Intel Core i9-12900K vs AMD A12-9720P

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-12900K CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD A12-9720P
Intel Core i9-12900K AMD A12-9720P

CPU comparison

Intel Core i9-12900K or AMD A12-9720P - 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 AMD A12-9720P has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.60 GHz. The CPU supports up to 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The AMD A12-9720P was released in Q4/2016.
Intel Core i9 (78) Family AMD A (112)
Intel Core i 12000 (34) CPU group AMD A12-9700 (2)
12 Generation 6
Alder Lake S Architecture Excavator (Bristol Ridge)
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
Intel Core i9-11900K Predecessor --
Intel Core i9-13900K Successor --

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 AMD A12-9720P has 4 CPU cores and 4 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the AMD A12-9720P is at 2.70 GHz (3.60 GHz).

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic AMD A12-9720P
16 Cores 4
24 Threads 4
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz)
8x Golden Cove
A-Core 2.70 GHz (3.60 GHz)
4x Excavator
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 AMD A12-9720P
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i9-12900K or AMD A12-9720P 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 AMD Radeon R7 - 512 (Bristol Ridge)
0.30 GHz GPU frequency 0.76 GHz
1.55 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
11 GPU Generation 6
10 nm Technology 28 nm
3 Max. displays 2
32 Compute units 8
256 Shader 512
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory 2 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 AMD Radeon R7 - 512 (Bristol Ridge)
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 No
Decode Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode
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 AMD A12-9720P supports up to 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 29.9 GB/s.

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic AMD A12-9720P
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 Memory DDR4-1866
128 GB Max. Memory 64 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
76.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 29.9 GB/s
Yes ECC No
14.00 MB L2 Cache 2.00 MB
30.00 MB L3 Cache --
5.0 PCIe version 3.0
20 PCIe lanes 8
78.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 7.9 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i9-12900K is 125 W, while the AMD A12-9720P has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic AMD A12-9720P
125 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
241 W TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. 90 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-12900K is manufactured in 10 nm and has 44.00 MB cache. The AMD A12-9720P is manufactured in 28 nm and has a 2.00 MB cache.

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic AMD A12-9720P
10 nm Technology 28 nm
Monolithic Chip design Unknown
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, FMA4
LGA 1700 Socket FP4
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization AMD-V
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems
Q4/2021 Release date Q4/2016
589 $ Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i9-12900K to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.3 stars (7 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the AMD A12-9720P to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1990 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
489 (25%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
17595 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
1278 (7%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
Intel UHD Graphics 770 @ 1.55 GHz
794 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
AMD Radeon R7 - 512 (Bristol Ridge) @ 0.76 GHz
782 (98%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz
11365 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.70 GHz
543 (5%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
294 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
76 (26%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
4111 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
237 (6%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
126 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 3.60 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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1582 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 3.60 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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1997 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 3.60 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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
27472 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
2560 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
16244 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
779 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
10511 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
364 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
40902 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
817 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
27,472 CB R23 MC @ 240 W
114 (100%)
AMD A12-9720P AMD A12-9720P
2.70 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i9-12900K AMD A12-9720P
Unknown Unknown

News and articles for the Intel Core i9-12900K and the AMD A12-9720P


Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Intel Core i9-12900KAMD Ryzen 9 5950X Intel Core i9-12900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
2. Apple M2Intel Core i9-12900K Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900K
3. Intel Core i9-12900KIntel Core i7-12700K Intel Core i9-12900K vs Intel Core i7-12700K
4. Intel Core i9-12900KFIntel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Intel Core i9-12900K
5. Intel Core i9-12900KAMD Ryzen 9 5900X Intel Core i9-12900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
6. Intel Core i7-13700KIntel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i7-13700K vs Intel Core i9-12900K
7. Intel Core i9-13900KIntel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-13900K vs Intel Core i9-12900K
8. Intel Core i9-12900KIntel Core i9-11900K Intel Core i9-12900K vs Intel Core i9-11900K
9. Intel Core i9-12900KIntel Core i9-9900K Intel Core i9-12900K vs Intel Core i9-9900K
10. Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)Intel Core i9-12900K Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) vs Intel Core i9-12900K


back to index