AMD Ryzen 9 7900X vs Intel Core i5-12600K

Processor comparisons   28-09-2022
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 9 7900X vs Intel Core i5-12600K and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful review 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 joint testing in software tests like PCMark 10, Blender, PassMark, 7zip, WPrime, RealBench, UserBenchmark, AIDA64, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, Prime95, 3DMark, Furmark, VeraCrypt, MATLAB.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 9 7900X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 9 7900X

66%

Core i5-12600K

60%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 7900X is 9% better than Core i5-12600K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 7900X

62%

Core i5-12600K

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	110.0	101.8
Valorant	125.1	115.7
Cyberpunk 2077	70.0	64.8
Apex Legends	117.5	108.7
Call of Duty Warzone	93.8	86.8
Overwatch	101.3	93.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	86.3	79.8
DOOM Eternal	62.5	57.8
Warzone	97.5	90.2
Assassin's Creed	105.0	97.2
Valheim	103.8	96.0

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: 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 7900X

42%

Core i5-12600K

53%

To make a finishing choice 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 i5-12600K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 7900X since it has less power consumption: 170W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	310	466
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5138	3407
Cinbench 20 Single-core	749	1116
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	12290	7736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1918	2611
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	33781	25497

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	4063	6117
Multi-Core	54482	35696

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	2172	2009
Multi-Core	21612	13528

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 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 the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Announcement date	September 27, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM5	FCLGA1700
Core name	Raphael	Alder Lake
Architecture	Zen 4	x86
Generation	5	12
Turbo Frequency	5.6 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	4.7 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	12	10
Threads	24	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	12600 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	170 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth		76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	768KB
L2 cache	12MB	9.5 MB
L3 cache	64MB	20 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000589

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 7900X is 23% better than Core i5-12600K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 7900X has 2 more core than Core i5-12600K. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is better: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12600K is better: 10
However, it should be realized that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and Intel Core i5-12600K before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 7900X specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12600K - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12600K specs and review.