Intel Core i5-12600K vs Intel Core i9-9990XE

Processor comparisons   11-01-2022
   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-12600K vs Intel Core i9-9990XE and see which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, streaming, programming, video editing, rendering. Here is useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Blender, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, 7zip, Handbrake, 3DMark, Prime95, MATLAB, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, Blender, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, Furmark, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, RealBench.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9990XE 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 i9-9990XE

59%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-12600K is 1% better than Core i9-9990XE. 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 i9-9990XE

59%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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. 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 processors were compared: Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, DOTA 2A, League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghostrunner, NBA 2K20, Control, Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.8	104.6
Valorant	115.7	118.9
Cyberpunk 2077	64.8	66.6
Apex Legends	108.7	111.7
Call of Duty Warzone	86.8	89.1
Overwatch	93.7	96.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.8	82.0
DOOM Eternal	57.8	59.4
Warzone	90.2	92.7
Assassin's Creed	97.2	99.8
Valheim	96.0	98.6

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, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, 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 i9-9990XE

16%

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 Core i9-9990XE since it has less power consumption: 125W vs. 260W. 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, video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether 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 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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-9990XE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	466	199
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3407	3215
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1116	455
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7736	7457
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2611	1115
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	25497	22765

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-9990XE
Single-Core	6117	3072
Multi-Core	35696	31845

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

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-9990XE
Single-Core	2009	1308
Multi-Core	13528	16263

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-12600K	Intel Core i9-9990XE
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	LGA2066
Core name	Alder Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	9
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	5.2 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	4.2 MHz
Cores	10	14
Threads	16	28
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	10200 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	260 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	9.5 MB
L3 cache	20 MB	32 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 i9-9990XE is 14% better than Core i5-12600K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9990XE has 4 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 i9-9990XE is better: 19
However, it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-12600K and Intel Core i9-9990XE before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i9-9990XE specs and review.