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 i9-12900TE

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 35W instead of 105W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,887 vs 28,325).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 46.3 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($494 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7600X can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $195 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅Delivers 104.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 46.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while Core i9-12900TE needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌200% higher power demand at 105W vs 35W.

Core i9-12900TE

2022

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 35W instead of 105W, a 70W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Costs $195 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅Delivers 104.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 46.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $494 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while Core i9-12900TE needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,887 vs 28,325).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 46.3 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($494 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7600X can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌200% higher power demand at 105W vs 35W.

Quick Answers

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

Yes. Ryzen 5 7600X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 0.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 23.8% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 5 7600X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 0.3% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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 23.8% better PassMark, 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 $195 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $494 MSRP, and it gives you a 0.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 104.5% better value on MSRP (94.7 vs 46.3 PassMark/$), 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 i9-12900TE can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

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 i9-12900TE Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	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 i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	330 FPS	649 FPS
medium	281 FPS	524 FPS
high	235 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	273 FPS	544 FPS
medium	242 FPS	455 FPS
high	209 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	178 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	169 FPS	341 FPS
medium	151 FPS	290 FPS
high	142 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	232 FPS

Open Core i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	572 FPS	708 FPS
medium	572 FPS	652 FPS
high	572 FPS	571 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	484 FPS
1440p
low	572 FPS	708 FPS
medium	572 FPS	554 FPS
high	572 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	409 FPS
4K
low	572 FPS	463 FPS
medium	495 FPS	392 FPS
high	440 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	281 FPS

Open Core i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 5 7600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	572 FPS	708 FPS
medium	572 FPS	708 FPS
high	572 FPS	708 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	708 FPS
1440p
low	572 FPS	708 FPS
medium	572 FPS	708 FPS
high	572 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	572 FPS	560 FPS
medium	572 FPS	502 FPS
high	511 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	433 FPS	391 FPS

Open Core i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

Core i9-12900TE

The Core i9-12900TE 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 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 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): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,887 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 i9-12900TE packs 16 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i9-12900TE has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core i9-12900TE versus 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X — a 9.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X (base: 1.1 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The Core i9-12900TE 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 i9-12900TE scores 22,887 against the Ryzen 5 7600X's 28,325 — a 21.2% lead for the Ryzen 5 7600X. L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900TE vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Feature	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores / Threads	16 / 24+167%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz	5.3 GHz+10%
Base Clock	1.1 GHz	4.7 GHz+327%
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	22,887	28,325+24%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	15,300
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,900
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,800

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-12900TE uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 5 7600X
Socket	LGA1700	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i9-12900TE) / AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X). The Ryzen 5 7600X includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)), while the Core i9-12900TE requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K.

Feature	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 5 7600X
Integrated GPU	—	Yes
IGPU Model	—	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-12900TE launched at $494 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($494 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 7600X is $195 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-12900TE delivers 46.3 pts/$ vs 94.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7600X — making the Ryzen 5 7600X the 68.6% better value option.