Intel Core i9-12900K vs Microsoft XBox Series X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-12900K CPU1 vs CPU2 Microsoft XBox Series X
Intel Core i9-12900K Microsoft XBox Series X

CPU comparison

Intel Core i9-12900K or Microsoft XBox Series X - 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 Microsoft XBox Series X has 8 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.80 GHz. The CPU supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Microsoft XBox Series X was released in Q3/2020.
Intel Core i9 (78) Family AMD Ryzen 7 (70)
Intel Core i 12000 (34) CPU group AMD Ryzen 4000G (22)
12 Generation 3
Alder Lake S Architecture Renoir (Zen 2)
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
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 Microsoft XBox Series X has 8 CPU cores and 16 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Microsoft XBox Series X is at 3.20 GHz (3.80 GHz).

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic Microsoft XBox Series X
16 Cores 8
24 Threads 16
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz)
8x Golden Cove
A-Core 3.20 GHz (3.80 GHz)
8x Zen 2
2.40 GHz (3.90 GHz)
8x Gracemont
B-Core --

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic Microsoft XBox Series X
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The Intel Core i9-12900K or Microsoft XBox Series X 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 Custom Radeon Graphics (XBox Series X)
0.30 GHz GPU frequency 1.83 GHz
1.55 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
11 GPU Generation 1
10 nm Technology 7 nm
3 Max. displays 1
32 Compute units 52
256 Shader 3328
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory 10 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 Custom Radeon Graphics (XBox Series X)
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 Microsoft XBox Series X supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 560.0 GB/s.

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic Microsoft XBox Series X
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 Memory GDDR6
128 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
76.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 560.0 GB/s
Yes ECC No
14.00 MB L2 Cache --
30.00 MB L3 Cache 8.00 MB
5.0 PCIe version 4.0
20 PCIe lanes 12
78.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 23.6 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i9-12900K is 125 W, while the Microsoft XBox Series X has a TDP of 65 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic Microsoft XBox Series X
125 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 65 W
241 W TDP (PL2) --
-- 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 Microsoft XBox Series X is manufactured in 7 nm and has a 8.00 MB cache.

Intel Core i9-12900K Characteristic Microsoft XBox Series X
10 nm Technology 7 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
LGA 1700 Socket BGA
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q4/2021 Release date Q3/2020
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 4.4 stars (30 ratings). Rate now:
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-12900K (100%)
Microsoft XBox Series X (55%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-12900K (100%)
Microsoft XBox Series X (41%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz
1142 (57%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.66 GHz
10650 (39%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz
1070 (54%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.66 GHz
7358 (42%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz
431 (55%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.66 GHz
4062 (39%)

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 (7%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
AMD Custom Radeon Graphics (XBox Series X) @ 1.83 GHz
12150 (100%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.66 GHz
17455 (43%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 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 i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1582 (100%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.80 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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.80 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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.66 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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.66 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 @ 5.20 GHz
817 (100%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
8C 16T @ 3.66 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%)
Microsoft XBox Series X Microsoft XBox Series X
3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i9-12900K Microsoft XBox Series X
Unknown Unknown

News and articles for the Intel Core i9-12900K and the Microsoft XBox Series X


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