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 i9-12900T

2022

Why buy it

✅+6.4% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $410 less on MSRP ($489 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Delivers 84.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 60.5 vs 32.8 PassMark/$ ($489 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 180W, a 145W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 2950X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅220% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (21,444 vs 22,809).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 32.8 vs 60.5 PassMark/$ ($899 MSRP vs $489 MSRP).
❌414.3% higher power demand at 180W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Core i9-12900T moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-12900T can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i9-12900T

2022

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

2018

Why buy it

✅+6.4% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $410 less on MSRP ($489 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Delivers 84.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 60.5 vs 32.8 PassMark/$ ($489 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 180W, a 145W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅220% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 2950X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (21,444 vs 22,809).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 32.8 vs 60.5 PassMark/$ ($899 MSRP vs $489 MSRP).
❌414.3% higher power demand at 180W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Core i9-12900T moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-12900T can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-12900T better than Ryzen Threadripper 2950X?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Ryzen Threadripper 2950X makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i9-12900T is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-12900T is the better fit. You are getting 6.4% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 16 cores and 24 threads.

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

Core i9-12900T is the smarter buy today. Core i9-12900T is $410 cheaper on MSRP at $489 MSRP versus $899 MSRP, and it gives you 6.4% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. The trade-off is that Ryzen Threadripper 2950X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 11.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 84.7% better value on MSRP (60.5 vs 32.8 PassMark/$), 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 i9-12900T is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of TR4, more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 24 threads instead of 16/32, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 i9-12900T Benchmark Check

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-12900T	Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
1080p
low	269 FPS	200 FPS
medium	259 FPS	175 FPS
high	214 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	115 FPS
1440p
low	230 FPS	157 FPS
medium	198 FPS	131 FPS
high	159 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	83 FPS
medium	136 FPS	74 FPS
high	106 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	46 FPS

Open Core i9-12900T Open Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-12900T	Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
1080p
low	315 FPS	532 FPS
medium	268 FPS	463 FPS
high	225 FPS	395 FPS
ultra	206 FPS	351 FPS
1440p
low	260 FPS	471 FPS
medium	230 FPS	417 FPS
high	199 FPS	359 FPS
ultra	173 FPS	307 FPS
4K
low	161 FPS	302 FPS
medium	143 FPS	267 FPS
high	135 FPS	247 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	213 FPS

Open Core i9-12900T Open Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-12900T	Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
1080p
low	740 FPS	737 FPS
medium	615 FPS	630 FPS
high	544 FPS	584 FPS
ultra	461 FPS	509 FPS
1440p
low	689 FPS	632 FPS
medium	552 FPS	525 FPS
high	482 FPS	471 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	410 FPS
4K
low	496 FPS	461 FPS
medium	414 FPS	371 FPS
high	371 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	274 FPS

Open Core i9-12900T Open Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-12900T	Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
1080p
low	740 FPS	737 FPS
medium	740 FPS	737 FPS
high	666 FPS	714 FPS
ultra	591 FPS	636 FPS
1440p
low	737 FPS	737 FPS
medium	652 FPS	667 FPS
high	561 FPS	570 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	500 FPS
4K
low	518 FPS	515 FPS
medium	469 FPS	468 FPS
high	415 FPS	415 FPS
ultra	361 FPS	364 FPS

Open Core i9-12900T Open Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-12900T and Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

Core i9-12900T

The Core i9-12900T 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 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 30 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: 29,601 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

The Ryzen Threadripper 2950X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 13 August 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the ZEN+ (2018−2019) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: TR4. Thermal design power (TDP): 180 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Quad-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 29,462 points. Launch price was $899.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-12900T packs 16 cores / 24 threads, matching the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X's 16 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i9-12900T versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Core i9-12900T (base: 1.4 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core i9-12900T uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X uses ZEN+ (2018−2019) (12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-12900T scores 29,601 against the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X's 29,462 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i9-12900T. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 22,809 vs 21,444 (6.2% advantage for the Core i9-12900T). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,331 vs 1,255, a 60% lead for the Core i9-12900T that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 12,116 vs 8,814 (31.6% advantage for the Core i9-12900T). L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900T vs 32 MB on the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X.

Feature	Core i9-12900T	Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Cores / Threads	16 / 24	16 / 32
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+11%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	1.4 GHz	3.5 GHz+150%
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)	32 MB+7%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-42%	12 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	ZEN+ (2018−2019)
PassMark	29,601	29,462
Cinebench R23 Multi	22,809+6%	21,444
Geekbench 6 Single	2,331+86%	1,255
Geekbench 6 Multi	12,116+37%	8,814

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-12900T uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X uses TR4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800 on the Core i9-12900T versus DDR4-2933 on the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X — the Core i9-12900T supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen Threadripper 2950X supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i9-12900T) vs 4 (Ryzen Threadripper 2950X). PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i9-12900T) vs 64 (Ryzen Threadripper 2950X) — the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X offers 44 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: LGA1700 (Core i9-12900T) and Socket TR4 / X399 (Ryzen Threadripper 2950X).

Feature	Core i9-12900T	Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Socket	LGA1700	TR4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800+25%	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	64+220%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Core i9-12900T supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-12900T) vs AMD-V (Ryzen Threadripper 2950X). The Core i9-12900T includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 770), while the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X requires a dedicated GPU.

Feature	Core i9-12900T	Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 770	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-12900T launched at $489 MSRP, while the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X debuted at $899. On MSRP ($489 vs $899), the Core i9-12900T is $410 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-12900T delivers 60.5 pts/$ vs 32.8 pts/$ for the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X — making the Core i9-12900T the 59.5% better value option.