Specs, our gaming estimate and the graphics cards it pairs well with.
The Core i5-12450H is a C-tier gaming processor: #101 of 238 in our list, with 8 cores and 12 threads up to 4.4 GHz. At 1080p it can feed a card like the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB without a CPU bottleneck above 10%, and at 1440p a GeForce RTX 5070.
Updated October 3, 2026
Gaming index (Ryzen 7 9800X3D = 100) against the processors closest to it.
The Core i5-12450H scores 42 on our gaming index, where the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is 100. That puts it #101 of 238 processors we track, in C tier. It is an older or entry level chip. Fine for light games and mid-range cards, but a fast graphics card will often wait on it.
It has 8 cores and 12 threads, boosting to 4.4 GHz. Eight cores is the comfortable amount for gaming today, with room for background programs.
The Core i5-12450H uses the BGA socket, which means it is soldered to a laptop or mini PC board and cannot be upgraded.
It is rated at 45 W. That is low enough for small cases and quiet builds.
At 1080p, where the processor matters most, the Core i5-12450H can feed a card up to the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB before it starts to hold the card back by more than 10 percent. At 1440p the limit moves to the GeForce RTX 5070. At 4K, where the card does most of the work, it can keep up with the GeForce RTX 5080. The full list of graphics cards for the Core i5-12450H has the options for each resolution.
The Core i5-12450H suits a mid-range gaming PC at 1080p. Pair it with a card from the same tier.
Graphics card performance index it keeps up with at each resolution.
The Core i5-12450H is a C-tier gaming processor: #101 of 238 in our list, with 8 cores and 12 threads up to 4.4 GHz. At 1080p it can feed a card like the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB without a CPU bottleneck above 10%, and at 1440p a GeForce RTX 5070.
At 1080p it can feed a card like the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB without a CPU bottleneck above 10%. At 1440p, a card like the GeForce RTX 5070 is a reasonable ceiling.