Intel Core i5-12600K vs Intel Core i9-10980XE

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-12600K vs Intel Core i9-10980XE and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, machine learning, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, Handbrake, Blender, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, PassMark, PCMark 10, Furmark, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, Prime95, 7zip, MATLAB, RealBench, 3DMark, AIDA64.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10980XE or Intel Core i5-12600K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-12600K

60%

Core i9-10980XE

60%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12600K

57%

Core i9-10980XE

61%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.8	108.7
Valorant	115.7	123.5
Cyberpunk 2077	64.8	69.2
Apex Legends	108.7	116.1
Call of Duty Warzone	86.8	92.6
Overwatch	93.7	100.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.8	85.2
DOOM Eternal	57.8	61.8
Warzone	90.2	96.3
Assassin's Creed	97.2	103.7
Valheim	96.0	102.5

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 that were in the comparisons 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-12600K

53%

Core i9-10980XE

28%

To make a finishing choice 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 i5-12600K is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10980XE as it consumes less power: 125W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn 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. Since 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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	466	211
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3407	3800
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1116	480
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7736	8848
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2611	1191
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	25497	24309

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Single-Core	6117	2626
Multi-Core	35696	34005

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Single-Core	2009	1417
Multi-Core	13528	20280

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 later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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 savings are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	October 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA2066
Core name	Alder Lake	Cascade Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	10
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	10	18
Threads	16	36
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s DMI3
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	165 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	256 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	94 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	9.5 MB
L3 cache	20 MB	24.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-12600K is 16% better than Core i9-10980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10980XE has 8 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 Intel Core i5-12600K is better: 15
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10980XE is better: 21
Although 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 numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-12600K and Intel Core i9-10980XE before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

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.

• Intel Core i9-10980XE specs and review.