Core i9-12900TE vs Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

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

✅Better for gaming: +8.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $494 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

2022

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 680M, while Core i9-12900TE needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900TE across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,781 vs 22,887).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 30 MB).

Core i9-12900TE

2022

Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB).

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 680M, while Core i9-12900TE needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $494 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900TE across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,781 vs 22,887).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 30 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-12900TE better than Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS?

Yes. Core i9-12900TE is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 8.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 0.5% 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, Core i9-12900TE is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 8.0% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-12900TE is the better fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Core i9-12900TE is the smarter buy today. Core i9-12900TE is at an unclear MSRP at $494 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 8.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (46.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i9-12900TE is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 24 threads instead of 8/16. 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 i9-12900TE Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS
1080p
low	254 FPS	251 FPS
medium	239 FPS	234 FPS
high	201 FPS	197 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	220 FPS	220 FPS
medium	187 FPS	186 FPS
high	153 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	135 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	151 FPS	154 FPS
medium	128 FPS	131 FPS
high	100 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS
1080p
low	330 FPS	441 FPS
medium	281 FPS	370 FPS
high	235 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	287 FPS
1440p
low	273 FPS	370 FPS
medium	242 FPS	323 FPS
high	209 FPS	288 FPS
ultra	178 FPS	247 FPS
4K
low	169 FPS	255 FPS
medium	151 FPS	229 FPS
high	142 FPS	215 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	186 FPS

Open Core i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS
1080p
low	572 FPS	570 FPS
medium	572 FPS	564 FPS
high	572 FPS	485 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	388 FPS
1440p
low	572 FPS	570 FPS
medium	572 FPS	510 FPS
high	572 FPS	437 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	355 FPS
4K
low	572 FPS	432 FPS
medium	495 FPS	368 FPS
high	440 FPS	323 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	262 FPS

Open Core i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS
1080p
low	572 FPS	570 FPS
medium	572 FPS	570 FPS
high	572 FPS	570 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	570 FPS
1440p
low	572 FPS	570 FPS
medium	572 FPS	570 FPS
high	572 FPS	570 FPS
ultra	572 FPS	513 FPS
4K
low	572 FPS	536 FPS
medium	572 FPS	489 FPS
high	511 FPS	438 FPS
ultra	433 FPS	379 FPS

Open Core i9-12900TE Open Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-12900TE and Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS

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 9 PRO 6950HS

The Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 19 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Rembrandt-HS (Zen 3+) (2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 22,781 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core i9-12900TE packs 16 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i9-12900TE has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core i9-12900TE versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS — a 2.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS (base: 1.1 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i9-12900TE uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS uses Rembrandt-HS (Zen 3+) (2022) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-12900TE scores 22,887 against the Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS's 22,781 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i9-12900TE. L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900TE vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS.

Feature	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS
Cores / Threads	16 / 24+100%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz	4.9 GHz+2%
Base Clock	1.1 GHz	3.3 GHz+200%
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)+88%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512K (per core)
Process	10 nm	6 nm-40%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Rembrandt-HS (Zen 3+) (2022)
PassMark	22,887	22,781
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	14,670
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,903
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	10,609

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Memory & Platform

The Core i9-12900TE uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-12900TE	Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS
Socket	LGA1700	FP7
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR5-4800
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	20

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i9-12900TE) / Yes (Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS). The Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS includes integrated graphics (Radeon 680M), while the Core i9-12900TE requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS targets Mobile.