672	1213
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16334	11302

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	3919	2707
Multi-Core	22868	20616

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	1685	1621
Multi-Core	9016	7012

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i5-11600K
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1200
Core name	Alder Lake	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	11
Turbo Frequency	4.6 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	12	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	5400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		3 MB
L3 cache	18 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	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 i5-11600K is 15% better than Core i5-12500 in terms of CPU frequency. 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 i5-12500 is better: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11600K is better: 4
However, it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-12500 and Intel Core i5-11600K before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-12500 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12500 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-11600K specs and review.