Intel Core i9-12900KF vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

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Combined performance score

Ryzen 9 3950X
25.27

Core i9-12900KF outperforms Ryzen 9 3950X by 6% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

Comparing Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking164151
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money15.2771.53
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD Ryzen 9Intel Core i9
Architecture codenameMatisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date14 November 2019 (4 years old)4 November 2021 (2 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$799$564
Current price$1336 (1.7x MSRP)$376 (0.7x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-12900KF has 368% better value for money than Ryzen 9 3950X.

Technical specs

Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF 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 cores16 (Hexadeca-Core)16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads3224
Base clock speed3.5 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed4.7 GHz5.2 GHz
Bus supportno data8 × 16 GT/s
L1 cache96K (per core)80K (per core)
L2 cache512K (per core)1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache64 MB30 MB (shared)
Chip lithography7 nmIntel 7 nm
Die size2 x 72 mm + 125 mm (IO-Die) mm2215.25 mm220.5 mm × 10.5 mm
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
Number of transistors19,200 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility++
Unlocked multiplierYesYes

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1
SocketAM4FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)105 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions86x MMX(+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A,-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA, Precision Boost 2Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Speed Shiftno data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoringno data+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data+
Statusno dataLaunched

Security technologies

Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

EDBno data+
Secure Keyno data+
OS Guardno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF are enumerated here.

AMD-V+no data
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4 Dual-channelDDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Maximum memory size128 GB128 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidth51.196 GB/s76.8 GB/s
ECC memory support+no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF.

PCIe versionno data5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanesno data20

Synthetic benchmark performance

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


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.

Ryzen 9 3950X 25.27
i9-12900KF 26.81
+6.1%

Core i9-12900KF outperforms Ryzen 9 3950X by 6% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Benchmark coverage: 68%

Ryzen 9 3950X 38819
i9-12900KF 41174
+6.1%

Core i9-12900KF outperforms Ryzen 9 3950X by 6% in Passmark.

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

Ryzen 9 3950X 1709
i9-12900KF 2542
+48.7%

Core i9-12900KF outperforms Ryzen 9 3950X by 49% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

Ryzen 9 3950X 10740
i9-12900KF 14896
+38.7%

Core i9-12900KF outperforms Ryzen 9 3950X by 39% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.

Gaming performance

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 25.27 26.81
Recency 14 November 2019 4 November 2021
Threads 32 24
Cost $799 $564
Power consumption (TDP) 105 Watt 125 Watt

We couldn't decide between Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF. The differences in performance seem too small.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 3950X and Core i9-12900KF, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Ryzen 9 3950X
Intel Core i9-12900KF
Core i9-12900KF

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Questions and comments

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