Intel Core i5-7600K vs Intel Core i5-12400

Processor comparisons   05-02-2023
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i5-7600K vs Intel Core i5-12400 and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like PassMark, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, WPrime, Blender, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, Blender, RealBench, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, Furmark, MATLAB, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12400 or Intel Core i5-7600K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-7600K

52%

Core i5-12400

57%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-12400 is 8% better than Core i5-7600K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-7600K

52%

Core i5-12400

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.1	97.5
Valorant	104.6	110.8
Cyberpunk 2077	58.6	62.0
Apex Legends	98.3	104.1
Call of Duty Warzone	78.5	83.1
Overwatch	84.7	89.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.2	76.4
DOOM Eternal	52.3	55.4
Warzone	81.6	86.4
Assassin's Creed	87.9	93.0
Valheim	86.8	91.9

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So 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 i5-7600K

46%

Core i5-12400

91%

To make a finishing 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 i5-12400 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-7600K since it has less power consumption: 91W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU turns on all cores and threads 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. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 i5-7600K	Intel Core i5-12400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	179	337
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	717	2465
Cinbench 20 Single-core	433	808
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1589	5598
Cinbench 23 Single-core	929	1889
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3642	18452

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

	Intel Core i5-7600K	Intel Core i5-12400
Single-Core	2548	4427
Multi-Core	6912	25834

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

	Intel Core i5-7600K	Intel Core i5-12400
Single-Core	1261	1785
Multi-Core	3978	9275

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 in the future. 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 even in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-7600K	Intel Core i5-12400
Announcement date	March 28, 2017	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	FCBGA1744
Core name	Kaby Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	12
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.8 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	4	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	91 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2133/2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		76.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	18 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-7600K is 13% better than Core i5-12400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-12400 has 2 more core than Core i5-7600K. 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 i5-7600K is better: 2
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12400 is better: 31
However, it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i5-7600K and Intel Core i5-12400 before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i5-7600K - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-7600K specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12400 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12400 specs and review.