AMD Ryzen 5 5600X vs Intel Core i5-12600K

CPU comparison with benchmarks

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X		Intel Core i5-12600K
CPU comparison AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i5-12600K - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X has 6 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.60 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X was released in Q4/2020. The Intel Core i5-12600K has 10 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.90 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i5-12600K was released in Q4/2021.
AMD Ryzen 5 (84)	Family	Intel Core i5 (331)
AMD Ryzen 5000 (12)	CPU group	Intel Core i 12000 (34)
4	Generation	12
Vermeer (Zen 3)	Architecture	Alder Lake S
Desktop / Server	Segment	Desktop / Server
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X	Predecessor	Intel Core i5-11600K
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X	Successor	Intel Core i5-13600K
CPU Cores and Base Frequency The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is 3.70 GHz (4.60 GHz) while the Intel Core i5-12600K has 10 CPU cores and 16 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i5-12600K is at 3.70 GHz (4.90 GHz).
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Characteristic	Intel Core i5-12600K
6	Cores	10
12	Threads	16
normal	Core architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes	Hyperthreading	Yes
Yes	Overclocking ?	Yes
3.70 GHz (4.60 GHz)	A-Core	3.70 GHz (4.90 GHz) 6x Golden Cove
--	B-Core	2.80 GHz (3.60 GHz) 4x Gracemont
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Characteristic	Intel Core i5-12600K
--	AI hardware	--
--	AI specifications	--
Internal Graphics The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i5-12600K has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
no iGPU	GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 770
	GPU frequency	0.30 GHz
--	GPU (Turbo)	1.45 GHz
--	GPU Generation	11
	Technology	10 nm
	Max. displays	3
--	Compute units	32
--	Shader	256
No	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
--	Max. GPU Memory	64 GB
--	DirectX Version	12
Hardware codec support A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
no iGPU	GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 770
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	Decode / Encode
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	Decode / Encode
No	Codec h264	Decode / Encode
No	Codec VP9	Decode / Encode
No	Codec VP8	Decode / Encode
No	Codec AV1	Decode
No	Codec AVC	Decode / Encode
No	Codec VC-1	Decode
No	Codec JPEG	Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X can use up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 51.2 GB/s. The Intel Core i5-12600K supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 76.8 GB/s.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Characteristic	Intel Core i5-12600K
DDR4-3200	Memory	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
128 GB	Max. Memory	128 GB
2 (Dual Channel)	Memory channels	2 (Dual Channel)
51.2 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	76.8 GB/s
Yes	ECC	Yes
3.00 MB	L2 Cache	9.50 MB
32.00 MB	L3 Cache	20.00 MB
4.0	PCIe version	5.0
20	PCIe lanes	20
39.4 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	78.8 GB/s
Thermal Management The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is 65 W, while the Intel Core i5-12600K has a TDP of 125 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Characteristic	Intel Core i5-12600K
65 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	125 W
--	TDP (PL2)	150 W
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	--
90 °C	Tjunction max.	100 °C
Technical details The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is manufactured in 7 nm and has 35.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i5-12600K is manufactured in 10 nm and has a 29.50 MB cache.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Characteristic	Intel Core i5-12600K
7 nm	Technology	10 nm
Chiplet	Chip design	Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3	ISA extensions	SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+
AM4 (PGA 1331)	Socket	LGA 1700
AMD-V, SVM	Virtualization	VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes	AES-NI	Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux	Operating systems	Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q4/2020	Release date	Q4/2021
299 $	Release price	289 $
show more data		show more data
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz (4.60 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! Intel Core i5-12600K 10C 16T @ 3.70 GHz (4.90 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

Devices using this processor
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Intel Core i5-12600K
Unknown	Unknown

News and articles for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and the Intel Core i5-12600K

Comparison of the two processors

When comparing the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and the Intel Core i5-12600K, the first thing to notice is that the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X was launched in the fourth quarter of 2020 and is already being manufactured using the 7-nanometer process. The Intel Core i5-12600K was only launched in the fourth quarter of 2021, so it is a year newer, but is still manufactured in the larger 10-nanometer process.

As far as the performance of the two models is concerned, this is of course not very meaningful, so let's start with the core architecture of the two processors. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X relies on a standard architecture with 6 equally powerful cores. Thanks to the available hyperthreading technology, the AMD processor has 12 threads available for its computing operations. The Intel Core i5-12600K, on ​​the other hand, relies on a big-LITTLE architecture, whereby in this case 6 high-performance cores with hyperthreading and 4 efficient cores without hyperthreading are available. The processor, which clocks at up to 4.90 gigahertz, has 16 threads available.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X does not have an internal graphics unit and must therefore be operated with a dedicated graphics solution. The Intel UHD Graphics 770 is used in the Intel Core i5-12600K. Like the processor, this iGPU is manufactured using the 10-nanometer process and has 32 execution units with 256 shaders. With its maximum clock frequency of 1.45 Gigahertz, the graphics unit achieves an FP32 computing power of 742 GigaFLOPS.

Both processors support operation with DDR-3200 RAM, the Intel Core i5-12600K can also be operated with DDR5-4800 RAM.

The performance comparison of our benchmarks shows that the Intel Core i5-12600K is significantly faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. This applies to both single-core loads, but becomes even more evident in the multi-core benchmarks.

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