Intel Core i7-12700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Performance Review

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Power and Temperature

To test the power and temperature, we broke up this testing into two parts, two scenarios. The first scenario is an “all-out” “maximum threads maximum performance” “full load” scenario. In this scenario, we run Cinebench R23 for 10 minutes and record the power and temperature. This shows the power and temp with the CPUs flat out, foot to the floor, pushing them as hard as possible. That provides one set of data.

Then, we run a more normal workload. You aren’t always running your CPU flat out, full bore, all the time. You are doing other things, like just playing a game. So we also wanted to look at the real-world power and temperature when doing something like just playing a game. So we fired up Cyberpunk 2077 and played it for 10 minutes at 1080p and “Ultra” settings on a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, to stress the CPU as much as possible, not the GPU. Both of these scenarios show very different results, and both are relevant.

Maximum CPU Usage Cinebench R23

Intel Core i7-12700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU Package Power Cinebench R23 10 Minute Run graph

In the above graph, we are poling the “CPU Package Power” gained from HWiNFO64 running Cinebench R23 for 10 minutes. The CPU that consumes the most power running flat out full bore is the 12700K pulling 30% more power than the 5800X. Therefore, the 12700K can be the more power-hungry CPU.

Intel Core i7-12700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU Max Temperature Cinebench R23 10 Minute Run graph

However, that isn’t the case for temperatures. Using the same CPU cooler at the same fan settings, the 12700K actually runs a little cooler, 76c versus 79c+ on the 5800X.

CPU Usage While Playing a Game

Intel Core i7-12700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU Package Power Gaming graph

This graph shows why we wanted to include this data. When doing something like playing a game both CPUs are demanding the same power Wattage. Neither CPU is really a power-hog when just playing a game. They both pull around 98-99W of power. That means when you are doing other things on your computer, the 12700K isn’t always demanding the most power. It’s about on par with the 5800X in something like a game, even at 1080p on an RTX 3080 Ti where the CPU would be working the hardest.

Intel Core i7-12700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU Max Temperature gaming graph

Due to the lesser power demand on the 12700K, its temperature difference really stands out here. It can run much cooler than the 5800X, 57c versus 64c. That’s about 10% cooler on the 12700K when playing a game. That means at the same power demand, the 12700K actually runs cooler than a 5800X.

Brent Justicehttps://www.thefpsreview.com
Former managing editor of GPUs at HardOCP for 18 years, Brent Justice has been reviewing computer components since the late 90s, educated in the art and method of the computer hardware review, he brings experience, knowledge, and hands-on testing with a gamer-oriented and hardware enthusiast perspective. You can follow him on Twitter - @Brent_Justice You can sub to his YouTube channel - Justice Gaming https://www.youtube.com/c/JusticeGamingChannel You can check out his computer builds on KIT - @BrentJustice https://kit.co/BrentJustice

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