Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i9-10850K

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i9-10850K and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, streaming, rendering, machine learning, video editing. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as Furmark, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Prime95, MATLAB, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, SuperPi, RealBench, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt, PCMark 10.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10850K 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 i9-10850K

57%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-10850K is 1% better than Core i5-12500. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12500

55%

Core i9-10850K

56%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little 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: Monster Hunter World, Ghostrunner, Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Control, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	99.8
Valorant	110.5	113.4
Cyberpunk 2077	61.9	63.5
Apex Legends	103.8	106.6
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	85.1
Overwatch	89.5	91.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	78.3
DOOM Eternal	55.2	56.7
Warzone	86.2	88.5
Assassin's Creed	92.8	95.3
Valheim	91.7	94.1

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. So 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-12500

86%

Core i9-10850K

36%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i5-12500 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10850K since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU 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. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10850K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	229
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2182	2616
Cinbench 20 Single-core	715	536
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4955	6318
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1672	1367
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16334	16820

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	3919	3074
Multi-Core	22868	23350

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	1685	1383
Multi-Core	9016	11578

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10850K
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1200
Core name	Alder Lake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	10
Turbo Frequency	4.6 MHz	5.1 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	10
Threads	12	20
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	18 MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 i9-10850K is 8% better than Core i5-12500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10850K has 4 more core than Core i5-12500. 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: 11
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10850K is better: 22
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-12500 and Intel Core i9-10850K before deciding 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 i9-10850K specs and review.