Intel Core i7-12700K vs Intel Core i5-12450H vs Intel Core i9-12900

Intel Core i7-12700K

The Intel Core i7-12700K 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 4 efficiency cores. The performance cores (P-cores) support HyperThreading, leading to 20 Threads that can be processed at once. The performance cores can clock with up to 5 GHz (Turbo Boost Max 3.0), the efficiency cores can clock with up to 3.9 GHz. All cores can use 25 MB Smart Cache. The integrated memory controller supports up to 128 GB DDR5 with 4800 MT/s (dual channel).

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.

The integrated graphics adapter is based on the Xe-architecture and called Intel UHD Graphics 770. It clocks between 300 and 1.5 GHz.

For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost. 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.

Performance

The average 12700K in our database is way ahead of the Ryzen 7 5800X and the Ryzen 9 3900X, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. Which is a very, very impressive result, as of late 2022.

Power consumption

This Core i7 series chip has a Base power consumption of 125 W, with its highest Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption sitting at 190 W. It might be a good idea to get an AIO cooling solution for a chip this power hungry.

The i7-12700K is manufactured on Intel's fourth-generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for lower-than-average, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i5-12450H

The Intel Core i5-12450H is a high-end mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 4 of the 6 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 4 of the 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture) leading to 8 cores in total (octa core CPU). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 12 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2 to 4.4 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.5 to 3.3 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 12 MB L3 cache. Compared to the 12500H, the 12450H offers less E-cores, lower clock rates, a slower iGPU and no vPro support.

Performance

The average 12450H in our extensive database is a bit of a disappointment, its multi-thread benchmark scores only just matching those of the Ryzen 7 5700U and the Core i7-10750H, both fairly old chips as of Q2 2023.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200, LPDDR5-5200, and LPDDR4x-4267. The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficient cores for the best performance. For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via 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 CPU only supports PCIe 4.0 (x8 for a GPU and two x4 for SSDs).

The integrated graphics adapter is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 48 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.2 GHz.

The CPU is rated at 45 W base power (95 W PL2) but most laptops will use a PL1 of around 60 Watt. The SoC is manufactured in a 10nm process at Intel, which is known as Intel 7.

Intel Core i9-12900

The Intel Core i9-12900 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 5.1 GHz, the efficiency cores can clock with up to 3.8 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 card is based on the Xe-architecture and called Intel UHD Graphics 770. It clocks between 300 and 1.55 GHz.

The CPU is rated at 65 W base power and 202 Watt maximum Turbo power. It is manufactured in 10nm, called Intel 7, process at Intel.