Intel Core i9-12900K

The Intel Core i9-12900K is a high end CPU for desktops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was first announced in November 2021 and offers 8 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores. The performance cores (P-cores) support HyperThreading, leading to 24 Threads that can be processed at once. The performance cores can clock with up to 5.2 GHz (Turbo Boost Max 3.0), the efficiency cores can clock with up to 3.9 GHz. All cores can use 30 MB Smart Cache. The integrated memory controller supports up to 128 GB DDR5 with 4800 MT/s (dual channel).

The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficiency cores for the best performance.

For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (most likely only using AVX2). Quick Sync in version 8 is the same as in the Rocket Lake CPUs and supports MPEG-2, AVC, VC-1 decode, JPEG, VP8 decode, VP9, HEVC and AV1 decode in hardware.

The integrated graphics adapter is based on the Xe architecture and called Intel UHD Graphics 770. It clocks between 300 and 1.55 GHz.

Performance

The average 12900K in our database nearly matches the Ryzen 9 3950X and the Ryzen 9 5950X in multi-thread performance. This is a great result, as of mid 2022.

Learn more by reading the Corsair One i300 review.

Power consumption

This Core i9 series chip has a Base power consumption of 125 W, with 241 W being its "Maximum Turbo" power consumption.

The i9-12900K is built with Intel's 4th generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for lower than average, as of mid 2023, energy efficiency.

Codename	Alder Lake
Series	Intel Alder Lake-S
Series: Alder Lake-S Alder Lake Intel Core i9-12900K « 3.2 - 5.2 GHz 16 / 24  30 MB L3 Intel Core i9-12900 2.4 - 5.1 GHz 16 / 24  20 MB L3 Intel Core i7-12700K 2.7 - 5 GHz 12 / 20  25 MB L3 Intel Core i7-12700F 3.3 - 4.9 GHz 12 / 20  25 MB L3 Intel Core i7-12700 3.3 - 4.9 GHz 12 / 20  25 MB L3 Intel Core i5-12600K 2.8 - 4.9 GHz 10 / 16  20 MB L3
Clock Rate	3200 - 5200 MHz
Level 1 Cache	1.4 MB
Level 2 Cache	14 MB
Level 3 Cache	30 MB
Number of Cores / Threads	16 / 24
Power Consumption (TDP = Thermal Design Power)	125 Watt
Manufacturing Technology	10 nm
Max. Temperature	100 °C
Socket	LGA1700
Features	DDR4-3200/DDR5-4800 RAM (incl. ECC), PCIe 5, Thread Director, DL Boost, GNA, vPro Enterprise, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 770 (300 - 1550 MHz)
64 Bit	64 Bit support
Architecture	x86
Starting Price	$589 U.S.
Announcement Date	11/05/2021
Product Link (external)	ark.intel.com

Benchmarks