Today, there are two very different kinds of people: those who want a fast computer, and those who want the fastest computer. More than just raw performance, these people care about what kind of performance they can get from their processors at specific usage points. In other words, they care about efficiency as well as a raw grunt. The battle for the best 12-core CPU is still raging on between AMD and Intel with both companies releasing new processors in the last few months. We’ll help you decide which one is best for your needs by comparing the Intel i7-12700K vs Ryzen 9 5900X. We’ll help you decide which one is best for your needs by comparing the Intel i7-12700K vs Ryzen 9 5900X

The latest AMD Ryzen 9 series has managed to take the lead and offers more affordable alternatives to Intel’s flagship 14nm Core i9 CPUs. However, most users aren’t interested in which company has better marketing or which chip is slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks. We’ll help you decide which one is best for your needs by comparing the Intel i7-12700K vs Ryzen 9 5900X

A CPU core is the basic unit of a computer’s processor, and the number of cores a processor has determines how many instructions the processor can run at the same time. A core is like a mini-computer inside your computer that can run its own instructions, and multiple cores mean your computer can do more at the same time. 

A 12-core processor has two sets of 6 cores, so you have 12 in total. A quad-core processor, on the other hand, has 4 cores, so you have 8 cores in total. The advantage of having 12 core processor is that you can perform more instructions at the same time.

As we’ve established, the i7-12700K is a 12-core processor with Hyper-Threading allowing it to run up to 24 threads. Unfortunately, this CPU is based on Intel’s 14nm process, which is the same technology used in the previous generation of CPUs. This means the i7-12700K’s transistors are smaller than the ones used in the most recent CPUs, resulting in higher power consumption.

By comparison, AMD’s Ryzen 9 series uses the latest 7nm process, so it consumes significantly less power than the i7-12700K. This means that while the i7-12700K may give you slightly faster speeds in synthetic benchmarks, the 5900X will consume less power and therefore run cooler, quieter, and last longer.

The 5900X is a 12-core CPU with Hyper-Threading allowing it to run up to 24 threads. This CPU is based on the latest 7nm process technology and is, therefore, more power efficient than the i7-12700K. The result is that the 5900X runs cooler, quieter, and lasts longer than the i7-12700K. The 5900X is also clocked slightly faster than the i7-12700K, so it’s slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks. However, since the 5900X also consumes less power, it also performs faster in real-world usage. The 5900X also comes with a much more feature-rich chipset than the i7-12700K and is supported by a longer warranty.

Let’s compare these two CPUs in the table below. A 12700K has 20 threads while a 5900X has 12 cores with 24 threads.  There is a difference between PCIe generation 5 and 5, the 12 900k here supports both, but the 5900x only supports PCa generation 4. The Ryzen processor only supports DDR4, while the Intel processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 but you must find a motherboard that supports either memory type.

There are 64 megabytes of RAM on Ryzen’s system, compared to 25 megabytes on Intel’s. Ryzen’s base power is 105 watts, whereas 12700k’s is 125 watts. The turbo power or the vision boost overdrive on Ryzen can pull as much as 199 watts from the socket. This is subject to your motherboard and the silicon lottery as well, so depending on which CPU you get you might be seeing more or less. There is no integrated GPU on the Ryzen, but the 12700k has an integrated GPU with 12GB of memory, which is a huge deal, especially if you are creating videos.

The Intel Core i7-12700K is in a sense perfect because it has the right balance of both big and fast P-cores, for latency-sensitive tasks, and small and powerful E- cores, for more background-heavy work. The chip has 20 threads, 8 of which are located on the P-cores. These operate at a base/boost speed of 3.6/5.0GHz while the other 12 reside on E-cores and run at 2.7/3.8GHz. The chip is also equipped with 25MB of L3 cache and 12MB of L2 cache

Intel’s new Core i7-12700K is an above-average CPU with specs and pricing that are affordable as well ($349). It’s likely to become even more attractive in the second half of this year when AMD releases a better chip.

The Core i7-12707KF is one of Intel’s most intriguing processors; however, it comes with a hefty price tag that makes it impracticable at this point in time. It features a big 40% increase in value over the Core i7-980X but is still less efficient than most other chips on the market. That gives the Core i5 6400 a clear edge over its rivals. On the other hand, this is an impractical chip. The 12707KF will cost you $10 more than a 4670K and $100 more than a 5960X.

With its new hybrid architecture, Intel’s core counts aren’t directly comparable to AMD’s, as they have different capabilities. Our performance results will determine the value of the overall designs. The Core i7-12700K comes with integrated graphics by default, but you can opt for a lower price if you sacrifice them. The Ryzen 7 5700G APU offers integrated graphics, but it’s not really comparable to the 12700K. If you need GPUs, Intel wins by default.

The architecture of a CPU refers to the fundamental design of the chip. Intel’s Coffee Lake architecture is a refined version of Intel’s 14nm process with minor changes. AMD’s Zen+ architecture, on the other hand, is based on a more efficient 7nm process with major architectural changes. The result is that the i7-12700K is slower, less efficient, and shorter-lived than the 5900X.

The i7-12700K is a 12-core processor with Hyper-Threading, allowing it to run up to 24 threads. The 5900X is a 12-core processor without Hyper-Threading, allowing it to run up to 24 threads. The fact that they both use the same number of cores and threads is what makes them relatively evenly matched.

The i7-12700K is clocked slightly higher than the 5900X but has higher power consumption. As such, it runs slower, generates more heat, and will wear out more quickly.

The 5900X is priced slightly higher than the i7-12700K, but given that it lasts longer, runs quieter and cooler, and consumes less power, it’s well worth the extra few dollars.

Intel Core i7-12700K

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

Even though the 5900X’s price has dropped to $524 since its launch, the 12700K stays cheaper at $450, or you can save $20 if you do not need integrated graphics by going with the KF version. The 5900X is therefore $74 to 94 more expensive than the Intel version, depending on whether you choose the K or KF option.

Additionally, Intel’s 12th generation processors are the first ones to support DDR5 memory. Although the 12th generation also supports older DDR4 memory, DDR5 memory compatibility will vary from motherboard to motherboard.

In conclusion, in Intel i7-12700K vs Ryzen 9 5900X, the new AMD processors are a bit faster than their Intel counterparts, but that doesn’t matter much to most users. The 9700K and the 8700K are well matched, the 9900K is a bit slower than the 2950X, and the 3950X is significantly slower than the 1950X. Unless you are looking to run many hyper-threaded applications and extreme multi-threaded workloads in an environment with plenty of cooling, you probably won’t notice much difference between these two chips.

The fact that the 12-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has slightly better single-thread performance doesn’t make it a more valuable processor in all scenarios. This is especially true when it comes to gaming and content creation. The Intel 5960X is capable of sustaining a higher clock speed for longer and will generally beat out the AMD processor in these kinds of tasks. However, this does not mean that you should overlook the Ryen 9. In most cases where multi-threaded performance is crucial, this thing can pack a serious punch.

In summary, if you’re looking for maximum raw power, you can’t go wrong with the Intel Core i9-7980XE. If you want a better bang for your buck, by all means – look towards the AMD Ryzen 9 series.