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 i7-12700E

2022

Why buy it

✅+30.7% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7600X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌
5% HIGHER MSRP
$314 MSRPvs$299 MSRP

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $15 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $314 MSRP).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,300 vs 20,000).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Core i7-12700E

2022

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅+30.7% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +16.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).
✅Costs $15 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $314 MSRP).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7600X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (25 MB vs 32 MB).
❌
5% HIGHER MSRP
$314 MSRPvs$299 MSRP

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,300 vs 20,000).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 7600X better than Core i7-12700E?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 7600X is ahead with a 16.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-12700E pulls ahead with 30.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. Ryzen 5 7600X also has the bigger cache pool with 28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-12700E is the better fit. You are getting 30.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 12 cores and 20 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 7600X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 7600X is $15 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $314 MSRP, and it gives you a 16.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i7-12700E is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 30.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. It is also 5.1% better value on MSRP (94.7 vs 90.1 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1700 + DDR5 setup, Core i7-12700E can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap.

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

Ryzen 5 7600X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 28% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 25 MB). That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 i7-12700E Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-12700E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	250 FPS	266 FPS
medium	235 FPS	246 FPS
high	200 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	179 FPS
1440p
low	217 FPS	226 FPS
medium	185 FPS	189 FPS
high	153 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	151 FPS	157 FPS
medium	128 FPS	131 FPS
high	100 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core i7-12700E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-12700E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	331 FPS	649 FPS
medium	280 FPS	524 FPS
high	237 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	212 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	273 FPS	544 FPS
medium	242 FPS	455 FPS
high	210 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	168 FPS	341 FPS
medium	150 FPS	290 FPS
high	142 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	232 FPS

Open Core i7-12700E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-12700E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	708 FPS	708 FPS
medium	672 FPS	652 FPS
high	590 FPS	571 FPS
ultra	487 FPS	484 FPS
1440p
low	708 FPS	708 FPS
medium	586 FPS	554 FPS
high	508 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	428 FPS	409 FPS
4K
low	522 FPS	463 FPS
medium	428 FPS	392 FPS
high	382 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	281 FPS

Open Core i7-12700E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-12700E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	708 FPS	708 FPS
medium	708 FPS	708 FPS
high	708 FPS	708 FPS
ultra	635 FPS	708 FPS
1440p
low	708 FPS	708 FPS
medium	683 FPS	708 FPS
high	589 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	515 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	538 FPS	560 FPS
medium	489 FPS	502 FPS
high	435 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	381 FPS	391 FPS

Open Core i7-12700E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-12700E and Ryzen 5 7600X

Core i7-12700E

The Core i7-12700E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 12 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 25 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 28,302 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 5 7600X

The Ryzen 5 7600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.3 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 5 nm, 6 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 28,325 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-12700E packs 12 cores / 20 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i7-12700E has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core i7-12700E versus 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X — a 9.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X (base: 2.1 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The Core i7-12700E uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm, 6 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-12700E scores 28,302 against the Ryzen 5 7600X's 28,325 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen 5 7600X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 20,000 vs 15,300 (26.6% advantage for the Core i7-12700E). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,202 vs 2,900, a 27.4% lead for the Ryzen 5 7600X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,981 vs 13,800 (14.1% advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X). L3 cache: 25 MB (total) on the Core i7-12700E vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Feature	Core i7-12700E	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores / Threads	12 / 20+100%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz	5.3 GHz+10%
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	4.7 GHz+124%
L3 Cache	25 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+28%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	6 MB+380%
Process	10 nm	5 nm, 6 nm-50%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	28,302	28,325
Cinebench R23 Multi	20,000+31%	15,300
Geekbench 6 Single	2,202	2,900+32%
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,981	13,800+15%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-12700E uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i7-12700E) vs 28 (Ryzen 5 7600X) — the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: R680E,Q670,H610E (Core i7-12700E) and X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 5 7600X).

Feature	Core i7-12700E	Ryzen 5 7600X
Socket	LGA1700	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	28+40%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 7600X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 5 7600X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i7-12700E) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X). Both include integrated graphics — Intel UHD Graphics 770 (Core i7-12700E) and AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core) (Ryzen 5 7600X) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-12700E targets Industrial Computing / Professional Desktop, Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i7-12700E rivals Ryzen 7 5800X; Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K.

Feature	Core i7-12700E	Ryzen 5 7600X
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics 770	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V
Target Use	Industrial Computing / Professional Desktop	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-12700E launched at $314 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($314 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 7600X is $15 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-12700E delivers 90.1 pts/$ vs 94.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7600X — making the Ryzen 5 7600X the 5% better value option.