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Nov 4, 2021 · I’ve spent the past week with the Core i9-12900K running on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and there’s barely a difference between the two for gaming. Intel’s i9-12900K is slightly...
Oct 20, 2022 · The Bottom Line. Intel's "Raptor Lake" Core i9-13900K is the fastest CPU on the market, with leading performance and a higher core count than the competition. MSRP $589.00. $474.98 at Amazon....
- Analyst
- Intel
- 5
- Striking back at AMD and Apple with a single deadly Alder Lake swing.
- Intel Core i9-12900K: Price and availability
- Intel Core i9-12900K: Alder Lake
- Intel Core i9-12900K: Benchmarks & performance
- Intel Core i9-12900K: Competition
- You should buy this if ...
- You should not buy this if ...
Reviews
By Daniel Rubino, Rich Edmonds
last updated 4 November 2021
(Image: © Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)
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•Price and availability
Intel announced the Core i9-12900K alongside other 12th Gen processors on October 27. These new processors are available at full MSRP and you should expect to pay around $589. This is an aggressive price for a brand new processor with 16 cores and 24 threads, largely in response to the success of AMD's Ryzen 9 range of CPUs.
One point to bear in mind is the cost of DDR5 RAM and a Z690 motherboard if you wish to take advantage of all the new tech offered by this CPU. If you're holding out for this launch to construct a new PC from scratch, that shouldn't be an issue, but an upgrade from a 10th Gen Intel CPU may require some additional cost factored in.
Alder Lake is Intel's codename for its 12th generation of processors. These new CPUs are special in that they're built using Intel's new Intel 7 (10nm) manufacturing process and follow the "big.LITTLE" hybrid design principle we've seen with ARM chips like the M1 from Apple. The company is banking on high-performance Golden Cove and more power-efficient Gracemont cores.
So what's all this hybrid core tech jargon? Simply put, it follows the same principle pioneered by British-based Arm Ltd, the company behind ARM chips found in countless devices, including your smartphone. The idea is to mix very power-efficient single-threaded cores that handle low-priority tasks with more traditional PC-grade multi-thread, high-performance cores to handle everything else.
Desktop processors, in particular, have always been power-hungry but offer incredible levels of performance. This new approach cuts this power down slightly in favor of some cores that are designed specifically with certain tasks in mind. This should result in better (and more efficient) overall computing performance.
Golden Cove cores will handle all the main tasks like important processes, games, in-use apps, and other tasks while other, lower-priority apps and tasks get pushed off onto the Gracemont cores, freeing up resources. The end result is a core and thread count that seems out of place in 2021. The Intel Core i9-12900K, for instance, has 8 Golden Cove cores (16 threads) with an additional 8 Gracemont cores (8 threads).
This is all handled by Intel's new scheduler called Intel Thread Director. It's supported by Windows 11, which is what Intel recommends with its new processors. The software will be able to work with the CPU to manage tasks in the most efficient way possible, leading to considerable performance gains.
It's been the case for years that more cores and threads don't necessarily lead to better performance and Alder Lake offers further proof through impressive results. As well as this new array of cores and threads, Intel also opened up support for DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 with Alder Lake, snatching the standards lead from AMD.
The Intel Core i9-12900K is a beast of a processor. On paper, Intel packed inside 16 physical cores (consisting of 8 efficient and 8 performance cores) with a total of 24 threads. Compared to the most capable desktop-class processor on the AM4 platform, it's more than a match for the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X.
As well as the AMD chip, which we gave a full five-star rating for its performance and value, we'll be comparing the i9-12900K against its predecessor to see just how much of a leap in the right direction Alder Lake is for Intel. The chart below shows the three processors lined up on clock speeds, cache, PCIe support, and more.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
In order to test the Intel Core i9-12900K properly, both I and Executive Editor Daniel Rubino received the latest Z690 motherboards and DDR5 RAM. Both systems were running DDR5-4800 and PCIe 4.0 GPUs from NVIDIA. The motherboards differed with one test rig running an ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero and the other was built atop the MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi.
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The story of how Intel's Core i9-12900K compares to its predecessor, the Core i9-11900K, showcases how much of an upgrade Alder Lake is. CPU-Z showed a score increase of 99 for single-core and 4,620 for multi-core performance. Scores of 811 (single) and 11,154 (multi) are impressive, especially when you consider the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X came in at 648 and 11,906, respectively.
The primary competition to the Intel Core i9-12900K would be the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, though you could also include the Ryzen 9 5900X with its still-impressive 12 core and 24 thread configuration. As one can see from the above benchmarks, AMD remained ahead of Intel's older Core i9-11900K processor, but that's all changed with Alder Lake.
For most people looking for a new processor to build or upgrade a gaming PC, we'd recommend the Core i9-12900K for value and performance. Sure, you lose a few threads to AMD that results in a few losses with multi-core tasks, but Intel makes up for this with unmatched single-core capabilities. As an all-rounder, you can't falter the Core i9-12900K.
You want the latest Intel CPU
The Intel Core i9-12900K is part of the 12th Gen family of processors. If you're after the very latest and best the company has to offer in 2021, this is the processor to buy.
You want the best single-core performance
AMD may still be king of multi-core tasks with the Ryzen 9 5950X, but that doesn't mean the Core i9-12900K is a slouch. Far from it as this CPU boasts impressive single-core scores, as well as decent enough numbers for multi-core tasks that would make AMD sweat slightly.
You need all the cores
While this is technically a 16-core processor, the Intel Core i9-12900K doesn't pack as many threads as AMD's Ryzen counterparts. If your workload demands as many cores and threads as possible, you'll need to go with AMD Ryzen or Threadripper.
You don't need top-level performance
If all you do on your PC is check some mail, visit various websites, watch some videos and play the odd game here and there, the Core i9 may be an overkill option. We'd recommend the Core i7-12700K instead.
Since 2018, we've recommended AMD processors for most consumers, which offered great levels of performance at undercut prices compared to Intel's own range of CPUs. In the latter half of 2021, this is no longer the case. Intel is now once again back in front of AMD, and not only on single-core performance.
If you're after the latest Intel CPU and have the budget to spare, the Intel Core i9-12900K is an impressive feat of engineering. This processor has the best single-core performance compared to AMD's flagship offering, but it also costs less (comparing MSRP) and even beats AMD in some multi-task tests.
- Daniel Rubino
People also ask
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Oct 20, 2022 · TechRadar Verdict. This is Intel's hybrid-core architecture’s next evolution. Intel’s new flagship Core i9-13900K is a beast in just about every area, roundly whipping AMD’s competing high-end...
Nov 12, 2021 · We wanted to see what happens when you run the new Core i9-12900K processor on Windows 10 and tested 37 applications and 10 games at 720p, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Intel made it clear that their 12th Gen Alder Lake Hybrid processor architecture works best with Windows 11.
- Intel
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