Intel Core i9-13900K vs Intel Core i5-12400

Processor comparisons   05-02-2023
   If there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i9-13900K vs Intel Core i5-12400 and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, programming, video editing, streaming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, 3DMark, Handbrake, Blender, Blender, PassMark, SuperPi, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, Gears 5, 7zip, MATLAB, RealBench, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12400 or Intel Core i9-13900K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-13900K

68%

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 i9-13900K is 16% better than Core i5-12400. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-13900K

64%

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. And if it seems to you 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: Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	114.3	97.5
Valorant	129.9	110.8
Cyberpunk 2077	72.7	62.0
Apex Legends	122.1	104.1
Call of Duty Warzone	97.4	83.1
Overwatch	105.2	89.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	89.6	76.4
DOOM Eternal	64.9	55.4
Warzone	101.3	86.4
Assassin's Creed	109.1	93.0
Valheim	107.8	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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-13900K

66%

Core i5-12400

91%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i5-12400 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-13900K since it has less power consumption: 125W 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor turns on 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 check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	531	337
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5603	2465
Cinbench 20 Single-core	887	808
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	12458	5598
Cinbench 23 Single-core	3150	1889
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	35852	18452

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

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12400
Single-Core	2879	4427
Multi-Core	61110	25834

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

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12400
Single-Core	2502	1785
Multi-Core	25761	9275

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When 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 i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12400
Announcement date	December 13, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCBGA1744
Core name	Raptor Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	13	12
Turbo Frequency	5.8 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	4.3 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	24	6
Threads	32	12
Bus rate	16 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	14200 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	65 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 5600 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	6500
Memory bandwidth	89.6 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2 MB
L2 cache	8 MB
L3 cache	36 MB	18 MB
Overclocking	yes	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 i9-13900K is 23% better than Core i5-12400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-13900K has 18 more core than Core i5-12400. 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 i9-13900K is better: 33
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12400 is better: 3
Although it should be understood that all the number in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-13900K and Intel Core i5-12400 before deciding which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i9-13900K - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-13900K 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.