AMD Ryzen 7 5700X vs Intel Core i5-12600KF: Which is the best CPU for gaming in 2024?

If you want a CPU with higher core counts on a budget, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600KF are great options. The AMD offering has eight cores, while the Intel one has 10. The two processors are different types of beasts when it comes to performance and power consumption. They are also priced very competitively. However, which is the best CPU for gaming in 2024?

That's what we will determine in this article. Let's take a look at what each CPU offers and declare the best one for gaming.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinions.

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X vs Intel Core i5-12600KF

The Ryzen 7 5700X is based on AMD's Zen 3, which brings a decent upgrade over the previous architecture.

On the other hand, the Intel Core i5-12600KF is based on the new Alder Lake architecture from Intel, which delivers significant improvements over the previous Intel CPUs.

Specs comparison

Here's the full specs comparison of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600KF:

Specifications	AMD Ryzen 7 5700X	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Architecture	Zen 3 architecture with traditional core design	Alder Lake architecture with hybrid core design
CPU	8	10 (6 P-cores + 4 E-cores)
Threads	10	10
Max frequency	4.6 GHz	4.9 GHz
L3 cache	32 MB	20 MB
RAM support	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200 DDR5-4800
Max RAM capacity	128 GB	128 GB
Thermal design power (TDP)	65W	125W Typical \| 150W Max
Manufacturing node	7nm	10nm
Socket	AM4	LGA 1700

The major difference between the two CPUs is their architectures. The AMD processor follows a traditional core design, while the Intel chip has a hybrid core one, with its P and E cores for performance and efficiency.

Other notable differences include the core count, clock speed, cache size, DDR5 support, and more. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X lacks support for DDR5 RAM, while the Intel Core i5-12600KF supports it. However, you will need a compatible motherboard for that, and they cost significantly more than the DDR4 version.

The Intel CPU's power consumption is twice that of AMD CPUs or more during full load, which would certainly have an impact on your next power bill. So, keep that in mind when choosing between the two CPUs.

Synthetic benchmark

AMD Ryzen 5700X alongside other 5000 series processors (Image via Hardware Unboxed/YouTube)

The specs only tell half the story and cannot gauge the real-world performance difference between the two CPUs, so it's time we check out some benchmarks.

Here's how the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600KF perform in popular benchmarks like Geekbench and Cinebench:

Benchmarks	AMD Ryzen 7 5700X	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)	93	105
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)	852	909
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)	2114	2472
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)	10745	11991
Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)	588	741
Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)	5330	6702

On average, the Intel CPU is 18.7% faster at single-core benchmarks. It is 15.8% faster than its AMD counterpart in multi-core benchmarks. The higher single-core performance advantage of the Intel CPU will be noticeable in games. The processor also has higher clock speeds, and games love that.

The higher multi-core performance of the Intel processor means it will be faster in productivity, video editing, video encoding, and more.

Gaming performance difference

AMD's Ryzen 5000 series CPUs (Image via AMD)

The Cinebench and Geekbench results show how the two CPUs perform in productivity workloads, but this doesn't always translate to gaming performance.

So, let's check out the two processors' gaming performance stats. The FPS data below was taken from the NJ Tech channel on YouTube:

Note: The test was run at 1080p resolution at the highest settings with the RTX 3080 GPU to stress the CPU. For the Intel CPU, only DDR4 RAM was used.

Games	AMD Ryzen 7 5700X	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Battlefield 2042	133 FPS	143 FPS
Far Cry 6	136 FPS	141 FPS
Hitman 3	171 FPS	194 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	175 FPS	175 FPS
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	240 FPS	246 FPS
Rainbow Six Siege	628 FPS	621 FPS
Dota 2	210 FPS	228 FPS

The Intel Core i5 CPU delivers higher FPS in most of the games compared to its AMD Ryzen counterpart. The Intel chip's higher clock speed and better single-core performance give it the advantage.

However, in games like Cyberpunk 2077, there's no difference in FPS between the two CPUs. In Rainbow Six Siege, the AMD processor fared better.

Price

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is currently selling for just $164, while the Intel Core i5-12600KF costs $158.83. The Intel CPU is actually cheaper while delivering higher performance in both productivity and gaming.

Which is the best CPU for gaming in 2024?

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is the best processor for gaming in 2024. It is faster than the AMD CPU in multiple scenarios and is also cheaper.

The Intel chip has support for DDR5 as well, which will further improve its performance. However, DDR5 RAMs and motherboards that support them are expensive.

Check out our other CPU comparisons:

Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh