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 i5-12500T

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.1% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+125% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 770, while Ryzen 7 4800U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,339 vs 16,427).
❌Launch MSRP is still $302 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4800U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌133.3% higher power demand at 35W vs 15W.

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 35W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12500T across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-12500T moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-12500T can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12500T.

Core i5-12500T

2022

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.1% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+125% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 770, while Ryzen 7 4800U needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 35W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,339 vs 16,427).
❌Launch MSRP is still $302 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4800U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌133.3% higher power demand at 35W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-12500T across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-12500T moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-12500T can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-12500T.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12500T better than Ryzen 7 4800U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-12500T is ahead with a 11.1% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U pulls ahead with 0.5% better PassMark. Core i5-12500T also has the bigger cache pool with 125% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U is the better fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Core i5-12500T is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12500T is at an unclear MSRP at $302 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 11.1% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 7 4800U is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.5% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (54.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Core i5-12500T is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of FP6, and 125% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 8 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 i5-12500T Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 4800U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12500T	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	183 FPS	171 FPS
medium	168 FPS	140 FPS
high	139 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	146 FPS
medium	132 FPS	118 FPS
high	106 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	69 FPS
medium	81 FPS	60 FPS
high	64 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i5-12500T Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12500T	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	257 FPS	180 FPS
medium	217 FPS	153 FPS
high	187 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	165 FPS	122 FPS
1440p
low	223 FPS	157 FPS
medium	192 FPS	136 FPS
high	170 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	146 FPS	108 FPS
4K
low	155 FPS	127 FPS
medium	136 FPS	114 FPS
high	127 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	108 FPS	94 FPS

Open Core i5-12500T Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12500T	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	408 FPS	411 FPS
medium	408 FPS	411 FPS
high	408 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	408 FPS	411 FPS
medium	408 FPS	411 FPS
high	408 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	396 FPS
4K
low	408 FPS	411 FPS
medium	389 FPS	372 FPS
high	337 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	267 FPS

Open Core i5-12500T Open Ryzen 7 4800U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12500T	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	408 FPS	411 FPS
medium	408 FPS	411 FPS
high	408 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	408 FPS	411 FPS
medium	408 FPS	411 FPS
high	408 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	390 FPS
4K
low	408 FPS	411 FPS
medium	408 FPS	384 FPS
high	386 FPS	340 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	285 FPS

Open Core i5-12500T Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12500T and Ryzen 7 4800U

Core i5-12500T

The Core i5-12500T 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 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 16,339 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 7 4800U

The Ryzen 7 4800U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,427 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12500T packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 7 4800U offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 7 4800U has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12500T versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 7 4800U — a 4.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-12500T (base: 2 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i5-12500T uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12500T scores 16,339 against the Ryzen 7 4800U's 16,427 — a 0.5% lead for the Ryzen 7 4800U. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12500T vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 4800U.

Feature	Core i5-12500T	Ryzen 7 4800U
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+5%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	2 GHz+11%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+125%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512 kB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	16,339	16,427
Cinebench R23 Multi	6,625	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,300	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,900	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12500T uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12500T	Ryzen 7 4800U
Socket	LGA1700	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-12500T) / not specified (Ryzen 7 4800U). The Core i5-12500T includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 770), while the Ryzen 7 4800U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12500T targets Low Power Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i5-12500T rivals Ryzen 5 5600GE.