Intel Core i5-12600K vs. AMD Ryzen 5 5600G: Which 2021 Mainstream CPU Is Tops?

Intel’s release of the primary few chips in its twelfth Technology Core desktop CPU circle of relatives (code-named “Alder Lake”) is formally within the rear-view reflect—however the processing drag races have simply begun! AMD choices just like the Editors’ Selection-winning Ryzen 5 5600G ($259 listing) have not long past anyplace, and as AMD has struggled thru 2021 to stay chips like the ones at the shelf at one thing just about their listing costs, Intel is coming to the desk with new choices just like the Core i5-12600K. Each are actually on cabinets for a bit of over or below $300.

A protracted listing of upgrades and enhancements have come to the Intel desktop-CPU line with Alder Lake, as opposed to earlier generations of 14nm-based Intel processors. However will they be sufficient to take down considered one of AMD’s reigning champs, identified for its power at informal gaming the use of its built-in Radeon graphics? Let’s bounce right into a blow-by-blow comparability to determine.

Core i5-12600K vs. Ryzen 5 5600G: Specifications and Structure

To start out off our duel between those two midrange chips, let’s take a peek at some base specifications around the pair…

First up, let’s get some nomenclature out of the best way. With Alder Lake, Intel is after all shifting past the umpteenth revision of 14nm lithography, remaining noticed in its eleventh Gen (“Rocket Lake”) Core circle of relatives. Its new procedure era, dubbed the “Intel 7 Procedure” (at its middle, a 10nm production procedure) underpins the Core i5-12600K. With this new design, the chip is split between “Efficiency cores” (P-cores) and “Potency cores” (E-cores).

This is a part of twelfth Gen Core’s new “giant.LITTLE”-style structure, an means which (on this particular chip) pairs six P-cores with 4 E-cores (for a complete of “10” cores, type of) and dynamically allocates the calls for of your PC throughout them relying at the activity to hand. (This may be why we see a core-to-thread ratio that isn’t 2:1; best the six P-cores are Hyper-Threaded on this new chip design, for 2 threads consistent with core.)

(Picture: Chris Stobing)

In the meantime, AMD remains to be residing it up the old fashioned means, and used a immediately six-core/12-thread design in its $259 Ryzen 5 5600G. (The “G” signifies it’s considered one of AMD’s somewhat few Ryzen chips this is geared up with an built-in graphics processor, or IGP, to run graphics output for your PC with no devoted video card.) The corporate’s stellar “chiplet”-style structure makes but every other go back, this time stepped forward with a single-CCX design that reduces the latency between cores that existed in older IGP-equipped Zen processors just like the Ryzen 3 3200G ($99 listing) and Ryzen 5 3400G ($149 listing).

In the event you’ve been questioning this entire time why we are evaluating the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G to the Intel Core i5-12600K, as a substitute of the extra direct festival in AMD’s IGP-less Ryzen 5 5600X ($299 listing), all of it comes down to these built-in graphics. In GPU-constrained instances like those, we want to stay all varieties of PC customers (players and not-gamers) in thoughts, together with those that may be able to find the money for a processor and motherboard a lot quicker than a brand new graphics card, given the inflated costs GPUs are nonetheless promoting for.

The Ryzen 5 5600G comes with AMD’s still-strong Radeon RX Vega platform built-in inside of, this time taking the type of a Vega 7 IGP with, you guessed it, seven onboard graphics cores. In the meantime the Intel Core i5-12600K will characteristic every other addition to Intel’s rising line of “Iris Xe”-branded IGPs, the Intel UHD Graphics 770 (up from the UHD Graphics 750 we noticed in Intel’s remaining technology of desktop chips).

(Picture: Chris Stobing)

At the matter of coolers, it is a immediately win for AMD: Ryzen 5 5600G consumers get a Wraith Stealth air cooler integrated within the field, whilst Intel Core i5-12600K house owners will want to purchase a separate cooling fan that works with the brand new LGA 1700 CPU socket. Level is going to AMD on each charge of adoption and general cooling necessities, making an allowance for the facility necessities of the 2 chips.

TIE: Intel Core i5-12600K for selection of cores, AMD Ryzen 5 5600G on fee and IGP specifications

Core i5-12600K vs. Ryzen 5 5600G: Platforms and Compatibility

Subsequent up, platform compatibility. You’ll take a deep dive into all of the newness on be offering from Intel in our explainer at the Z690 platform. Z690 is the one chipset to be had up to now that helps the brand new Alder Lake chips. However for individuals who simply need the fundamentals, let’s run thru a handy guide a rough primer.

Intel’s new twelfth Technology chips include a metamorphosis to every other new motherboard socket, LGA 1700, in addition to the Z690 chipset, for a refreshed providing of motherboards. The Z690 is an improve from the top-end Z590 chipset that got here in with eleventh Gen (in large part thought to be a dead-end platform via this level), and it brings with it an entire host of enhancements that can or might not be related to you, relying on what you do along with your PC.

(Picture: Michael Sexton)

The primary upgrades between the 2 platforms come with extra PCI Categorical (PCIe) lanes, in addition to the ones lanes being upgraded from the PCIe 4.0 spec as much as PCIe 5.0. The brand new forums additionally deliver with them improve for DDR5 RAM (even though some alternately improve old-style DDR4), in addition to XMP 3.0 (Intel’s Excessive Reminiscence Profiler provider for overclockers), and Dynamic Reminiscence Spice up Generation.

Some of these enhancements would possibly not imply a lot on your reasonable gamer or content material writer. On the other hand, if you are a significant overclocker, Intel has built-in an array of recent techniques to keep an eye on how your chip plays below drive, particularly when driven to its limits.

(Picture: Chris Stobing)

The one space the place twelfth Technology lacks, when it comes to platforms, is on charge of adoption when compared with what you’ll in finding for Intel’s eleventh Gen chips. At this mid-November writing, there don’t seem to be but any 600-class midrange or funds motherboards within the standard “H” or “B” sequence on cabinets for twelfth Gen chips, even though we will have to be expecting to look data on the ones emerge within the coming months.

In the meantime AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600G stays like minded with a big swath of Socket AM4 motherboards, ranging again to B450 and X470 fashions, which duvet almost about each and every fee level that it’s worthwhile to recall to mind via now. Those fashions can are available in as reasonable as $35 in some excessive cases, even though on reasonable you’ll be expecting to spend round $60 to start out for a lower-end AMD B450-based motherboard, whilst X570 forums can vary as top as $900 in some excessive fanatic releases.

TIE: Intel Core i5-12600K wins on new options and added flexibility, AMD Ryzen 5 5600G wins on charge of adoption

Core i5-12600K vs. Ryzen 5 5600G: Productiveness Efficiency

So, with 4 extra threads to paintings with, functionality assessments that push cores exhausting will have to be an auto-win for the Intel Core i5-12600K over the Ryzen 5 5600G…proper? Let’s bounce into the benchmarks to look what is what.

(All of those runs had been carried out on respective Home windows 10 testbeds.)

Total, there is little contest right here; at the complete, the Intel Core i5-12600K is a miles sooner processor in content material introduction in comparison to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, despite the fact that it does slip in a couple of events the place the processor did not get probably the most out of the Home windows 10 scheduler.

(Picture: Chris Stobing)

Apart from the ones hiccups, even though, the Intel Core i5-12600K is dominant right here. (And plus, Home windows 11 is the place it’s particularly anticipated to polish much more, with Thread Director serving to for methods like Adobe Photoshop.) We already discussed this in our assessment of that chip, however that is the primary consumer-facing desktop CPU launched shortly that we now have noticed truly attempt to deliver considerably extra content-creation functionality all the way down to the midrange. And even supposing maximum will have a look at the i5-12600K first as a gaming engine and an amateur-level content material writer 2d, the chip is greater than comfy enjoying each roles so long as it is operating on a like minded Home windows 11-based device.

WINNER: Intel Core i5-12600K on outright functionality (Home windows 11 really useful)

Core i5-12600K vs. Ryzen 5 5600G: Gaming Efficiency

Final however no longer least, we arrive at gaming functionality, the real check of a midrange processor for a definite set of consumers…

We examined the CPUs right here on their respective platforms in Home windows 10 the use of a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti discrete graphics card. The consequences above display a dominant set of a wins throughout 1080p and 4K (the 2 resolutions we check in) for the Intel Core i5-12600K, even supposing for its fee, the Ryzen 5 5600G is best slightly under the price-to-performance curve.

That edge for Intel falls away virtually utterly, even though, after we bounce to checking out how the 2 chips fare right through runs at the two chips’ IGP…

We were not in a position to get too many IGP numbers out of the Core i5-12600K right through our preliminary run of checking out (WNR way “would no longer run”), because of some problems with Intel’s supplied motive force set. On the other hand we have now integrated numbers from our checking out of the Intel Core i5-11600K and its UHD 750 chip, which is almost about the similar because the UHD 770 save for a slight uptick in overall spice up clock between the 2 generations (1.45GHz as opposed to 1.55GHz).

Above we will be able to see that no longer even 100MHz could be sufficient to bridge the most important hole that recently exists between Intel’s UHD platform and what AMD has completed with its long-running Radeon RX Vega IGPs.

In case you are having a difficult time selecting between those two possible choices on gaming by myself, the platform-adoption charge of twelfth Gen may finally end up because the deciding issue. AMD wins on what it could charge to get the cheap gaming gadget off the bottom (particularly should you plan to run with no GPU, simply depending at the CPU’s IGP). Intel, in the meantime, holds its personal on outright frame-rate victories the use of devoted graphics.

On the other hand, we want to shut out this segment with a caveat: Intel’s twelfth Gen processors won’t paintings on each and every unmarried PC sport, without reference to your running gadget. Throughout our checking out, we discovered that our Murderer’s Creed: Valhalla benchmark identify would not boot in. Simplest after consulting with Intel did we discover out that is because of a subject matter with the DRM provider Denuvo, which confuses the 2 core varieties of twelfth Gen as two separate programs. You’ll examine the problem, in addition to glance thru an inventory of the affected titles and their timetables for an implemented repair, in our complete breakdown right here.

TIE: Intel Core i5-12600K wins if you’re the use of a devoted graphics card (and your favourite video games don’t seem to be at the Denuvo repair listing), AMD Ryzen 5 5600G wins for built-in graphics checking out

The Verdict: Intel Surges Up the Efficiency Charts

By way of many of the measures we now have accrued right here as of late, it is glaring that the transfer to a brand new procedure era has finished wonders for Intel’s competitiveness in content material introduction on chips just like the Core i5-12600K as opposed to earlier generations. However that functionality spice up does no longer come reasonable, while you consider the price of the platform, which is all-new. And on this fee vary, is not that part the purpose?

(Picture: Zlata Ivleva)

Till we see extra Alder Lake-compatible motherboards outdoor of the expensive Z690 chipset circle of relatives being launched, possession of any of Intel’s twelfth Gen chips will come at a top rate, making its “midrange” Intel Core i5-12600K a pricier prospect than it would appear in the beginning look. This rule proves itself out additional should you plan on the use of DDR5 RAM like we examined with right here. (As discussed above, DDR4-compatible Z690 forums also are to be had, even though no longer for far not up to their DDR5 opposite numbers. See our information to the preliminary wave of Z690 forums.)

Simply how a lot additional may you spend to get the ones productiveness wins at the Intel Core i5-12600K as opposed to construction out a brand new AMD Ryzen 5 5600G gadget? Let’s visualize issues actual fast…

That more or less $400 hole we see between the 2 cost-of-adoption tiers? That is the price of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Version in the appropriate cases (or a minimum of the down fee on one, video-card listing costs being the fiction they’re at the present time). Plus, despite the fact that you sought after to pocket the variation and run at the built-in graphics of a Ryzen 5 5600G by myself, you would nonetheless finally end up forward of the Core i5-12600K on each body charges and value.

The Intel Core i5-12600K is undeniably the extra productivity-powerful possibility of those two, however we additionally do not see an enormous marketplace for the “cost-conscious content material writer,” a minimum of no longer one just about as massive as the ones taking a look to construct a gaming PC on a decent funds. If fee is your number one worry, the pairing of AM4 compatibility and excellent Radeon IGP functionality makes the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G a difficult competitor to Intel’s 12600K. On the other hand, if all you need is probably the most productiveness and content-creation functionality {that a} sub-$300 desktop CPU can be offering, and you are keen to pay the platform tax to enroll in the LGA 1700 crowd, then Intel certain has were given the chip for you in its Core i5-12600K.