Intel Core I5 12600k is one of the most recent Intel processors since it was released less than one year ago. With the 10 physical hybrid cores and 16 threads, this CPU is more than enough for the majority of users. You can enjoy your free time or a job with the really fast performance this CPU provides to you.
However, there are also a few downsides to owning this processor, so let’s get into our full test and review.
Intel Core I5 12600k Specifications
| Number of Cores | 10 cores |
| Number of Threads | 16 threads |
| Base Frequency | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost Frequency | 4.9 GHz |
| Process Size | 10nm |
| TDP | 125W |
| Socket | 1700 |
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How good Is Intel Core I5 12600k? Short Topic Answer
Intel Core I5 12600k is one of the best processors on the market, and after a while, a CPU that can really compete with AMD. Intel I5 12600k has 10 physical hybrid cores and 16 threads, so even the newest GPUs on the market shouldn’t be bottlenecked by this CPU. It also supports new DDDR5 memory.
Is Intel Core I5 12600k Good For Gaming?
Intel Core I5 12600k is one of the best processors for gaming in its price range. With 10 cores and 16 threads, you can run whatever game you like, and for the best performance pair this CPU with a powerful graphics card, and you will have a PC that can run any program or game in high framerates.
In the paragraphs below, I will benchmark it in the 3 popular resolutions with a powerful AMD RX6700 XT.
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Is Intel Core I5 12600k Good In 1080p Gaming?
The first benchmark that I did for Intel i5 12600k was in the resolution that is the best when it comes to testing processors – 1080p. In 1080p your processor and graphics card needs to work together in order to get good results, and if one of them is weaker you will see the drop in the performance.
In order that this doesn’t happen in this benchmark, I paired Intel i5 12600k with AMD RX6700 XT, which is a very good graphics card when it comes to gaming.
As you can see in the table below, I tried these two together in 5 different games, and almost every one of them is harder to run. Of course, when you use components this good, you will probably run games on max settings in 1080p resolution, so I did the same. Every game was on Ultra or Maximum graphics details and they still averaged more than 100 fps in almost every case.
The game that averaged the least is Cyberpunk 2077, which isn’t surprising since it’s poorly optimized.
As you can see, gaming on monitors with a higher refresh rate is possible, since you can easily achieve 144 or 240 fps if you adjust your settings for the best performance.
Take a look at the table yourself!
| specs: Intel Core I5 12600k, AMD RX6700 XT, 16GB DDR4 3600 MHz, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 127 fps | 94 fps |
| Just Cause 4 (Max settings - 1080p) | 163 fps | 119 fps |
| Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 154 fps | 125 fps |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 99 fps | 79 fps |
| Fortnite (Max settings - 1080p) | 237 fps | 117 fps |
Is Intel Core I5 12600k Good In 1440p Gaming?
The second test was done in 1440p. This resolution is known as 2k and it’s one of the most used ones since its sweet spot for gamers between quality and framerates.
Although in 2k graphics card is the one that is doing more work, the Intel i5 12600k is still important to maintain the fps and be good support for AMD RX6700 XT.
Once again, I tested these two in the same 5 games, since they can show us the real image of how good this processor is.
In every game, the graphics settings stayed the same and that will help you see the difference between the performance in other resolutions.
As you can see in the table below, 3 out of 5 games averaged more than 100 frames per second, and the other 2 games easily had more than 60 fps. That really shows us how good this processor actually is when it’s paired with a powerful graphics card.
| specs: Intel Core I5 12600k, AMD RX6700 XT, 16GB DDR4 3600 MHz, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 106 fps | 85 fps |
| Just Cause 4 (Max settings - 1440p) | 119 fps | 108 fps |
| Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 96 fps | 81 fps |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra settings - 1440p) | 65 fps | 52 fps |
| Fortnite (Max settings - 1440p) | 148 fps | 93 fps |
Is Intel Core I5 12600k Good In 4k Gaming?
For the last test, I once again paired Intel Core I5 12600k with AMD RX6700 XT and tried them together in 4k resolution. As you may know, 4k resolution isn’t the best when it comes to testing the processors since most of the work was done by the graphics card and the CPU is there just for the support.
You can play 4k resolution with much weaker processors if you have a good graphics card paired with them.
As you can see in the table below, in the same 5 games with the same graphics details, these two performed really well, considering that all games were on Ultra or Max settings.
In every game, the gameplay felt smooth, and the quality was more than perfect.
To cut the story, you should take a look at the table yourself.
| specs: Intel Core I5 12600k, AMD RX6700 XT, 16GB DDR4 3600 MHz, 1TB SSD | AVERAGE FPS | 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (Ultra settings - 4k) | 61 fps | 46 fps |
| Just Cause 4 (Max settings - 4k) | 58 fps | 51 fps |
| Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings - 4k) | 55 fps | 43 fps |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra settings - 4k) | 30 fps | 23 fps |
| Fortnite (Max settings - 4k) | 75 fps | 51 fps |
Difference Between Intel Core I5 12600k And AMD Ryzen 5 5600x – Test
When it comes to the Intel i5 12600k biggest competition on the market, AMD once again tried to overtake Intel’s performance for the price you are paying. The one processor that I’m talking about is AMD Ryzen 5 5600x, which is one of the most popular processors on the CPU market nowadays.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600x is maybe the best CPU to buy if your budget is around 300 dollars, which is the same amount of money you need to spend for Intel i5 12600k, which is also a very good processor itself.
To see the difference between them, I will test them in the 5 popular games paired with more than powerful Nvidia RTX 3080.
In order to test them the right way, I benchmarked these games in 1080p resolution, where processors need to perform well for good results.
As you can see in the table below, Intel i5 12600k averaged more frames per second than Ryzen 5 5600x in 3 out of 5 games. And in 2 other games where Ryzen 5 5600x averaged more, there was only about a 1-2 fps difference.
This really shows us how good of a job Intel did with the Intel i5 12600k, but a lot of people underestimate that.
Have in mind that you would probably spend less money going for an AMD motherboard and Ryzen 5 5600x, than on an I5 12600k and a new motherboard, but if you are an Intel fan and you are willing to spend a little bit more money for a small performance boost, then go for it.
Let’s cut the story, take a look at the table yourself.
| specs: Intel I5 12600k/AMD Ryzen 5 5600x, GeForce RTX 3080 , 32Gb DDR4, 1TB SSD | Intel Core I5 12600k - AVERAGE FPS | Intel Core I5 12600k - 1% LOW FPS | AMD Ryzen 5 5600x - AVERAGE FPS | AMD Ryzen 5 5600x - 1% LOW FPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 (High settings - 1080p) | 161 fps | 104 fps | 149 fps | 93 fps |
| Mafia Definitive Edition (High settings - 1080p) | 171 fps | 120 fps | 154 fps | 107 fps |
| Hitman 3 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 166 fps | 115 fps | 162 fps | 104 fps |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 71 fps | 49 fps | 72 fps | 45 fps |
| Forza Horizon 4 (Ultra settings - 1080p) | 203 fps | 155 fps | 204 fps | 148 fps |
Best Graphics Card To Pair With Intel Core I5 12600k
Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti is the best graphics card that you should pair with Intel core I5 12600k. Although there are better GPUs, Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti will provide everything you to have a Pc that is a beast. It’s Vr ready and it will do a phenomenal job in whatever task or game you test it with I5 12600k.
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Is Intel Core I5 12600k Future-Proof?
Intel Core I5 12600k is definitely a future-proof processor. However, I5 12600k was released in 2021, which is pretty recent, this processor will be good for probably around 4-6 more years. Have in mind that I5 12600k supports DDR5 memory, so that makes this CPU even more future-proof.
