Intel Core i5-12600HE vs Intel Core i9-7980XE

Processor comparisons 11-01-2022

   Let's say there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i5-12600HE vs Intel Core i9-7980XE and see which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, rendering, programming, streaming, video editing. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, Blender, Handbrake, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, Prime95, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, VeraCrypt, PassMark, 3DMark, WPrime, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7980XE or Intel Core i5-12600HE.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-12600HE

58%

Core i9-7980XE

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12600HE

55%

Core i9-7980XE

60%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 little 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: DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Control, Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	98.5	107.0
Valorant	111.9	121.6
Cyberpunk 2077	62.7	68.1
Apex Legends	105.2	114.3
Call of Duty Warzone	83.9	91.2
Overwatch	90.6	98.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.2	83.9
DOOM Eternal	55.9	60.8
Warzone	87.3	94.9
Assassin's Creed	94.0	102.2
Valheim	92.9	100.9

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 i5-12600HE

130%

Core i9-7980XE

23%

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 i5-12600HE is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7980XE as it consumes less power: 45W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 i5-12600HE	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	363	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2647	3455
Cinbench 20 Single-core	867	446
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	6010	7671
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2029	1281
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	19815	28196

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

	Intel Core i5-12600HE	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	4752	2490
Multi-Core	27739	29612

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

	Intel Core i5-12600HE	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	1760	1158
Multi-Core	10247	18658

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-12600HE	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	April 01, 2017
Type	Embedded	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1744	FCLGA2066
Core name	Alder Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	9
Turbo Frequency	4.5 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	12	18
Threads	16	36
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	45 W	165 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	45.8 GB/s	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	18 MB	24.75 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 i5-12600HE is 21% better than Core i9-7980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7980XE has 6 more core than Core i5-12600HE. 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 i5-12600HE is better: 12
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7980XE is better: 22
However, it should be realized that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-12600HE and Intel Core i9-7980XE before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i5-12600HE - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12600HE specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7980XE specs and review.