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Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Intel Core Ultra 5 245K: Comparison
Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K separate most on l2 cache: Intel Core i9-12900KF at 14 MB, Intel Core Ultra 5 245K at 26 MB, 46% in favour of Intel Core Ultra 5 245K. L3 Cache splits them by another 20%, this time favouring Intel Core i9-12900KF. They match on 10 other specifications, including form factor, market segment and efficiency cores. In Blender Cycles (CPU) the Intel Core i9-12900KF scores 346 against 318 for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, a lead of 8%.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | Desktop | Desktop |
| Model Number | i9-12900KF | 245K |
| Codename | Alder Lake | Arrow Lake-S |
| TDP | 125 W | 125W Base / 159W Max Turbo |
| iGPU | None | Intel Arc Graphics (4 Xe Cores) |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Socket | LGA 1700 | LGA 1851 |
| Socket Status | Mature | Current |
| Process Node | 10 nm | 3 nm |
| Performance Cores | 8 | 6 |
| Efficiency Cores | 8 | 8 |
| SMT Enabled | true | false |
| P-Core Base Clock | 3.2 | 4.2 |
| P-Core Boost Clock | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| E-Core Base Clock | 2.4 | 3.6 |
| E-Core Boost Clock | 3.9 | 4.6 |
| Unlocked Multiplier | true | true |
| L2 Cache | 14 MB-46% | 26 MB |
| L3 Cache | 30 MB | 24 MB-20% |
| Base Power | 125 W | 125 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 241 | 159 |
| Memory Type | DDR5 or DDR4 | DDR5 |
| Max Memory Speed | 4800 | 6400 |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Max Memory Capacity | 128 | 256 |
| Integrated Graphics | No | Yes |
| Copilot Plus Certified | false | false |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 5.0 | PCIe 5.0 |
| PCIe Lanes | 20-17% | 24 |
| Launch MSRP | 564 | 309 |
| Retail Availability | Boxed Retail | Boxed Retail |
| Cores | 16 | 14 |
| Threads | 24 | 14 |
| Architecture | Alder Lake | Arrow Lake, Core Ultra 200 Series |
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 i9-12900KF
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.
More comparisons in Processors (CPUs)
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225F vs Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
- Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF
- Intel Core Ultra 5 245K vs Intel Core Ultra 5 245T
- Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Intel Core i9-13900K
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i5-11600K vs Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
- Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Intel Core i9-12900KS