Intel Core i9-13900K vs Intel Core i5-12500

Processor comparisons   28-09-2022
   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i9-13900K vs Intel Core i5-12500 and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, machine learning, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, WPrime, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), SuperPi, PassMark, Blender, 7zip, 3DMark, AIDA64, PCMark 10, Gears 5, RealBench.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12500 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 i5-12500

56%

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 17% better than Core i5-12500. 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 i5-12500

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	114.3	97.2
Valorant	129.9	110.5
Cyberpunk 2077	72.7	61.9
Apex Legends	122.1	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	97.4	82.8
Overwatch	105.2	89.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	89.6	76.2
DOOM Eternal	64.9	55.2
Warzone	101.3	86.2
Assassin's Creed	109.1	92.8
Valheim	107.8	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 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, 4K or FullHD. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-13900K

66%

Core i5-12500

86%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i5-12500 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, 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, video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, 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 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 make sure that the software 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 work, 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 i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	531	298
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5603	2182
Cinbench 20 Single-core	887	715
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	12458	4955
Cinbench 23 Single-core	3150	1672
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	35852	16334

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

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12500
Single-Core	2879	3919
Multi-Core	61110	22868

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

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12500
Single-Core	2502	1685
Multi-Core	25761	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 later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-13900K	Intel Core i5-12500
Announcement date	December 13, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1700
Core name	Raptor Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	13	12
Turbo Frequency	5.8 MHz	4.6 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 i5-12500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-13900K has 18 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 i9-13900K is better: 33
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12500 is better: 3
However, it should be realized that all the data in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-13900K and Intel Core i5-12500 before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

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 i5-12500 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12500 specs and review.