Home > CPU Comparison > Core i9 12900KF or Core i9 12900K: what's better?

Intel Core i9 12900KF vs i9 12900K

69 out of 100
Intel Core i9 12900KF
VS
68 out of 100
Intel Core i9 12900K
Intel Core i9 12900KF
Intel Core i9 12900K

We compared two 16-core desktop CPUs: the 3.2 GHz Intel Core i9 12900KF against the 3,2 GHz i9 12900K. On this page, you'll find out which processor has better performance in benchmarks, games and other useful information.

  1. Review
  2. Differences
  3. Performance
  4. Specs
  5. Comments (15)

Review

General overview and comparison of the processors
Single-Core Performance
Performance in single-threaded apps and benchmarks
Multi-Core Performance
Measure performance when all cores are involved
Power Efficiency
The efficiency score of power consumption
The "iGPU" and "Power Efficiency" have a minor impact on the NanoReview Score for desktop CPU.
NanoReview Final Score
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Value for money (Beta)

Global average CPU prices are used by default! For better accuracy, enter your current prices and click “Calculate".
Currency
VS
60.3
(Average)
Value Index
62.2
(Average)

Key Differences

What are the key differences between 12900K and 12900KF
Advantages of Intel Core i9 12900K
  • Includes an integrated GPU Intel UHD Graphics 770

Test in Benchmarks

Comparing the performance of CPUs across various tasks
CPU:
Core i9 12900KF
vs
Core i9 12900K

Cinebench

Reputable cross-platform benchmark for high-performance processors
Cinebench 2024 (Single)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi)
Cinebench Scores (77th and 63rd place)
Submit your benchmark results

GeekBench v6

The new version of this benchmark emulates common operations often used in real-world apps
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
File compression 1150 MB/sec 1260 MB/sec
Clang compilation 141 Klines/sec 146.1 Klines/sec
HTML 5 Browser 363.2 pages/sec 414.2 pages/sec
PDF Renderer 475.6 Mpixels/sec 480.2 Mpixels/sec
Text processing 274.8 pages/sec 273.2 pages/sec
Background blur 66.8 images/sec 69.4 images/sec
Photo processing 138.5 images/sec 147.8 images/sec
Ray tracing 33.9 Mpixels/sec 34.4 Mpixels/sec
Sources: GeekBench [1], [2] – 1129 & 461 samples

PassMark

Synthetic test that focuses on raw computational performance for low-level functions
Passmark CPU (Single-Core)
Passmark CPU (Multi-Core)
Integer math 138.3 GOps/sec 139.2 GOps/sec
Floating point math 104.8 GOps/sec 105.4 GOps/sec
Find prime numbers 138M Primes/sec 145M Primes/sec
Random string sorting 56.7M Strings/sec 57.1M Strings/sec
Data encryption 29.2 GBytes/sec 29.5 GBytes/sec
Data compression 532.8 MBytes/sec 536.7 MBytes/sec
Physics 2054 Frames/sec 2203 Frames/sec
Extended instructions 33.4B Matrices/sec 33.6B Matrices/sec
Sources: PassMark [3], [4] – 3476 & 11364 samples

Blender

3D rendering test that measures CPU performance in 3D modeling tasks (uses all cores)
Blender CPU

Performance Per Watt

Shows the score you get per each watt of PL1 TDP
Cinebench 2024 / Watt 11.7 PPW 12.2 PPW
Geekbench 6 Multi / Watt 129.1 PPW 136 PPW
Passmark CPU Mark / Watt 324 PPW 328.9 PPW
Blender / Watt 2.92 PPW 2.93 PPW
These are rough calculations, as most CPUs surpass PL1 TDP wattage even in multicore workloads.

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Intel Core i9 12900KF
No benchmark results yet
Add
Intel Core i9 12900K
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2025-11-12 (ElNils)Cinebench 2024114 / 1497
📘 2025-09-20 (Jarx)GeekBench2811 / 18033
📘 2025-05-24 (unsorted)Cinebench 2024109 / 1339
📘 2025-04-03 (AdKraemer)Cinebench 2024113 / 1414
📘 2025-03-20 (Lethal)Cinebench 2024116 / 1571
Add View all (8)

Specifications

Full technical specification of Intel Core i9 12900KF and i9 12900K

General

Vendor Intel Intel
Released October 27, 2021 October 27, 2021
Type Desktop Desktop
Instruction Set x86-64 x86-64
Codename Alder Lake Alder Lake
Model number i9-12900KF i9-12900K
Integrated GPU No UHD Graphics 770
Rival Equivalent - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Successor - Intel Core i9 14900KF - Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Intel CPU rating (49th and 53rd place)

CPU

Performance Cores
P-Cores 8 8
P-Threads 16 16
Base Frequency (P) 3.2 GHz 3,2 GHz
Turbo Boost Frequency (P) 5.1 GHz 5.1 GHz
Efficient Cores
E-Cores 8 8
E-Threads 8 8
Base Frequency (E) 2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz
Turbo Boost Frequency (E) 3.9 GHz 3.9 GHz
Total
Total Cores 16 16
Total Threads 24 24
Bus Frequency 100 MHz 100 MHz
Multiplier 32x 32x
L1 Cache 64K (per core) 64K (per core)
L2 Cache 14MB (shared) 14MB (shared)
L3 Cache 30MB (shared) 30MB (shared)
Unlocked Multiplier Yes Yes

Package

Fabrication Process 10 nm 10 nm
TDP (PL1) 125 W 125 W
Max. Boost TDP (PL2) 241 W 241 W
Socket LGA-1700 LGA-1700
Peak Temperature 100°C 100°C
Desktop CPU ranking (51st and 54th place)

iGPU

Integrated Graphics - Intel UHD Graphics 770
GPU Base Clock - 300 MHz
GPU Boost Clock - 1550 MHz
Shading Units - 256
TMUs - 16
ROPs - 8
Execution Units - 32
TGP - 15 W
iGPU FLOPS
See: Intel UHD Graphics 770 benchmarks

Memory Support

Memory Types - DDR5-4800
- DDR4-3200		 - DDR5-4800
- DDR4-3200
Max. Memory Size 128 GB 128 GB
Memory Channels 2 2
Max. Memory Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s 76.8 GB/s
ECC Support Yes Yes

Misc

Official Site Intel Core i9 12900KF official page Intel Core i9 12900K official page
PCI Express Version 5.0 5.0
PCI Express Lanes 20 20

Cast your vote

Choose between two processors
750 (44.8%)
924 (55.2%)
Total votes: 1674

Competitors

1. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i5 13600K (1)
2. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i5 14600K
3. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i7 14700K
4. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i9 14900K
5. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i7 13700K (9)
6. Intel Core i9 12900K vs AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (1)
7. Intel Core i9 12900K vs AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Compare other CPUs (460+)

Comments

So which CPU will you choose: Intel Core i9 12900K or i9 12900KF?
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John Jacob Jihnson March 22, 2023 at 10:25 PM
If the only difference is the Integrated graphics, save the money and invest in a better GPU.
+6 Reply
Avatar
Bob May 10, 2022 at 07:26 PM
K = IGpu backup, for no Dedicated GPU system, more expensive. KF = no IGpu backup, heating 8 degrees less(great for O/C), 2% faster, cheaper price. make your choice (for gaming a KF . I choose 12700kf almost powerful of a 12900k for gaming and a lot cheaper! )
+17 Reply
Avatar
Mut April 22, 2022 at 05:44 PM
You're drawing loads of wattage from the lighting system you likely chose so why complain about iGPU wattage. If you're using it for mining then you eat about 1MW for less than $200, which is probably worth it if you own land at the 10 ft mark. Anyway, it's just watts that make up the difference.
0 Reply
Avatar
Zbowdawg April 16, 2022 at 06:24 PM
Since both CPUs are virtually identical in specs with the exception of the added iGPU in the K version and then maybe 60 bucks +- more for the K version, consider you cruising along playing your favorite game or working on an important report for work or school and your screen(s) goes black. With the KF version, you are dead in the water. You may not have the ability to troubleshoot the issue unless you have a spare GPU laying around. Having the iGPU of the K version and not using it because you have a dedicated GPU is just a safety net worth the extra money in case you run into the worst-case scenario. Yes, the iGPU may use a very small amount of power even when not in use, but you can't deny that having that safety net available when tshtf is just plain good planning and could save you from heartache... just unplug your monitor(s) from your GPU and plug into the iGPU slots and you're on your way to figuring out what went wrong or finishing that report. You may not get a good performance for gaming with the iGPU but you sure could finish that report for work/school with the iGPU. Saving a few bucks always sounds like a good thing, but seriously consider what you would do if something failed.
+15 Reply
Avatar
DrRobot November 3, 2022 at 01:28 AM
You use that rig for gaming 99% of the time. Your rig is drawing extra power, but more importantly, generates more heat. Overheating hardware can cause game lockups, crashes, and performance issues such as low FPS and stuttering. not so nice to have no matter what you use a video card for in my opinion. You should have bought the KF, you would not get problems with it, and the chance for problems is higher for the K to begin with. I've actually had this happen on a pc that also has a native card on it. when your main card breaks, you are not worried about writing a school report, you don't want to use that downgraded card, and you are ordering a new card asap ( you probably get it the same day your card breaks if possible). Another negative, on a K card you must still finish the report. If the video card on a KF board fails you can call your boss, and say your graphics card failed and can't finish the report. he might understand u need some extra time, maybe help you pay for a new card?
+1 Reply
Avatar
FireWallCR March 11, 2022 at 04:36 AM
iGPU will for sure add some temp when active (even not in use)
+36 Reply
Avatar
Dr. Tom January 16, 2022 at 03:22 AM
I second the importance of an IGU. 1. For debugging whilst building a system 2. Ability to just run without an external video card 3. Ability to debug crashed ext V-card, w.o IGU you're totally dead.
+46 Reply
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Fro573d November 12, 2021 at 07:44 AM
IGP would only be useful in machines without dedicated GPU. However, one important thing to consider is the price difference between the 2.
+83 Reply
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Krawk November 10, 2021 at 01:21 AM
Is there any reason in the world I would want to pay more for the one with integrated graphics? I am already running an MSI 3080Ti.
+53 Reply
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Sqolp November 16, 2021 at 12:21 PM
Virtualization with passthrough. Might not be useful for every one but it's still a super feature for many of us :)
+26 Reply
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Tobias November 23, 2021 at 12:05 AM
Sqolp, I wouldn't say it's a *super feature*
+6 Reply
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JJD November 27, 2021 at 10:54 PM
The main reason is for troubleshooting a GPU. If the GF card goes down you would not have any way to use the system. I leave my IG graphics off in the BIOS and turn them on when having issues with monitors, cables, or GF cards to use as a standard for comparison.
+25 Reply
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Danny November 4, 2021 at 03:35 PM
There is not difference except for Integrated Graphics. but who uses that?
+74 Reply
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Nicholas November 4, 2021 at 09:31 AM
I already chose the 12900KF for my new Alienware Aurora R13!
+123 Reply
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Noah September 3, 2022 at 12:42 AM
Good call on the KF, bad choice on the prebuilt desktop. Gotta optimize for thermal control when your case is coming from Alienware 'cause you just know they're not going to give you big fans or healthy ventilation. And why should they? Glass looks nicer, and the people who know why glass is a poop material for their box would never buy an AW anyway.
+8 Reply
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