Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i9-10900

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i9-10900 and understand which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, rendering, video editing, programming. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Prime95, Blender, AIDA64, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, Gears 5, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, UserBenchmark, PassMark, PCMark 10, 7zip, 3DMark, RealBench, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10900 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 i9-10900

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12500

55%

Core i9-10900

56%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	99.0
Valorant	110.5	112.5
Cyberpunk 2077	61.9	63.0
Apex Legends	103.8	105.7
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	84.4
Overwatch	89.5	91.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	77.6
DOOM Eternal	55.2	56.2
Warzone	86.2	87.7
Assassin's Creed	92.8	94.5
Valheim	91.7	93.4

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 comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 i9-10900

64%

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 i5-12500 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10900 since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that 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 i9-10900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	231
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2182	2541
Cinbench 20 Single-core	715	529
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4955	6378
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1672	1367
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16334	14816

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10900
Single-Core	3919	3126
Multi-Core	22868	21216

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10900
Single-Core	1685	1265
Multi-Core	9016	10761

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10900
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	5.2 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	2.8 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	65 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	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 i5-12500 is 15% better than Core i9-10900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900 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: 13
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10900 is better: 18
Although it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-12500 and Intel Core i9-10900 before making a choice which CPU 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 i9-10900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-10900 specs and review.