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Intel Core i7-12700K vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K: Comparison
Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K separate most on l2 cache: Intel Core i7-12700K at 12 MB, Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K at 2.5 MB, 79% in favour of Intel Core i7-12700K. L3 Cache splits them by another 20%, again favouring Intel Core i7-12700K. They match on 8 other specifications, including form factor, tdp and market segment. In Blender Cycles (CPU) the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 286 against 223 for the Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K, a lead of 22%.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Product Line | Core | Core i9 |
| Form Factor | Desktop | Desktop |
| Model Number | i7-12700K | 10850K |
| Codename | Alder Lake | Comet Lake |
| Release Year | 2022 | 2020 |
| TDP | 125 W | 125 W |
| iGPU | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Socket | LGA 1700 | LGA 1200 |
| Socket Status | Mature | Mature |
| Process Node | 10 nm | 14 nm |
| Performance Cores | 8 | 10 |
| Efficiency Cores | 4 | 0 |
| SMT Enabled | true | Yes |
| P-Core Base Clock | 3.6 | 3.6 GHz |
| P-Core Boost Clock | 5.0 | 5.2 GHz |
| Unlocked Multiplier | true | Yes |
| L2 Cache | 12 MB | 2.5 MB-79% |
| L3 Cache | 25 MB | 20 MB-20% |
| Base Power | 125 W | 125 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 190 | 250W |
| Memory Type | DDR5 or DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Integrated Graphics | Yes | Yes |
| iGPU Model | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| iGPU Compute Units | 32 | 24 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 5.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| PCIe Lanes | 20 | 16-20% |
| Launch MSRP | 409 | 453 |
| Retail Availability | Boxed Retail | Retail |
| Cores | 12 | 10 |
| Threads | 20 | 20 |
| Architecture | Alder Lake | Comet Lake, 10th Gen Intel Core |
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 i7-12700K
7.9 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Core i7-12700K is an unlocked overclockable chip, well suited to enthusiast gaming and productivity builds.
More comparisons in Processors (CPUs)
- AMD Ryzen 9 5900X vs Intel Core i7-12700K
- Intel Core i7-12700K vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900
- Intel Core i7-12700F vs Intel Core i7-12700K
- AMD Ryzen 7 3800X vs Intel Core i7-12700K
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900
- Intel Core i7-14700 vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K