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AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Intel Core i9-12900KS: Comparison
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and Intel Core i9-12900KS separate most on l3 cache: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 64 MB, Intel Core i9-12900KS at 30 MB, 53% in favour of AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. PCIe Lanes splits them by another 17%, again favouring AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. They match on 12 other specifications, including form factor, release year and market segment. In Blender Cycles (CPU) the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 551 against 373 for the Intel Core i9-12900KS, a lead of 32%.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | Desktop | Desktop |
| Codename | Raphael | Alder Lake |
| Release Year | 2022 | 2022 |
| TDP | 105 W | 125 W |
| iGPU | AMD Radeon Graphics (2 CUs, RDNA 2) | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Socket | AM5 (LGA 1718) | LGA 1700 |
| Socket Status | Current | Mature |
| Process Node | 5 nm | 10 nm |
| Performance Cores | 16 | 8 |
| Efficiency Cores | 0 | 8 |
| SMT Enabled | true | true |
| P-Core Base Clock | 4.5 | 3.4 |
| P-Core Boost Clock | 5.7 | 5.5 |
| Unlocked Multiplier | true | true |
| L2 Cache | 16 MB | 14 MB-12% |
| L3 Cache | 64 MB | 30 MB-53% |
| Base Power | 170 W | 150 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 230 | 241 |
| Memory Type | DDR5 | DDR5 or DDR4 |
| Max Memory Speed | 5200 | 4800 |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Max Memory Capacity | 128 | 128 |
| Integrated Graphics | Yes | Yes |
| iGPU Model | AMD Radeon Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
| iGPU Compute Units | 2 | 32 |
| Copilot Plus Certified | false | false |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 5.0 | PCIe 5.0 |
| PCIe Lanes | 24 | 20-17% |
| Launch MSRP | 699 | 739 |
| Retail Availability | Boxed Retail | Boxed Retail |
| Cores | 16 | 16 |
| Threads | 32 | 24 |
| Architecture | Zen 4 (7000 series) | Alder Lake |
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
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
8.6 / 10 Expert Rating
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is a strong all-rounder for enthusiasts who want top clock speeds for both gaming and productivity.
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.