Intel Core i9-12900 vs Intel Core i5-8500

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.

Intel Core i5-8500

The Intel Core i5-8500 is a mid-range 6-core CPU. The processor belongs to the Coffee Lake generation and was presented in April 2018. It does not support Hyper-Threading, which means it can run six threads simultaneously. The base clock rate is 3 GHz and the CPU can speed up to 4.1 GHz under high load. Despite belonging to the new generation of CPUs, the Core i5-8500 is manufactured in an improved 14nm process.

Performance

The processor offers a strong performance increase compared to the Core i5-7500 due to its two additional cores. Single-core performance has not improved significantly compared to its Kaby Lake predecessor. As a mid-range model, the Core i5-8500 should be suitable for demanding games and programs.

Graphics

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 iGPU is supposed to offer higher performance as its clock rate has been increased by 50-100 MHz. The build is identical to that of the Intel HD Graphics 630. We do expect a performance improvement, but as a low-end solution it will probably only display current games smoothly at reduced details - if at all.

Power Consumption

Intel specifies the TDP with 65 watts. Therefore, well-dimensioned cooling systems should easily manage to deal with the created heat. We expect increased efficiency due to the higher performance.