Intel Core i9-12900KS vs Intel Core i5-12500

Processor comparisons   28-09-2022
   Let's say there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-12900KS vs Intel Core i5-12500 and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, WPrime, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, Blender, Blender, Handbrake, MATLAB, SuperPi, RealBench, PCMark 10, PassMark, Prime95, 7zip.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12500 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 i5-12500

56%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900KS is 23% better than Core i5-12500. 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 i5-12500

55%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, just 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: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	108.6	97.2
Valorant	123.4	110.5
Cyberpunk 2077	69.1	61.9
Apex Legends	116.0	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	92.6	82.8
Overwatch	100.0	89.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	85.1	76.2
DOOM Eternal	61.7	55.2
Warzone	96.3	86.2
Assassin's Creed	103.7	92.8
Valheim	102.4	91.7

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. 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 i9-12900KS

48%

Core i5-12500

86%

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 i5-12500 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-12900KS since it has less power consumption: 150W vs. 65W. 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 calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want 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, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes 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 make sure that 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 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 i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-12500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	669	298
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	6984	2182
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1113	715
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	15520	4955
Cinbench 23 Single-core	3930	1672
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	44652	16334

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

	Intel Core i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-12500
Single-Core	4211	3919
Multi-Core	76561	22868

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

	Intel Core i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-12500
Single-Core	2187	1685
Multi-Core	20189	9016

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 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-12900KS	Intel Core i5-12500
Announcement date	March 27, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1700
Core name	Alder Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	12
Turbo Frequency	5.5 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	4 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	16	6
Threads	24	12
Bus rate	16 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	12400 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	150 W	65 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2 MB
L2 cache	8 MB
L3 cache	30 MB	18 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 17% better than Core i5-12500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900KS has 10 more core than Core i5-12500. 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: 32
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12500 is better: 2
However, it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-12900KS and Intel Core i5-12500 before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i5-12500 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12500 specs and review.