Test: Alder Lake Intel i9-12900K and i5-12600K

0

Cinebench/Geekbench Benchmarks:

Let’s start with one of the must of CPU benchmarks, the Cinebench series. We have chosen Cinebench R15, the R20 version, which is also more and more used, and finally Cinebench R23, the latest one. The scores will be given in Single-Core and Multi-Core.

Since Intel has made great announcements regarding the performance jump with its new CPUs, we will see what the results are in comparison to its previous generation, but also in comparison to its competitors.

To do so, we will use Benchmate, which at the time of our tests was in version 0.10.8. But we also tested with Benchmate beta version 0.10.9 which fixes some small bugs when using Cinebench R15. The other benchmark software we used is GeekBench. Those of you who follow us regularly will know that this is a test we are particularly fond of, and that we like to use when comparing different memory kits. Two versions will be used, Geekbench 3.4.2 and Geekbench 5.2.5, which both also have a Single-Core and Multi-Core score.

Cinebench R15 SingleThread and MultiThread :

A very popular benchmark especially by overclockers in order to compare the performance of different CPUs, but also to to measure the influence of some settings, whether it is positive or negative.. It also allows you to evaluate the optimizations of your OS, as well as your memory kit, by setting a frequency and trying to reach top scores by making as many points as possible.

Scores will be given in Single-Core and Multi-Core. Even if it is a little less used now compared to years ago, it remains a must for comparing CPUs performance, as it is one of the earliest benchmarks used by the community.

Oh… first benchmark and first sweat. We get a score of 179 points in Single-Core and 1259 in Multi-Cores with our i9-12900K. Uh, how can I put this, there’s something wrong here…

Actually, there is a bug when using Alder Lake and Windows 10 with Benchmate version 0.10.8. It’s the E-core score which is taken into account. A few days before the end of the NDA, a beta version 0.10.9 was released which solved this problem. The scores are now fixed and on point.

In Single-Core, it is our i9-12900K which reaches the top and gets the first place, ahead of the Ryzen 9 5950X. Also not far behind, notice the i5-12600K in comfortable third place.

In multi-threaded mode, the Ryzen 9 5950X still holds the top spot, but is not far from the i9-12900K.

Cinebench R20 SingleThread and MultiThread :

Cinebench R20 offers similar tests to the R15 version with Single-Core and Multi-Core benchmark computing. Released in March 2019, it offers a more complex benchmark than the R15 version which had become a little too easy for CPUs with many cores. Cinebench R20 requires eight times more computing power than the R15 version, and four times more memory. It can almost be considered as a stress benchmark as it requires your CPU to be stable because of its longer duration.

The Alder Lake advantage is confirmed in Single-core with our two CPUs taking the top two spots.

Our i9-12900K manages to take the lead over the Ryzen 9 5950X in the Multi-core benchmark by a pinch. Notice the position of the i5-12600K, which is ahead of all CPUs from the two previous generations of Intel’s.

Cinebench R23 Single-thread and Multi-thread :

How does this new version makes a difference compared to the previous ones? First of all, it is designed to be closer to real word use when it translates into scores, depending on what CPU you are using.
As a reminder, Cinebench only tests the capabilities of your CPU in single-thread or multi-thread. But the main difference with this benchmark, is a feature which makes the test lasts 10 minutes by default ! MAXON’s idea with Cinebench R23 is to provide a benchmark that will allow to test a certain stability in terms of temperature and boost frequencies. We will test there the quick version.

The different versions of Cinebench give similar results both with our i5-12900K and i9-12600K, dominating the other CPUs.

Same applies for multi-core, with the advantage going to team blue, and again, the i5 is able to perfectly position itself against the Rocket Lake and Comet Lake.

Geekbench 3.4.2 Single-Thread and Multi-Thread :

This benchmark is available in several revisions, version 5 having just been released a few weeks ago. After a series of different computing algorithms, you get two scores : one in single-thread and one in multi-thread. The version used for the tests is 3.4.2.

The trend continues and meets our expectations performance wise, the Alder Lakes have made a huge performance leap in single-thread compared to the two previous generations.

Nothing to report in the multi-thread benchmark, where the ranking looks the same as the previous ones.

GeekBench 5.2.5 Single-Thread and Multi-Thread :

This is the latest version of the GeekBench software, and is becoming more and more widespread, even being used now by tech journalists. It allows, just like Geekbench 3, to assess memory and processor performance through a sequence of computation benchmarks.

Latest and most widely used benchmark, in single-thread the i9-11900K stands out at the top between the i9-12900K at 1st place and the i5-12600K reaching 3rd place. .

In multi-thread, our i9-12900K blows everything away, taking no less than 4010 points off the Ryzen 9 5950X. Our i5-12600K manages to have its place on the podium, overtaking the Ryzen 9 5900X for the first time.