AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs Intel Core i5-12600K

Processor comparisons   03-02-2023
   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs Intel Core i5-12600K and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, rendering, video editing, programming, machine learning. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like Furmark, VeraCrypt, WPrime, Handbrake, Gears 5, Prime95, Blender, AIDA64, PCMark 10, PassMark, 7zip, 3DMark, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, UserBenchmark, Blender.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D.

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 7950X3D

70%

Core i5-12600K

60%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 14% 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 7950X3D

65%

Core i5-12600K

57%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which CPU comparisons were performed: League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Control, NBA 2K20, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	115.5	101.8
Valorant	131.2	115.7
Cyberpunk 2077	73.5	64.8
Apex Legends	123.3	108.7
Call of Duty Warzone	98.4	86.8
Overwatch	106.3	93.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	90.5	79.8
DOOM Eternal	65.6	57.8
Warzone	102.4	90.2
Assassin's Creed	110.2	97.2
Valheim	108.9	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 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: 4K, 2K 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 7950X3D

71%

Core i5-12600K

53%

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 Ryzen 9 7950X3D is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12600K as it consumes less power: 120W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, 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 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 find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in 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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Intel Core i5-12600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	466
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	6235	3407
Cinbench 20 Single-core	922	1116
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	14889	7736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2338	2611
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	40898	25497

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	4932	6117
Multi-Core	65949	35696

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	2587	2009
Multi-Core	26935	13528

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. 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. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS 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 7950X3D	Intel Core i5-12600K
Announcement date	February 28, 2023	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM5	FCLGA1700
Core name	Raphael	Alder Lake
Architecture	Zen 4	x86
Generation	5	12
Turbo Frequency	5.7 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	4.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	16	10
Threads	32	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	12600 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	120 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR5	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	1MB
L2 cache	16MB	9.5 MB
L3 cache	64MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000908 100-100000908WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 14% better than Core i5-12600K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 7950X3D has 6 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 7950X3D is better: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12600K is better: 9
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 undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Intel Core i5-12600K before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 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.