Intel Core i9-13900 vs Intel Core i5-12600K

Processor comparisons   08-10-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-13900 vs Intel Core i5-12600K and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, machine learning, video editing, programming, streaming. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough 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 parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Blender, Handbrake, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, SuperPi, MATLAB, PassMark, 7zip, UserBenchmark, Furmark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12600K or Intel Core i9-13900.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-13900

67%

Core i5-12600K

60%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-13900 is 10% 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.

Core i9-13900

62%

Core i5-12600K

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	110.5	101.8
Valorant	125.6	115.7
Cyberpunk 2077	70.3	64.8
Apex Legends	118.1	108.7
Call of Duty Warzone	94.2	86.8
Overwatch	101.7	93.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	86.7	79.8
DOOM Eternal	62.8	57.8
Warzone	98.0	90.2
Assassin's Creed	105.5	97.2
Valheim	104.2	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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. So 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 i9-13900

56%

Core i5-12600K

53%

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 i9-13900 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12600K as it consumes less power: 115W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video editing or video rendering, 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 CPU uses all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 i9-13900	Intel Core i5-12600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	521	466
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5424	3407
Cinbench 20 Single-core	865	1116
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	12052	7736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	3054	2611
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	34668	25497

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

	Intel Core i9-13900	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	2791	6117
Multi-Core	59086	35696

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

	Intel Core i9-13900	Intel Core i5-12600K
Single-Core	1965	2009
Multi-Core	22085	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 later the processor is released, 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-13900	Intel Core i5-12600K
Announcement date	December 13, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1700	FCLGA1700
Core name	Raptor Lake	Alder Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	13	12
Turbo Frequency	5.6 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	24	10
Threads	32	16
Bus rate	16 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	14200 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	115 W	125 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 5600 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	6500
Memory bandwidth	89.6 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2 MB
L2 cache	8 MB	9.5 MB
L3 cache	36 MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	Yes	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 i9-13900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-13900 has 14 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 i9-13900 is better: 30
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12600K is better: 6
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-13900 and Intel Core i5-12600K before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i9-13900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-13900 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.