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AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i9-12900KS: Comparison
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and Intel Core i9-12900KS separate most on l3 cache: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X at 64 MB, Intel Core i9-12900KS at 30 MB, 53% in favour of AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. L2 Cache splits them by another 43%, this time favouring Intel Core i9-12900KS. They match on 8 other specifications, including form factor, market segment and smt enabled. In Blender Cycles (CPU) the Intel Core i9-12900KS scores 373 against 353 for the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, a lead of 5%.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Product Line | Ryzen 9 | Core |
| Form Factor | Desktop | Desktop |
| Model Number | 3950X | i9-12900KS |
| Codename | Matisse | Alder Lake |
| Release Year | 2019 | 2022 |
| TDP | 105 W | 125 W |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Socket | AM4 | LGA 1700 |
| Socket Status | End of Life | Mature |
| Process Node | 7 nm | 10 nm |
| Performance Cores | 16 | 8 |
| Efficiency Cores | 0 | 8 |
| SMT Enabled | true | true |
| P-Core Base Clock | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| P-Core Boost Clock | 4.7 | 5.5 |
| Unlocked Multiplier | true | true |
| L2 Cache | 8 MB-43% | 14 MB |
| L3 Cache | 64 MB | 30 MB-53% |
| Base Power | 105 W | 150 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 142 | 241 |
| Memory Type | DDR4 | DDR5 or DDR4 |
| Max Memory Speed | 3200 | 4800 |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Max Memory Capacity | 128 | 128 |
| Integrated Graphics | No | Yes |
| PCIe Generation | 4 | PCIe 5.0 |
| PCIe Lanes | 20 | 20 |
| Launch MSRP | 749 | 739 |
| Retail Availability | Retail | Boxed Retail |
| Architecture | Zen 2, Ryzen 3000 Series "Matisse" | Alder Lake |
| Cores | 16 | 16 |
| Threads | 32 | 24 |
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.
Verdict
Intel Core i9-12900KS
8.7 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Core i9-12900KS is an unlocked flagship desktop chip, a top pick for enthusiasts who want to overclock.