Intel Core i5-12600K vs AMD EPYC 73F3

Processor comparisons 11-01-2022

   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i5-12600K vs AMD EPYC 73F3 and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, video editing, rendering, streaming. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Gears 5, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, Prime95, Blender, Furmark, WPrime, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD EPYC 73F3 or Intel Core i5-12600K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-12600K

60%

EPYC 73F3

62%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, EPYC 73F3 is 3% better than Core i5-12600K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12600K

57%

EPYC 73F3

62%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.8	109.5
Valorant	115.7	124.4
Cyberpunk 2077	64.8	69.7
Apex Legends	108.7	116.9
Call of Duty Warzone	86.8	93.3
Overwatch	93.7	100.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.8	85.8
DOOM Eternal	57.8	62.2
Warzone	90.2	97.0
Assassin's Creed	97.2	104.5
Valheim	96.0	103.3

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, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 i5-12600K

53%

EPYC 73F3

15%

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 i5-12600K is more energy efficient than the EPYC 73F3 as it consumes less power: 125W vs. 240W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can 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 i5-12600K	AMD EPYC 73F3
Cinbench 15 Single-core	466	125
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3407	5148
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1116	234
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7736	10911
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2611	577
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	25497	28372

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	AMD EPYC 73F3
Single-Core	6117	1297
Multi-Core	35696	41617

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	AMD EPYC 73F3
Single-Core	2009	1147
Multi-Core	13528	21059

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-12600K	AMD EPYC 73F3
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	March 15, 2021
Type	Desktop	Server
Socket	FCLGA1700	SP3
Core name	Alder Lake	Milan
Architecture	x86	Zen 3
Generation	12	3
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	10	16
Threads	16	32
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	54000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	240 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	204.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	9.5 MB
L3 cache	20 MB	256MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000321 100-100000321WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-12600K is 2% better than EPYC 73F3 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that EPYC 73F3 has 6 more core than Core i5-12600K. 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 i5-12600K is better: 14
The number of parameters for which AMD EPYC 73F3 is better: 21
Although it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-12600K and AMD EPYC 73F3 before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-12600K - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12600K specs and review.

AMD EPYC 73F3 - all data

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

• AMD EPYC 73F3 specs and review.