Intel Core i9-12900KS vs Intel Core i5-11500

Processor comparisons   28-09-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i9-12900KS vs Intel Core i5-11500 tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming, rendering. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like PassMark, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, Prime95, Handbrake, 7zip, SuperPi, Blender, 3DMark, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, WPrime, PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11500 or Intel Core i9-12900KS.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-12900KS

73%

Core i5-11500

55%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900KS is 24% better than Core i5-11500. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-12900KS

61%

Core i5-11500

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	108.6	95.7
Valorant	123.4	108.8
Cyberpunk 2077	69.1	60.9
Apex Legends	116.0	102.3
Call of Duty Warzone	92.6	81.6
Overwatch	100.0	88.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	85.1	75.1
DOOM Eternal	61.7	54.4
Warzone	96.3	84.9
Assassin's Creed	103.7	91.4
Valheim	102.4	90.3

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, FullHD or 4K. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-12900KS

48%

Core i5-11500

81%

To make a final 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 i5-11500 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-12900KS as it consumes less power: 150W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, 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, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor includes all cores and threads 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 can 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 i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-11500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	669	186
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	6984	1783
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1113	435
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	15520	3994
Cinbench 23 Single-core	3930	1135
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	44652	10572

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

	Intel Core i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-11500
Single-Core	4211	2532
Multi-Core	76561	19286

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

	Intel Core i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-11500
Single-Core	2187	1584
Multi-Core	20189	7583

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-11500
Announcement date	March 27, 2022	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1200
Core name	Alder Lake	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	11
Turbo Frequency	5.5 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	4 MHz	2.7 MHz
Cores	16	6
Threads	24	12
Bus rate	16 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	12400 millions	5400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	150 W	65 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache	2 MB
L2 cache	8 MB	3 MB
L3 cache	30 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	Yes	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 i9-12900KS is 32% better than Core i5-11500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900KS has 10 more core than Core i5-11500. 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 i9-12900KS is better: 35
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11500 is better: 2
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the table above 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 reviews of real owners of Intel Core i9-12900KS and Intel Core i5-11500 before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i9-12900KS - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900KS specs and review.

Intel Core i5-11500 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-11500 specs and review.