Intel Core i5-12600K vs Intel Core i9-12900

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i5-12600K vs Intel Core i9-12900 tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, rendering. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like RealBench, 3DMark, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, 7zip, Blender, SuperPi, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Prime95, MATLAB, UserBenchmark, PassMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900 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 i9-12900

65%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900 is 7% better than Core i5-12600K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-12600K

57%

Core i9-12900

59%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.8	104.3
Valorant	115.7	118.6
Cyberpunk 2077	64.8	66.4
Apex Legends	108.7	111.5
Call of Duty Warzone	86.8	88.9
Overwatch	93.7	96.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.8	81.8
DOOM Eternal	57.8	59.3
Warzone	90.2	92.5
Assassin's Creed	97.2	99.6
Valheim	96.0	98.4

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 comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-12600K

53%

Core i9-12900

96%

To make a final resolution 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 i9-12900 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12600K 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 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 programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, 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 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. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the benefit 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 i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-12900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	466	445
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3407	4687
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1116	743
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7736	10420
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2611	2635
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	25497	29985

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-12900
Single-Core	6117	6867
Multi-Core	35696	51262

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-12900
Single-Core	2009	1885
Multi-Core	13528	16028

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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 new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-12900
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	July 21, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1700
Core name	Alder Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	12
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	5.1 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	10	16
Threads	16	24
Bus rate	8 GT/s	16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	12600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	65 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 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		6400
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache		2 MB
L2 cache	9.5 MB	12 MB
L3 cache	20 MB	30 MB
Overclocking	No	No
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 i9-12900 is 5% better than Core i5-12600K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900 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 Intel Core i5-12600K is better: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900 is better: 27
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-12600K and Intel Core i9-12900 before making a selection which of the CPUs 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 i9-12900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900 specs and review.