Core i5-12600K vs Ryzen 5 5600X

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the Core i5-12600K scores 66 and the Ryzen 5 5600X scores 58, about 14% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The Core i5-12600K has 10 cores and 16 threads, and the Ryzen 5 5600X has 6 cores and 12 threads. The extra cores of the Core i5-12600K help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 4.9 GHz and 4.6 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Core i5-12600K uses the LGA1700 socket and the Ryzen 5 5600X uses AM4, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 125 W for the first and 65 W for the second. That difference changes the cooler you need, and it shows up in heat and noise.

At launch the Core i5-12600K cost $289 and the Ryzen 5 5600X $299, which gives 22.8 and 19.4 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the Core i5-12600K can feed a card up to the Radeon RX 9070 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Ryzen 5 5600X reaches the GeForce RTX 4070 Super. If you plan to buy a fast graphics card, that gap is the real difference between these two.

Choose the Core i5-12600K if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Ryzen 5 5600X if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.