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AMD Ryzen 5 9600X vs Intel Core i5-12600KF: Comparison

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Core i5-12600KF separate most on l3 cache: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X at 32 MB, Intel Core i5-12600KF at 20 MB, 38% in favour of AMD Ryzen 5 9600X. L2 Cache splits them by another 37%, this time favouring Intel Core i5-12600KF. They match on 9 other specifications, including form factor, market segment and performance cores. In Blender Cycles (CPU) the Intel Core i5-12600KF scores 272 against 263 for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, a lead of 3%.

AMDAMD Ryzen 5 9600X

IntelIntel Core i5-12600KF

Specs

Show Only Differences

Specification	AMD Ryzen 5 9600X	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Product Line	Ryzen	Core
Form Factor	Desktop	Desktop
Model Number	9600X	i5-12600KF
Codename	Granite Ridge	Alder Lake
TDP	65 W	125 W
iGPU	AMD Radeon Graphics (2 cores)	None
Market Segment	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM5	LGA 1700
Socket Status	Current	Mature
Process Node	4 nm	10 nm
Performance Cores	6	6
Efficiency Cores	0	4
SMT Enabled	true	true
P-Core Base Clock	3.9	3.7
P-Core Boost Clock	5.4	4.9
Unlocked Multiplier	true	true
L2 Cache	6 MB-37%	9.5 MB
L3 Cache	32 MB	20 MB-37%
Base Power	65 W	125 W
Max Turbo Power	88	150
Memory Type	DDR5	DDR5 or DDR4
Max Memory Speed	5600	4800
Memory Channels	2	2
Max Memory Capacity	256	128
Integrated Graphics	Yes	No
Copilot Plus Certified	false	false
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
PCIe Lanes	24	20-17%
Launch MSRP	279	264
Retail Availability	Boxed Retail	Boxed Retail
Architecture	Zen 5, Ryzen 9000 Series	Alder Lake
Cores	6	10
Threads	12	16

Benchmarks

Measured results, not specifications. Percentages are the gap to the leading product in each test.

Blender Cycles (CPU)

Blender 4.5, Blender Open Data (CC0). Median of monster + junkshop + classroom, combined samples/min.

Blender renders 3D scenes by tracing light through them, which loads every core at once. The score measures sustained multi-core throughput, so a chip that wins here can still lose at gaming, where one or two fast cores matter more. Figures come from Blender's Open Data project, which places no restriction on reuse, and we publish the median of every submission for that chip on the same Blender version.

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X263n=325-3%

Intel Core i5-12600KF272n=74Best

Verdict

Intel Core i5-12600KF

7.8 / 10 Expert Rating

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is an unlocked, GPU-less chip aimed at enthusiasts already running a discrete graphics card.

Specs

Benchmarks

Verdict

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