Intel Core i5-12600HX vs Intel Core i9-10900KF

Processor comparisons 11-09-2022

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i5-12600HX vs Intel Core i9-10900KF and see which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, video editing, rendering, programming, streaming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful review 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 such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, Blender, Gears 5, RealBench, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, 3DMark, Blender, PCMark 10, AIDA64, SuperPi, 7zip, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10900KF or Intel Core i5-12600HX.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-12600HX

57%

Core i9-10900KF

57%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12600HX

54%

Core i9-10900KF

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	96.3	101.4
Valorant	109.5	115.2
Cyberpunk 2077	61.3	64.5
Apex Legends	102.9	108.3
Call of Duty Warzone	82.1	86.4
Overwatch	88.7	93.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.5	79.5
DOOM Eternal	54.7	57.6
Warzone	85.4	89.9
Assassin's Creed	92.0	96.8
Valheim	90.9	95.6

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-12600HX

113%

Core i9-10900KF

39%

To make a final decision 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 i5-12600HX is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10900KF as it consumes less power: 55W vs. 125W. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software 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 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 i5-12600HX	Intel Core i9-10900KF
Cinbench 15 Single-core	343	234
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2450	2677
Cinbench 20 Single-core	808	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5554	6399
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1880	1418
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	18289	17325

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

	Intel Core i5-12600HX	Intel Core i9-10900KF
Single-Core	4393	3105
Multi-Core	25601	23797

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

	Intel Core i5-12600HX	Intel Core i9-10900KF
Single-Core	1875	1471
Multi-Core	8167	13125

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-12600HX	Intel Core i9-10900KF
Announcement date	June 12, 2022	April 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1964	FCLGA1200
Core name	Alder Lake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	10
Turbo Frequency	4.6 MHz	5.3 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	12	10
Threads	16	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)	55 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	No
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-10900KF is 10% better than Core i5-12600HX in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-12600HX has 2 more core than Core i9-10900KF. 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 i5-12600HX is better: 15
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10900KF is better: 18
The summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-12600HX and Intel Core i9-10900KF before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-12600HX - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12600HX specs and review.

Intel Core i9-10900KF - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-10900KF specs and review.