An alleged benchmark of Intel’s Core i5-12600K Alder Lake CPU has popped up which shows a 50% multi-threaded performance increase over AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600X.
Intel Core i5-12600K Alder Lake CPU Up To 50% Faster Than AMD Ryzen 5 5600X In Alleged Benchmark, Faster Than 5800X & 11900K Too
The performance benchmark shows the Intel Core i5-12600K running on an unknown platform, probably a Z690 system with DDR5 memory, at stock configuration. Before we get into the core benchmarks, let’s take a quick recap of the specifications for the Core i5 Alder Lake chip.
Intel Core i5-12600K 10 Core / 16 Thread Desktop CPU
The Intel Core i5-12600K will be the entry-level unlocked chip within the 12th Gen line. The CPU will carry 6 Golden Cove and 4 Gracemont cores for a total of 10 cores (6+4) & 16 threads (12+4). The P-cores (Golden Cove) will operate at a maximum boost frequency of up to 4.9 GHz with 1-2 active cores and 4.5 GHz with all-cores active while the E-cores (Gracemont) will operate at 3.6 GHz across 1-4 cores & up to 3.4 GHz when all cores are loaded. The CPU will feature 20 MB of L3 cache and TDP values are maintained at 125W (PL1) and 228W (PL2).
Intel’s Core i5-12600K Alder Lake CPU shows a massive performance increase over the Ryzen 5 5600X and even exceeds the Ryzen 7 5800X & Core i9-11900K. (Image Credits: HXL)
The performance benchmarks show the Intel Core i5-12600K blasting up the single-core test with a score of 746.2 points and the multi-core test with 7058.1 points. This puts the Core i5 Alder Lake at a massive 50% lead over the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and even faster than AMD’s 8 core and 16 thread Ryzen 7 5800X which is very impressive. Versus the leaked Core i5-12400 benchmarks, the Core i5-12600K offers a 44% increase in multi-threaded performance which means that those E-cores are being used properly plus the higher clock speeds really push the performance even further.
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12600K🤔 pic.twitter.com/WhGroZzyTK
— APISAK (@TUM_APISAK) October 23, 2021
The Intel Core i5-12600K beats the Rocket Lake flagship, the Core i9-11900K, with ease and it shows that Intel is seriously going to give AMD a tough time in the mainstream segment if these numbers are to be believed. We are just a few weeks away from the NDA lift and the Core i5-12600K is going to be one chip that many consumers, especially gamers, are going to be interested in.
Intel Core i5 Desktop CPU Generational Comparison
| CPU Name | Core i5-12600K | Core i5-11600K | Core i5-10600K | Core i5-9600K | Core i5-8600K | Core i5-7600K | Core i5-6600K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family | 12th Gen Alder Lake | 11th Gen Rocket Lake | 10th Gen Comet Lake | 9th Gen Coffee Lake | 8th Gen Coffee Lake | 7th Gen Kaby Lake | 6th Gen Skylake |
| Architecture | Golden Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | Cypress Cove | Skylake | Skylake | Skylake | Skylake | Skylake |
| Process Node | Intel 7 (10nm ESF) | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm |
| CPU Cores | 10 (6+4) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| CPU Threads | 16 (12+4) | 12 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Base Clock | 3.70 GHz (P-Core) 2.80 GHz (E-Core) | 3.90 GHz | 4.10 GHz | 3.70 GHz | 3.60 GHz | 3.90 GHz | 3.50 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 4.90 GHz (P-Core) 3.60 GHz (E-Core) | 4.90 GHz | 4.80 GHz | 4.60 GHz | 4.30 GHz | 4.20 GHz | 3.90 GHz |
| Cache | 20 MB L3 | 12 MB L3 | 12 MB L3 | 9 MB L3 | 9 MB L3 | 6 MB L3 | 6 MB L3 |
| TDP (PL1) | 95W | 95W | 95W | 95W | 95W | 91W | 91W |
| Price | $262? | $262 | $262 | $262 | $257 | $257 | $242 |
| Launch | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | 2015 |
So we know that the performance should match or surpass the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X but what’s the pricing going to be like. It is stated that the Core i5-12600K should follow the pricing of the previous Intel Core i5 chips. If we look at the historical pricing of Intel’s Core i5 CPUs starting with 7th Gen & up till the recent 11th Gen Rocket Lake parts, you will see that the MSRP has remained within the $260-$270 US price range. Intel is unlikely to change the pricing model of Core i5 CPUs with its 12th Gen processors so if that’s the case, we will be looking at the Core i5-12600K at around $260 US. It should also be noted that a ‘KF’ variant would also be introduced that could retail around $25-$30 US lower, bringing the overall pricing down to the $235-$245 range.
Now think about it this way, you are essentially getting slightly better performance than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, a $400 US+ chip, in a processor that costs $30 US lower than the Ryzen 5 5600X. It sounds like an absolutely phenomenal deal. Obviously, there are a few drawbacks which include investing in a brand new platform and migrating to a new OS platform (Windows 11 in this case) which would raise the cost and effort but if you set your mind aside from these short-term concerns, the Core i5-12600K could end up serving you far better performance at an insane value proposition. Furthermore, it is also stated that owing to the 12600K being segmented in the Core i5 lineup, its power consumption and thermals won’t be as rampant as the high-end models.
News Sources: HXL , TUM_APISAK