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Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K vs Intel Core i9-12900K: Comparison
Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K and Intel Core i9-12900K separate most on l2 cache: Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K at 2.5 MB, Intel Core i9-12900K at 14 MB, 82% in favour of Intel Core i9-12900K. L3 Cache splits them by another 33%, again favouring Intel Core i9-12900K. They match on 7 other specifications, including form factor, tdp and market segment. In Blender Cycles (CPU) the Intel Core i9-12900K scores 354 against 239 for the Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K, a lead of 32%.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Product Line | Core i9 | Core |
| Form Factor | Desktop | Desktop |
| Model Number | 10900K | i9-12900K |
| Codename | Comet Lake | Alder Lake |
| Release Year | 2020 | 2022 |
| TDP | 125 W | 125 W |
| iGPU | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Socket | LGA 1200 | LGA 1700 |
| Socket Status | Mature | Mature |
| Process Node | 14 nm | 10 nm |
| Performance Cores | 10 | 8 |
| Efficiency Cores | 0 | 8 |
| SMT Enabled | Yes | true |
| P-Core Base Clock | 3.7 GHz | 3.2 |
| P-Core Boost Clock | 5.3 GHz | 5.2 |
| Unlocked Multiplier | Yes | true |
| L2 Cache | 2.5 MB-82% | 14 MB |
| L3 Cache | 20 MB-33% | 30 MB |
| Base Power | 125 W | 125 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 250W | 241 |
| Memory Type | DDR4 | DDR5 or DDR4 |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Integrated Graphics | Yes | Yes |
| iGPU Model | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
| iGPU Compute Units | 24 | 32 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 5.0 |
| PCIe Lanes | 16-20% | 20 |
| Launch MSRP | 488 | 589 |
| Retail Availability | Retail | Boxed Retail |
| Architecture | Comet Lake, 10th Gen Intel Core | Alder Lake |
| Cores | 10 | 16 |
| Threads | 20 | 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 i9-12900K
7.9 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Core i9-12900K is an unlocked overclockable chip, well suited to enthusiast gaming and productivity builds.
More comparisons in Processors (CPUs)
- Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900 vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K
- AMD 6th Gen A10-8700P APU vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K
- AMD Ryzen 9 5950X vs Intel Core i9-12900K
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Intel Core i9-12900K
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D vs Intel Core i9-12900K
- Intel 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9700F vs Intel 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K