Is the i9 12900K the best?
Tom's Hardware Verdict
The Intel Core i9-12900K is the fastest gaming processor on the planet while the Core i5-12600K offers unprecedented gaming performance at its price point.
My testing revealed only a 2.2% difference between the Core i9-12900K and Core i9-12900KS in games at 1080p. That difference actually favors the Core i9-12900K, with it putting up higher frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, while barely lagging behind in Forza Horizon 4.
Core i9 12900K is most powerful processor available today
With eight hyperthreading-enabled performance cores, eight efficient cores, and a total of 24 threads, the Core i9 12900K is one of the most expensive processors money can buy.
Hardware specifications. The Core i9-12900K is one of Intel's high-end Alder Lake desktop processors.
The only difference is that the Intel® Core™ i9-11900K Processor comes with integrated graphics Intel® Core™ i9-11900K Processor and the Intel® Core™ i9-11900KF Processor does not come with integrated graphics, it requires discrete graphics.
Intel Core i9-11900k vs i9-10900k: Performance
Our benchmark results show that the Intel Core i9-11900k is the more powerful processor of the two, which is largely thanks to the performance improvements found in the Rocket Lake architecture.
i7 vs i9 – How do they compare? Speaking generally, i9s are simply faster processors than are i7s – more cores, higher clock, more cache. The big differentiator is when it comes to Hyperthreading, the feature that creates two processing threads for every physical core.
The better CPU by a clear mile
If you need ultimate levels of efficient performance, look no further than the Core i9-12900K. We'd even recommend you completely upgrade from the older Core i9-11900K with a new motherboard, it's that good. This is the best desktop-class processor Intel has released in a long time.
The Core i9-12900K features integrated Intel UHD 770 Graphics. Please note that a thermal solution NOT is included. The processor is compatible with Intel LGA 1700 socket motherboards and is backed by a 3-year warranty.
But what is Core i9? And is it really better than the Core i7 or Core i5? In Intel's simple terms, the Core i9 is faster than the Core i7, which is faster than the Core i5. But faster isn't always better, and most people don't need the extra horsepower.
What is faster than i9?
Translating Specs to Real-World Performance: CPU
On our Cinebench R15 test, which includes both single-core and multi-core workflows, the Ryzen 9 far outpaces the Core i9 when it's using all of its cores and threads.
Power Consumption, Efficiency, and Cooling: Intel Core i9-12900K vs Ryzen 9 5950X and Ryzen 9 5900X. Intel's Core i9-12900K is far more power efficient, meaning it draws less power for each unit of work done, than its predecessor.
A pure CPU test such as Cinebench R20 Multi-Core shows the Core i9-10900K scoring 6,360 marks at 4.9GHz and the Core i9-9900KF (a Core i9-9900K without integrated graphics) scoring 4,867 marks at 4.7GHz, which is an impressive 30% increase.
| Products | This Item Intel Core i9-12900K - Core i9 12th Gen Alder Lake 16-Core (8P+8E) 3.2 GHz LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - BX8071512900K Add to cart |
|---|---|
| Price | $479.00 Free Shipping |
| Rating | (245) |
| Sold By | Newegg |
| Brand | Intel |
The 9th-gen Core i7 and Core i9 chips offer the same number of cores and close clock speeds, meaning there's little difference for most users. As with the 11th-gen chips, the close cores and clock speeds mean the differences between Core i7 and Core i9 are minimal for most users.
Intel's 12th Gen arrives today and with it the flagship Core i9-12900K. It's a new era of x86 processors that are designed similar to Apple's ARM silicon in offering both performance and efficiency cores. This allows Windows to offload background tasks and keep the performance cores for the more demanding workloads.
AMD also stated that the 5900X achieves, on average, 6.8% faster gaming performance than Intel's 10-core i9-10900K.
The i9-10980XE also offers a surprisingly good gaming performance, eclipsing that of the i9-9900K which Intel previously celebrated as the “best gaming desktop processor”.
TechRadar Verdict
The Intel Core i9-11900K is a fine processor, but with so many amazing chips on the market right now, there's simply no reason to go with this processor, when you can get better performance for less cash elsewhere.
Intel's ten-core 20-thread Core i9-10900K cements itself as the fastest gaming processor on the market and comes at a reasonable price, but the extra performance comes at the cost of incredibly high power consumption.
Is i9 12900K fast?
Intel's Special Edition hits 5.5 GHz with ease. Intel's Core i9-12900K arrived last year as the fastest gaming CPU we've ever tested, but the new Special Edition Core i9-12900KS pushes the Alder Lake family up to a blistering 5.5 GHz, a record high for PCs, making it the fastest desktop PC chip in all categories.
Gaming: Do You Need a Core i7 or a Core i9 for Desktop Fragging? For most gamers, both the i7 and i9 line of chips are a bit overkill to justify their higher price points compared to chips in the i3 and i5 brackets.
Overall, it's safe to say that the new Intel Core i9-12900HK is performing better than both M1 Pro and the M1 Max in the CPU-centric benchmarks. Even in tests involving the graphics unit, the MSI is able to hold its own against the MacBook Pro.
You can see our full results below, all of which were run with a bench test rocking DDR5-6000 memory and an RTX 3090 graphics card. In a clean head-to-head, the Ryzen 9 7950X is 36% faster than the Core i9-12900K in Cinebench R23's multi-core test. Similarly, it outpaces the Core i9-12900K in Geekbench 5 by 30%.
Yes, this 12Th Generation Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Processor is definitely a great option for gaming and streaming at the same time since it can handle multiple tasks at the same time thanks to its 16 cores and blazing speeds.