AMD Ryzen 9 5900X vs Intel Core i5 12600K: Which one to buy?
AMD Ryzen 9 is a 12 core 24 threads CPU which is pretty popular among high-end users and professional gamers. On the other hand, Intel Core i5 12600K is a 10 core and 16 threads CPU with a pretty impressive performance for normal and high-end users as well.
The operating frequencies are almost similar in the both. However, there are numerous differences if we dig deeper into the specifications.
The 12600K supports a higher memory bandwidth i.e. up to 4800 MHz DDR5. On the other hand, 5900X supports memory up to 3200 MHz DDR4.
We are going to cover benchmarks and all other important aspects of both the CPUs below in this article. So, keep reading.
Theoretical Specifications (Comparison)
| Specification | Intel Core i5-12600K | AMD Ryzen 9 5900X |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Generation | 12th generation Core | 5th Generation core |
| Cores/Threads | 6(P-Core) 4(E-Core) 16 Threads | 12 Cores 24 Threads |
| Base/Boost Frequency | 3.70 GHz(P-Core) / 4.90 GHz(P-Core) 2.80GHz(E-Core) / 3.60 GHz(E-Core) | 3.7 GHz/4.8 GHz |
| L1/L2/L3 Cache | -/9.5MB/20MB | -/6MB/64MB |
| Overclocking | Available | Available |
| Architecture | Alder Lake S | Vermeer (Zen 3) |
| PCIe Version | 5.0 and 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| Memory Support | Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s | DDR4 3200MHz |
| Boxed Cooling Solution | Cooling device not included – Processor Only | No |
| Integrated Graphics Card | Intel® UHD Graphics 770 | No |
| Maximum Temperature | 100°C | 90°C |
CPU Mark Scores Comparison
Cinebench Scores Comparison
CPU-Z Benchmark 17
Blender 3.1 Benchmark Comparison
Which one is good for Gaming?
Clearly, 5900X is going to give you the best results when it comes to the gaming tasks. But, there isn’t going to be a huge difference because the single-core performance isn’t very high with the 5900X. But, still, it leads. You can see the gaming performance comparison of both in the video below and see yourself.
Both of these CPUs are offering almost similar performance. So, if gaming is your primary requirement, I would recommend going for 12600K and save some money. That money can be utilized and invested for a good graphics card.
Which one is good for Productivity?
By looking at the multi-core performance, Blender benchmarks, and CPU-Z scores, the 5900X is going to be the best option for productivity. 12600K is surely a good option but 5900X will give you good performance for any productivity software.
I would again recommend checking the price and see what you are looking for. 5900X is really very powerful but if you are not going to use it for very heavy tasks, 12600K can easily take its place.
Price
Which one should you buy?
The point is that if you have a good budget, go for 5900X. Otherwise, 12600K will be good enough for all the normal tasks. You can do 4K video editing, gaming, programming, photo editing, and all other normal tasks using 12600K. So, go for 5900X only if you are looking for a high-end CPU.
For gaming only, 12600K is definitely a good option. But, if you want to stream along with gaming, 5900X will come with much more advantages for you.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
