Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i9-10900F

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i9-10900F and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here you can find all information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, PassMark, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, AIDA64, MATLAB, Blender, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, PCMark 10, Prime95, RealBench, Handbrake, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10900F 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 i9-10900F

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12500

55%

Core i9-10900F

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 play 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 final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	99.0
Valorant	110.5	112.5
Cyberpunk 2077	61.9	63.0
Apex Legends	103.8	105.8
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	84.4
Overwatch	89.5	91.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	77.7
DOOM Eternal	55.2	56.3
Warzone	86.2	87.8
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 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 i9-10900F

71%

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 i9-10900F since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. 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 i9-10900F
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	229
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2182	2516
Cinbench 20 Single-core	715	524
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4955	5853
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1672	1353
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16334	14644

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10900F
Single-Core	3919	3085
Multi-Core	22868	20970

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

	Intel Core i5-12500	Intel Core i9-10900F
Single-Core	1685	1398
Multi-Core	9016	10825

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. 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. If the processor can be overclocked, 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 i9-10900F
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 i9-10900F in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900F 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 i9-10900F is better: 18
However, it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-12500 and Intel Core i9-10900F before making a decision 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 i9-10900F - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-10900F specs and review.