Intel Core i5-12600K vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-12600K vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, PassMark, Blender, Handbrake, 3DMark, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Gears 5, WPrime, RealBench, VeraCrypt, Prime95, UserBenchmark, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 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%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

66%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is 9% better than Core i5-12600K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12600K

57%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

64%

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 the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.8	113.6
Valorant	115.7	129.1
Cyberpunk 2077	64.8	72.3
Apex Legends	108.7	121.3
Call of Duty Warzone	86.8	96.8
Overwatch	93.7	104.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.8	89.1
DOOM Eternal	57.8	64.5
Warzone	90.2	100.7
Assassin's Creed	97.2	108.4
Valheim	96.0	107.1

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-12600K

53%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

15%

To make a finishing resolution 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 Ryzen Threadripper 3960X as it consumes less power: 125W vs. 280W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. 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 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 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 i5-12600K	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	466	209
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3407	5933
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1116	509
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7736	13552
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2611	1270
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	25497	34255

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Single-Core	6117	2663
Multi-Core	35696	54830

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Single-Core	2009	1306
Multi-Core	13528	25072

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 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that 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 Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	November 25, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	sTRX4
Core name	Alder Lake	Castle Peak
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	12	3
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	10	24
Threads	16	48
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	22600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	280 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
L1 cache		1.5MB
L2 cache	9.5 MB	12MB
L3 cache	20 MB	128MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000010 100-100000010WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is 5% better than Core i5-12600K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen Threadripper 3960X has 14 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 Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is better: 23
However, it should be realized that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-12600K and AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X before making a selection 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 Ryzen Threadripper 3960X specs and review.