Core i9-12900F vs EPYC 8124P

CPU

GPU

Core i9-12900F

16 Cores24 Thrd65 WWMax: 5.1 GHz2022

Popular choices:

•••••••••

EPYC 8124P

16 Cores32 Thrd125 WWMax: 3 GHz2023

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i9-12900F

16 / 24

35,873

0.0%

36,079

+0.6%

Ryzen Embedded V3C48

Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350

Ryzen 7 5800XT

Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX

Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3995WX

Ryzen Threadripper 7970X

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i9-12900F

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.0% higher average FPS across 36 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $145 less on MSRP ($494 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 72.6 vs 56.5 PassMark/$ ($494 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (35,873 vs 36,079).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (30 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 8124P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 96 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 8124P

2023

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 96 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅380% more PCIe lanes (96 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900F across 36 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 56.5 vs 72.6 PassMark/$ ($639 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Core i9-12900F

2022

EPYC 8124P

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.0% higher average FPS across 36 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $145 less on MSRP ($494 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 72.6 vs 56.5 PassMark/$ ($494 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 96 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅380% more PCIe lanes (96 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (35,873 vs 36,079).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (30 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 8124P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 96 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900F across 36 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 56.5 vs 72.6 PassMark/$ ($639 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-12900F better than EPYC 8124P?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 8124P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i9-12900F is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 8124P is the better fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core i9-12900F is the smarter buy today. Core i9-12900F is $145 cheaper on MSRP at $494 MSRP versus $639 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.0% average FPS lead across 36 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 8124P is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.6% better PassMark. It is also 28.6% better value on MSRP (72.6 vs 56.5 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

EPYC 8124P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2022), 113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB), more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 16/24, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i9-12900F Benchmark Check

EPYC 8124P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-12900F	EPYC 8124P
1080p
low	269 FPS	153 FPS
medium	259 FPS	125 FPS
high	214 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	83 FPS
1440p
low	230 FPS	139 FPS
medium	198 FPS	111 FPS
high	159 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	70 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	67 FPS
medium	136 FPS	57 FPS
high	106 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i9-12900F Open EPYC 8124P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-12900F	EPYC 8124P
1080p
low	617 FPS	387 FPS
medium	526 FPS	344 FPS
high	441 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	399 FPS	224 FPS
1440p
low	533 FPS	327 FPS
medium	470 FPS	296 FPS
high	397 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	340 FPS	191 FPS
4K
low	311 FPS	202 FPS
medium	281 FPS	186 FPS
high	266 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	232 FPS	127 FPS

Open Core i9-12900F Open EPYC 8124P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-12900F	EPYC 8124P
1080p
low	775 FPS	856 FPS
medium	619 FPS	767 FPS
high	545 FPS	743 FPS
ultra	462 FPS	667 FPS
1440p
low	692 FPS	660 FPS
medium	560 FPS	573 FPS
high	487 FPS	546 FPS
ultra	416 FPS	487 FPS
4K
low	498 FPS	432 FPS
medium	418 FPS	341 FPS
high	378 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	250 FPS

Open Core i9-12900F Open EPYC 8124P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-12900F	EPYC 8124P
1080p
low	894 FPS	902 FPS
medium	809 FPS	902 FPS
high	696 FPS	769 FPS
ultra	626 FPS	647 FPS
1440p
low	765 FPS	823 FPS
medium	681 FPS	707 FPS
high	586 FPS	596 FPS
ultra	517 FPS	488 FPS
4K
low	524 FPS	596 FPS
medium	475 FPS	521 FPS
high	423 FPS	449 FPS
ultra	369 FPS	372 FPS

Open Core i9-12900F Open EPYC 8124P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-12900F and EPYC 8124P

Core i9-12900F

The Core i9-12900F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 16 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 35,873 points. Launch price was $499.

EPYC 8124P

The EPYC 8124P is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 18 September 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Siena (2023−2024) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.45 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: SP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 36,079 points. Launch price was $639.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-12900F packs 16 cores / 24 threads, matching the EPYC 8124P's 16 cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-12900F versus 3 GHz on the EPYC 8124P — a 51.9% clock advantage for the Core i9-12900F (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.45 GHz). The Core i9-12900F uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the EPYC 8124P uses Siena (2023−2024) (5 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-12900F scores 35,873 against the EPYC 8124P's 36,079 — a 0.6% lead for the EPYC 8124P. L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900F vs 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 8124P.

Feature	Core i9-12900F	EPYC 8124P
Cores / Threads	16 / 24	16 / 32
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+70%	3 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	2.45 GHz+2%
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)	64 MB (total)+113%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	5 nm-29%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Siena (2023−2024)
PassMark	35,873	36,079

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-12900F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the EPYC 8124P uses SP6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to 4800 memory speed. The EPYC 8124P supports up to 2048 of RAM compared to 128 — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i9-12900F) vs 6 (EPYC 8124P). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i9-12900F) vs 96 (EPYC 8124P) — the EPYC 8124P offers 76 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Z690,B660 (Core i9-12900F) and SP6 (EPYC 8124P).

Feature	Core i9-12900F	EPYC 8124P
Socket	LGA1700	SP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	4800	4800
Max RAM Capacity	128	2048+1500%
RAM Channels	2	6+200%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	96+380%

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the EPYC 8124P supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-12900F) vs AMD-V, IOMMU (EPYC 8124P). Direct competitor: Core i9-12900F rivals Ryzen 9 5900X; EPYC 8124P rivals Xeon Gold 6426Y.

Feature	Core i9-12900F	EPYC 8124P
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V, IOMMU

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-12900F launched at $494 MSRP, while the EPYC 8124P debuted at $639. On MSRP ($494 vs $639), the Core i9-12900F is $145 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-12900F delivers 72.6 pts/$ vs 56.5 pts/$ for the EPYC 8124P — making the Core i9-12900F the 25% better value option.