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AMD Ryzen 9 9900X vs Intel Core i9-12900KF: Comparison

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Core i9-12900KF separate most on l3 cache: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X at 64 MB, Intel Core i9-12900KF at 30 MB, 53% in favour of AMD Ryzen 9 9900X. PCIe Lanes splits them by another 17%, again favouring AMD Ryzen 9 9900X. They match on 9 other specifications, including form factor, market segment and smt enabled. In Blender Cycles (CPU) the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X scores 501 against 346 for the Intel Core i9-12900KF, a lead of 31%.

AMDAMD Ryzen 9 9900X

IntelIntel Core i9-12900KF

Specs

Show Only Differences

Specification	AMD Ryzen 9 9900X	Intel Core i9-12900KF
Form Factor	Desktop	Desktop
Model Number	9900X	i9-12900KF
Codename	Granite Ridge	Alder Lake
TDP	120 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	12	8
Efficiency Cores	0	8
SMT Enabled	true	true
P-Core Base Clock	4.4	3.2
P-Core Boost Clock	5.6	5.2
Unlocked Multiplier	true	true
L2 Cache	12 MB-14%	14 MB
L3 Cache	64 MB	30 MB-53%
Base Power	120 W	125 W
Max Turbo Power	162	241
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	499	564
Retail Availability	Boxed Retail	Boxed Retail
Architecture	Zen 5, Ryzen 9000 Series	Alder Lake
Cores	12	16
Threads	24	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.

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X501n=383Best

Intel Core i9-12900KF346n=29-31%

Verdict

Intel Core i9-12900KF

7.8 / 10 Expert Rating

The Intel Core i9-12900KF is an unlocked, GPU-less chip aimed at enthusiasts already running a discrete graphics card.

Specs

Benchmarks

Verdict

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