Intel Core i9-12900K or AMD Ryzen 9 5950X - 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 Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 cores with 32 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 AMD Ryzen 9 5950X was released in Q4/2020.
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 Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 CPU cores and 32 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is at 3.40 GHz (4.90 GHz).
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.
The Intel Core i9-12900K or AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 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.
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.
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 Ryzen 9 5950X supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 51.2 GB/s.
The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i9-12900K is 125 W, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has a TDP of 105 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The two processors from this comparison belong to the highest class of consumer processors. The Intel Core i9-12900K came on the market in the fourth quarter of 2021 and is based on the Alder Lake S architecture. This CPU is still manufactured using the 10 nanometer process and belongs to the 12 generation of Intel's I processor series. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X came onto the market in the fourth quarter of 2020, but was already manufactured there using the 7 nanometer process. The AMD processor is based on the Zen 3 architecture with the code name Vermeer and, like the Intel Core i9-12900K, is designed as a desktop processor.
The Intel Core i9-12900K has a total of 16 cores, which are divided into 8 high-performance cores (Golden Cove) with hyperthreading and 8 energy-saving cores (Gracemount) without hyperthreading. The base clock frequency is 3.20 gigahertz and the maximum turbo clock is 5.20 gigahertz. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X also has 16 cores, but they are all equally potent and support hyperthreading technology. The standard clock is 3.40 gigahertz and the maximum turbo clock is 4.90 gigahertz.
In our benchmarks, the Intel Core i9-12900K scores around 10-15% better with single core load. Due to the 16 equally strong cores, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X clearly catches up in the multicore benchmarks and is only slightly behind the Intel Core i9-12900K here.
The internal graphics unit Intel UHD Graphics 770 is built into the Intel Core i9-12900K, which clocks at up to 1.45 gigahertz and is equipped with 32 execution units and 256 shader units. This iGPU achieves an FP32 processing power (single precision) of 742 gigaflops. With the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X you have to do without an internal graphics unit and instead use a dedicated graphics card.
Both processors support DDR4-3200 RAM and the Intel processor also supports DDR5-4800 memory modules.