Core i9-12900K vs Ryzen 9 5900

General info

Comparing Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	204	156
Place by popularity	not in top-100	36
Value for money	48.75	56.51
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	AMD Ryzen 9	Intel Core i9
Architecture codename	Vermeer (2020−2022)	Alder Lake-S (2022)
Release date	12 January 2021 (3 years old)	4 November 2021 (2 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$589
Current price	$411	$478 (0.8x MSRP)

Value for money

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-12900K has 16% better value for money than Ryzen 9 5900.

Technical specs

Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K 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	12 (Dodeca-Core)	16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads	24	24
Base clock speed	3 GHz	3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.7 GHz	5.2 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	512K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache	64 MB	30 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	7 nm, 12 nm	10 nm
Die size	81 mm2	215.25 mm2"20.5 mm × 10.5 mm
Maximum core temperature	no data	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	95 °C	72 °C
Number of transistors	4,150 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K 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	AM4	FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

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

Security technologies

Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-3200	DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size	128 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	no data	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.196 GB/s	76.8 GB/s
ECC memory support	no data	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	-	Intel UHD Graphics 770
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video HD	-	+
Graphics max frequency	-	1.55 GHz
Execution Units	-	32

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

-

4

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	-	4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP	-	5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	-	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	-	12
OpenGL	-	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K.

PCIe version	4.0	5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	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 i9-12900K outperforms Ryzen 9 5900 by 20% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Advantages and disadvantages

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Performance score	22.24	26.75
Recency	12 January 2021	4 November 2021
Physical cores	12	16
Chip lithography	7 nm	10 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	125 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i9-12900K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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