Intel Core i9-12900K
Benchmarks & Specs

The Intel Core i9-12900K is currently Intels fastest 12th generation processor for home users. The "Alder Lake" processors use a hybrid core design for the first time in Intel desktop processors. They are made up of fast performance cores (Golden Cove) and E-cores trimmed for efficiency (Gracemont).

Such a hybrid design has been known for a long time in ARM processors and Apple has also been using this design since the Apple M1 processor in notebooks and the mac Mini. The hybrid structure has the advantage that normal background tasks are usually only processed by the E cores that require very little energy. The faster but also energy-hungry P-cores are only activated when the computing load increases.

The Intel Core i9-12900K has a total of 16 CPU cores (8 + 8) and can process up to 24 threads simultaneously by using the Hyper-Threading technology (only available on the P-cores). The clock frequency of the P-cores is up to 5.2 GHz, which together with the improvements of the new "Alder Lake" architecture results in very fast computing power in single-core operation. In most benchmarks, the new Intel processors of the 12th generation can therefore secure the TOP places.

In pure multi-core applications, the Intel Core i9-12900K has to admit defeat to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, but the high-performance Threadripper processors from AMD, e.g. the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, still play in a completely different league (but also from Price).

For the first time, Intel supports the PCIe 5.0 standard as well as new and fast DDR5 memory up to DDR5-4800. With the XMP 3.0 profile, however, significantly higher frequencies are possible, up to DDR5-8700 have already been achieved by professional overclockers (as of the end of 2021).

• Strong Multi-Core Performance
• Solid Single-Core Performance
• Native PCIe 5.0 Support
• Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 770