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FPS Winner

The Core i5-2500K is the comparison's loser – it's at least 2x slower gaming CPU than the Core i5-12600 and it's also a much worse value for money, as it's $3.64 more expensive!

Advantages of the Core i5-2500K

The Core i5-12600 is better in every way

Advantages of the Core i5-12600

  • At least 2x faster CPU for gaming
  • Up to 2% cheaper$143.24 vs $146.88
  • A much better value for money for gaming
  • Consumes up to 32% less energy65 vs 95 Watts
  • Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously – 12 vs 4 threads

Core i5-2500K vs Core i5-12600 for Gaming

The CPU's performance in selected game and settings

Core i5-2500K vs Core i5-12600 in My Games

The FPS you'll get in saved games

The FPS you'll get in saved games

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Synthetic Benchmarks

The Core i5-2500K vs Core i5-12600 in synthetic CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i5-2500K Logo

Core i5-2500K

Jan 9th, 2011


Geekbench 6 Single-Core

653

27%

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

1924

20%

Intel Core i5-12600 Logo

Core i5-12600

Jan 10th, 2022


Geekbench 6 Single-Core

2381

100%

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

9699

100%

Performance Specifications

The Core i5-2500K vs Core i5-12600 in core CPU performance specifications

Intel Core i5-2500K Logo

Core i5-2500K

Jan 9th, 2011


Cores

4-core

67%

L3 Cache

6 MB

33%


Base Frequency

3.3 GHz

100%

Turbo Frequency

3.7 GHz

77%

Max. DDR3 RAM Speed

1600 MHz

33%

Intel Core i5-12600 Logo

Core i5-12600

Jan 10th, 2022


Cores

6-core

100%

L3 Cache

18 MB

100%


Base Frequency

3.3 GHz

100%

Turbo Frequency

4.8 GHz

100%

Max. DDR5 RAM Speed

4800 MHz

100%

Intel Core i5-2500K Logo

Core i5-2500K

Intel Core i5-12600 Logo

Core i5-12600

General
Jan 9th, 2011Release Date
Jan 10th, 2022
$216.00
MSRP$233.00
Desktop
Segment
Desktop
Intel Socket 1155SocketIntel Socket 1700
Sandy BridgeCodenameAlder Lake
95 WPower Consumption
65 W
Performance
4Cores
6
4Threads
12
3.3 GHzBase Frequency3.3 GHz
3.7 GHzTurbo Frequency
4.8 GHz
6 MBL3 Cache
18 MB
Other Features
DDR3 @ 1600 MHzRAMDDR4 @ 3200 MHz, DDR5 @ 4800 MHz
Intel HD 3000Integrated GraphicsUHD Graphics 770
Yes
OverclockableNo

Prebuilt Gaming PCs

Our users choose these PCs when going for the Core i5-2500K or Core i5-12600

Our users choose these PCs when going for the Core i5-2500K or Core i5-12600

CPUs / Processors

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CPUs Compared for Gaming

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