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 i9-12900E

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +13.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,420 vs 15,300).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 56.3 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($500 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅+14% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $201 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 56.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900E across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Core i9-12900E

2022

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +13.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+14% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $201 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 56.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,420 vs 15,300).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 56.3 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($500 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900E across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 7600X better than Core i9-12900E?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-12900E is ahead with a 13.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7600X pulls ahead with 14% better Cinebench R23 multi-core.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 7600X is the better fit. You are getting 14% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 6 cores and 12 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 $201 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $500 MSRP, and it gives you 14% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. The trade-off is that Core i9-12900E is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 13.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 68.1% better value on MSRP (94.7 vs 56.3 PassMark/$), 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 i9-12900E is still an elite gaming CPU and a very strong platform-matched choice because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap while remaining one of the strongest gaming chips you can buy.

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 more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 16/24. 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 i9-12900E Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-12900E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	254 FPS	266 FPS
medium	239 FPS	246 FPS
high	201 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	179 FPS
1440p
low	220 FPS	226 FPS
medium	187 FPS	189 FPS
high	153 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	135 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 i9-12900E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-12900E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	646 FPS	649 FPS
medium	552 FPS	524 FPS
high	462 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	410 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	557 FPS	544 FPS
medium	497 FPS	455 FPS
high	419 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	351 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	330 FPS	341 FPS
medium	299 FPS	290 FPS
high	282 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	232 FPS

Open Core i9-12900E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-12900E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	704 FPS	708 FPS
medium	704 FPS	652 FPS
high	704 FPS	571 FPS
ultra	704 FPS	484 FPS
1440p
low	704 FPS	708 FPS
medium	704 FPS	554 FPS
high	704 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	409 FPS
4K
low	596 FPS	463 FPS
medium	502 FPS	392 FPS
high	447 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	376 FPS	281 FPS

Open Core i9-12900E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-12900E	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	704 FPS	708 FPS
medium	704 FPS	708 FPS
high	704 FPS	708 FPS
ultra	704 FPS	708 FPS
1440p
low	704 FPS	708 FPS
medium	704 FPS	708 FPS
high	696 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	591 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	659 FPS	560 FPS
medium	584 FPS	502 FPS
high	513 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	435 FPS	391 FPS

Open Core i9-12900E Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-12900E and Ryzen 5 7600X

Core i9-12900E

The Core i9-12900E 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 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 30 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: 28,170 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 i9-12900E packs 16 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i9-12900E has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-12900E versus 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X — a 5.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X (base: 2.3 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The Core i9-12900E 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 i9-12900E scores 28,170 against the Ryzen 5 7600X's 28,325 — a 0.5% lead for the Ryzen 5 7600X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 13,420 vs 15,300 (13.1% advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X). Multi-core Geekbench: 13,107 vs 13,800 (5.2% advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X). L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900E vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Feature	Core i9-12900E	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores / Threads	16 / 24+167%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5 GHz	5.3 GHz+6%
Base Clock	2.3 GHz	4.7 GHz+104%
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+7%
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	28,170	28,325
Cinebench R23 Multi	13,420	15,300+14%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,900
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,107	13,800+5%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-12900E 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 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i9-12900E) vs 28 (Ryzen 5 7600X) — the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: LGA1700 (Core i9-12900E) and X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 5 7600X).

Feature	Core i9-12900E	Ryzen 5 7600X
Socket	LGA1700	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800	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. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-12900E) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 770 (Core i9-12900E) 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: Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K.

Feature	Core i9-12900E	Ryzen 5 7600X
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 770	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-12900E launched at $500 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($500 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 7600X is $201 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-12900E delivers 56.3 pts/$ vs 94.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7600X — making the Ryzen 5 7600X the 50.8% better value option.