Intel Core i5-12600 vs Core i9-7900X

General info

Comparing Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	365	360
Value for money	8.73	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Core i9 (Desktop)	no data
Architecture codename	Skylake-X (2018)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
Release date	30 May 2017 (6 years old)	January 2022 (1 year old)
Launch price (MSRP)	$999	no data
Current price	$683 (0.7x MSRP)	$301

Technical specs

Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	10 (Deca-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	20	12
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.5 GHz	4.8 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	1 MB (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache	14 MB (shared)	18 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	no data	163 mm2
Maximum core temperature	95 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Socket	Socket R4	FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	+
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	no data	+
SIPP	no data	+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	-

Security technologies

Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	no data	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	no data
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	no data	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600. Depending on the motherboards, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Maximum memory size	128 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	4	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

-

-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600.

PCIe version	3.0	5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes	44	20

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Core i5-12600 outperforms Core i9-7900X by 1% in our combined benchmark results.

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Advantages and disadvantages

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Performance score	16.84	17.04
Boost clock speed	4300	4800
Power consumption (TDP)	140 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7900X and Core i5-12600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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