Intel Core i5-12600 vs Intel Core i9-10850K

Processor comparisons 11-01-2022

   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-12600 vs Intel Core i9-10850K and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like 3DMark, Prime95, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, WPrime, RealBench, Blender, Handbrake, Blender, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, PassMark, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, 7zip, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10850K or Intel Core i5-12600.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-12600

57%

Core i9-10850K

57%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12600

55%

Core i9-10850K

56%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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 small game result, just 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: Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, Half-Life: Alyx, Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.6	99.8
Valorant	110.9	113.4
Cyberpunk 2077	62.1	63.5
Apex Legends	104.3	106.6
Call of Duty Warzone	83.2	85.1
Overwatch	89.8	91.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.5	78.3
DOOM Eternal	55.5	56.7
Warzone	86.5	88.5
Assassin's Creed	93.2	95.3
Valheim	92.1	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 computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, 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 i5-12600

96%

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 i5-12600 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 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 i5-12600	Intel Core i9-10850K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	326	229
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2380	2616
Cinbench 20 Single-core	780	536
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5404	6318
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1824	1367
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17812	16820

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

	Intel Core i5-12600	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	4273	3074
Multi-Core	24937	23350

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

	Intel Core i5-12600	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	1877	1383
Multi-Core	9425	11578

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 later. 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 in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-12600	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	4.8 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 i5-12600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10850K has 4 more core than Core i5-12600. 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 i5-12600 is better: 13
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10850K is better: 20
However, it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-12600 and Intel Core i9-10850K before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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.

• Intel Core i9-10850K specs and review.