Intel Core i7-12700 vs Intel Core i7-2600K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-12700 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-2600K
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-2600K

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i7-12700 and the Intel Core i7-2600K and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i7-12700 12 core processor released in Q1/2022 with the Intel Core i7-2600K which has 4 CPU cores and was introduced in Q1/2011.
Intel Core i7 (293) Family Intel Core i7 (293)
Intel Core i 12000 (34) CPU group Intel Core i 2000 (28)
12 Generation 2
Alder Lake S Architecture Sandy Bridge S
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i7-11700 Predecessor --
Intel Core i7-13700 Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-12700 is a 12 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.10 GHz (4.90 GHz). The processor can compute 20 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i7-2600K clocks with 3.40 GHz (3.80 GHz), has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i7-12700 Characteristic Intel Core i7-2600K
12 Cores 4
20 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? Yes
2.10 GHz (4.90 GHz)
8x Golden Cove
A-Core 3.40 GHz (3.80 GHz)
1.60 GHz (3.60 GHz)
4x Gracemont
B-Core --

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.

Intel Core i7-12700 Characteristic Intel Core i7-2600K
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

Intel UHD Graphics 770 GPU Intel HD Graphics 3000
0.30 GHz GPU frequency 0.85 GHz
1.50 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.35 GHz
11 GPU Generation 6
10 nm Technology 32 nm
3 Max. displays 2
32 Compute units 12
256 Shader 96
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory 2 GB
12 DirectX Version 10.1

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.

Intel UHD Graphics 770 GPU Intel HD Graphics 3000
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 No
Decode Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i7-12700, while the Intel Core i7-2600K supports a maximum of 32 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 21.3 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i7-12700 Characteristic Intel Core i7-2600K
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 Memory DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
128 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
76.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 21.3 GB/s
Yes ECC No
12.00 MB L2 Cache 1.00 MB
25.00 MB L3 Cache 8.00 MB
5.0 PCIe version 2.0
20 PCIe lanes 16
78.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 8.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i7-12700 has a TDP of 65 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i7-2600K is 95 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i7-12700 Characteristic Intel Core i7-2600K
65 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 95 W
180 W TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-12700 has 37.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 10 nm. The cache of Intel Core i7-2600K is at 9.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 32 nm.

Intel Core i7-12700 Characteristic Intel Core i7-2600K
10 nm Technology 32 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX
LGA 1700 Socket LGA 1155
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q1/2022 Release date Q1/2011
339 $ Release price 270 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-12700 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.9 stars (8 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-2600K to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
1712 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
808 (47%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
11650 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
3098 (27%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
2497 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
707 (28%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
12448 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
2457 (20%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
Intel UHD Graphics 770 @ 1.50 GHz
768 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
Intel HD Graphics 3000 @ 1.35 GHz
259 (34%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
31146 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
5488 (18%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
259 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
128 (49%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
3140 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
612 (19%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
107 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
1004 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
1862 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
21568 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
263 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
1865 (100%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
284 (100%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
741.6 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
365 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-12700
12C 20T @ 2.10 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-2600K Intel Core i7-2600K
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
1690 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-12700 Intel Core i7-2600K
Unknown Unknown

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