Intel Core i9-12900KF Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E) Cores up to 5.2 GHz Unlocked  LGA1700 600 Series Chipset 125W

Product Information

This article compares Intel's Core i9-12900K and Core i9-12900KF desktop CPUs. We evaluated Intel's Core i9-12900K and Core i9-12900KF desktop CPUs to determine which would be better for various use cases. We shaped our testing methodology to focus on each CPU's attributes rather than relying solely on benchmarks. Increased core counts can improve the performance of games that use them, but most modern games don't benefit from having more than 6–8 cores. We've experienced the best performance by prioritizing a higher single-core boost frequency, then on a higher multi-core boost frequency, rather than focusing on core count alone. Remember that cache sizes often increase along with core counts, so if you want to increase your L3 cache, you may need to get a CPU with more cores. Based on our evaluation of using Intel's Core i9-12900KF CPU for gaming, you can expect excellent game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler. You'll notice that's MTP, not TDP. Intel says it's doing away with the TDP specification for the 12th Gen, and in some ways, I agree with its decision, if only to be fair to our poor CPU coolers. Previous TDPs haven't been particularly representative of, well, much at all with Intel's past few CPU generations, and so MTP, along with the new Processor Base Power (PBP), appear a little more upfront.

Based on our evaluation, the 12900KF's 5.20 GHz single-core max turbo boost frequency is excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.Faster PC memory can improve game and professional tool performance by reducing the time it takes to perform calculations and data operations. Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics only: to use the Intel® Iris® Xe brand, the system must be populated with 128-bit (dual channel) memory. Otherwise, use the Intel® UHD brand. The Core i9 12900K represents the very best in Intel's desktop 12th Generation processors, and what that means is it houses the Alder Lake architecture in its most performant form. At its simplest, that equates to more cores, more speed, and more bandwidth than ever before, but if you dig beneath the surface you'll find a chip architecture that is wildly different to what came before. Intel's Core i9-12900KF CPUs have 8 Performance cores (P-cores) and 8 Efficiency cores (E-cores) for a total of 16 cores. Intel also claims that their new 14th Gen can push past the 6GHz barrier. I’m assuming they’re referring to the Core i9-14900K with Turbo Boost.

Professional tools are often well optimized to use many cores. CPU cores allow tools to parallelize processing tasks. Increasing the number of cores can divide the time required to process a task if the tool has good multi-threading support. At Blender-gooseberry benchmarking ---- our intel boy was drawing out ABOUT 250W OF POWER ! , while our AMD boys were at about 150 W . BUT,...... AT GAMING (F1 2021) ---- Intel BOI was WITHIN THE BASE POWER OF 125 W averaging about at 100 W . BUT ON THE OTHER HAND ,........ Our AMD Boys WERE DRAWING MORE POWER THAN INTEL BOI . Currently, you're faced with paying a little over 40% more per frame than the 7700X when just taking CPU cost into consideration. The 7900X is slightly better value than the 12900K, but much worse than the 12700K. The 12900KF model name has an F suffix. F-suffixed CPUs do not contain integrated graphics, and a separate graphics card is required. Looking at the test results, you can’t deny the Intel Core i9-14900K is a real winner in terms of performance. It’s the fastest processor I’ve tested so far and we like it very much.

Use Conditions

This game can be useful for testing low-end CPUs, but for the 7950X it just shows us that we're able to max out the RTX 3090 Ti, matching other high-end CPUs. At least AMD's AM4 platform offers plenty of cheaper motherboards today, something we may have to wait around for a bit longer to see from Intel's board partners. All BIOS settings were at default, with XMP profiles enabled. Graphics resolution set to 1920×1080 (HD 1080p) or default where ever possible. High or Ultra settings enabled. I'll admit I wasn't always sure about Intel's Efficient Cores. Chip designer Arm has been rolling out big.LITTLE designs for a while, to great success, but primarily in the mobile market where power efficiency equates to longer battery life. Intel intends to bring Alder Lake to mobile, too, so I get that angle, but on the desktop side of things, it didn't first appear that these would be of tremendous value. What is a cluster of small cores, built out of Intel's next-gen Atom architecture, going to deliver a PC gamer like me? Ultimately, though, it's your OS that makes these decisions, and that's why Thread Director works best with Windows 11, which Intel worked with Microsoft on to get just right for Alder Lake.