Intel Core i9-12900K vs Intel Core i9-9900K

CPU comparison with benchmarks

Intel Core i9-12900K		Intel Core i9-9900K
CPU comparison Intel Core i9-12900K or Intel Core i9-9900K - 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 Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 cores with 24 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.20 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-12900K was released in Q4/2021. The Intel Core i9-9900K has 8 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.00 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-9900K was released in Q4/2018.
Intel Core i9 (78)	Family	Intel Core i9 (78)
Intel Core i 12000 (34)	CPU group	Intel Core i 9000 (34)
12	Generation	9
Alder Lake S	Architecture	Coffee Lake S Refresh
Desktop / Server	Segment	Desktop / Server
Intel Core i9-11900K	Predecessor	--
Intel Core i9-13900K	Successor	Intel Core i9-10900K
CPU Cores and Base Frequency The Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 CPU cores and can calculate 24 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-12900K is 3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz) while the Intel Core i9-9900K has 8 CPU cores and 16 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-9900K is at 3.60 GHz (5.00 GHz).
Intel Core i9-12900K	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-9900K
16	Cores	8
24	Threads	16
hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Core architecture	normal
Yes	Hyperthreading	Yes
Yes	Overclocking ?	Yes
3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz) 8x Golden Cove	A-Core	3.60 GHz (5.00 GHz)
2.40 GHz (3.90 GHz) 8x 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 i9-12900K	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-9900K
--	AI hardware	--
--	AI specifications	--
Internal Graphics The Intel Core i9-12900K or Intel Core i9-9900K 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.
Intel UHD Graphics 770	GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 630
0.30 GHz	GPU frequency	0.35 GHz
1.55 GHz	GPU (Turbo)	1.20 GHz
11	GPU Generation	9.5
10 nm	Technology	14 nm
3	Max. displays	3
32	Compute units	24
256	Shader	192
No	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
64 GB	Max. GPU Memory	64 GB
12	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.
Intel UHD Graphics 770	GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 630
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode	Codec h264	Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode	Codec VP9	Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode	Codec VP8	Decode / Encode
Decode	Codec AV1	No
Decode / Encode	Codec AVC	Decode / Encode
Decode	Codec VC-1	Decode
Decode / Encode	Codec JPEG	Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe The Intel Core i9-12900K can use up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 76.8 GB/s. The Intel Core i9-9900K supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 42.7 GB/s.
Intel Core i9-12900K	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-9900K
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	Memory	DDR4-2666
128 GB	Max. Memory	128 GB
2 (Dual Channel)	Memory channels	2 (Dual Channel)
76.8 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	42.7 GB/s
Yes	ECC	No
14.00 MB	L2 Cache	--
30.00 MB	L3 Cache	16.00 MB
5.0	PCIe version	3.0
20	PCIe lanes	16
78.8 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	15.8 GB/s
Thermal Management The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i9-12900K is 125 W, while the Intel Core i9-9900K has a TDP of 95 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.
Intel Core i9-12900K	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-9900K
125 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	95 W
241 W	TDP (PL2)	119 W @ 28 s
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	--
100 °C	Tjunction max.	100 °C
Technical details The Intel Core i9-12900K is manufactured in 10 nm and has 44.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i9-9900K is manufactured in 14 nm and has a 16.00 MB cache.
Intel Core i9-12900K	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-9900K
10 nm	Technology	14 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, AVX2
LGA 1700	Socket	LGA 1151-2
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d	Virtualization	VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes	AES-NI	Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux	Operating systems	Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q4/2021	Release date	Q4/2018
589 $	Release price	650 $
show more data		show more data
Intel Core i9-12900K 16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! Intel Core i9-9900K 8C 16T @ 3.60 GHz (5.00 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

Devices using this processor
Intel Core i9-12900K	Intel Core i9-9900K
Unknown	Memory PC Intel i9-9900K Multimedia Office PC Intel Core i9 9900K Corsair ONE i160 Kompakter Gaming-PC Intel Core i9-9900K

News and articles for the Intel Core i9-12900K and the Intel Core i9-9900K

Comparison of the two processors

There are 3 years and also 3 generations between the release of the Intel Core i9-9900K and the Intel Core i9-12900K. The Intel Core i9-9900K was released by Intel in the fourth quarter of 2018, and the Intel Core i9-12900K in the fourth quarter of 2021.

A lot has happened during this time, because the Intel processor from 2018 was still manufactured using the 14-nanometer process, while the processor released in 2021 is manufactured using the smaller 10-nanometer process. In addition, there has also been a significant change in the structure of the processors. While the Intel Core i9-9900K has 8 physical cores and has 16 threads thanks to Hyperthreading, the Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 physical cores available, which is a big LITTLE structure, which means 8 of the 16 cores so-called performance cores and the other 8 so-called efficiency cores. With this processor, only the performance cores support hyperthreading technology, which means that the processor has a total of 24 threads at its disposal.

According to our benchmarks, the Intel Core i9-9900K is approximately 30 percent slower than the Intel Core i9-12900K under single core load. In the multi-core benchmarks, the difference in performance is a lot bigger, here the Intel Core i9-9900K is about 50 percent slower than the Intel Core i9-12900K.

Both processors have an internal graphics unit. The Intel UHD Graphics 630 is used in the Intel Core i9-9900K. This graphics unit clocks at up to 1.20 gigahertz and has 24 execution units with 192 shaders. The newer Intel UHD Graphics 770 is used in the Intel Core i9-12900K. This clocks at up to 1.55 gigahertz and has 32 execution units with 256 shaders.

The Intel Core i9-9900K supports up to 128 gigabytes of DDR4-2666 memory. With the Intel Core i9-12900K, up to 128 gigabytes of RAM can also be operated, but on the one hand with the faster DDR4-3200 memory or also with the newer DDR5 memory of the DDR5-4800 type.

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