Intel Core i9-12900K vs AMD Athlon II X4 645

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Intel Core i9-12900K or Intel Core i9-12900K – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Intel Core i9-12900K features 16 processor cores and has the capability to manage 24 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2021 and belongs to the 12 generation of the Intel Core i9 series.
To use the Intel Core i9-12900K, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1700 socket.
The AMD Athlon II X4 645 features 4 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2010 and belongs to the 1 generation of the AMD Athlon II series.
To use the AMD Athlon II X4 645, you'll need a motherboard with a AM3 socket.
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i9-12900K Name AMD Athlon II X4 645
Intel Core i9 Family AMD Athlon II
12 Generation 1
Intel Core i 12000 Group AMD Athlon II X4 (Propus)
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 CPU cores and can calculate 24 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The AMD Athlon II X4 645 has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X4 645 is 3.1 GHz
5.2 GHz A-Core Frequency Turbo None
2.4 GHz B-Core Frequency None
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency None
8x Gracemont Cores B None
8x Golden Cove Cores A None
Yes Overclocking No
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
None None 3.1 GHz
3.9 GHz B-Core Frequency Turbo None
24 Threads 4
Yes Hyperthreading No
16 CPU Cores 4
None None 4x
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i9-12900K has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i9-12900K uses the Intel UHD Graphics 770, which has 256 texture shaders
and 32 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The AMD Athlon II X4 645 does not have integrated graphics.
0.3 GHz GPU frequency --
Q4/2021 Release date --
12 Direct X --
Intel UHD Graphics 770 GPU name
10 nm Technology --
-- Max. displays --
256 Shaders --
64.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
32 Execution units --
11 Generation --
1.55 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode / Encode AVC --
Decode VC-1 --
Decode / Encode VP9 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) --
Decode / Encode h264 --
Decode / Encode VP8 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) --
Decode / Encode JPEG --
Decode AV1 --
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 128.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
2 Memory channels 2
128.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI No
Yes ECC No
76.8 GB/s Bandwidth --
DDR4-3200, DDR5-4800 Memory type DDR3-1333
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 125 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 95 W watts.
100 °C Tjunction max --
241 W TDP (PL2) None
125 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 95 W
 
 

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-12900K is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 30.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The AMD Athlon II X4 645 is manufactured using a 45 nm process.
Q4/2021 Release date Q3/2010
BX8071512900K Part Number --
14.0 MB L2-Cache 2.0 MB
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization AMD-V
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ ISA extensions SSE3, SSE4a, MMX, 3DNow!
Monolithic Chip design --
Alder Lake S Architecture Propus
10 nm Technology 45 nm
LGA 1700 Socket AM3
Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11 Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
589 $ Release price --
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
30.0 MB L3-Cache 0 bytes
 
 

Benchmarks

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
27472
27472
AMD Athlon II X4 645
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
1520
1520

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
17595
17595
AMD Athlon II X4 645
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
1374
1374

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
11365
11365
AMD Athlon II X4 645
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
575
575

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
10511
10511
AMD Athlon II X4 645
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
601
601

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
1997
1997
AMD Athlon II X4 645
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
402
402

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
779
779
AMD Athlon II X4 645
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
157
157