Intel Core i9-12900KF
Intel Core i9-9980XE
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Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Intel Core i9-9980XE

Overall score
star star star star star
Released
Q4/2021
Released
Q4/2018
Overall score
star star star star star

Which one of the central processing units is better: Intel Core i9-12900KF or Intel Core i9-9980XE? On this page we compare the technical data and benchmark results of different CPUs.

The Intel Core i9-12900KF has 16 cores and 24 threads with maximum working frequency of 5.30 GHz. The Intel Core i9-12900KF was released on Q4/2021.

The Intel Core i9-9980XE has 18 cores with 24 threads and 5.30 GHz of frequency. The Intel Core i9-9980XE was released on Q4/2018.

Differences
Reasons to consider
Intel Core i9-12900KF
Report a bug
  • Higher clock speed
    3.70 GHz left arrow 3.00 GHz
    Around -23% better clock speed
  • Higher turbo clock speed
    5.30 GHz left arrow 4.50 GHz
    Around 15% better overclocked clock speed
  • Performance per watt
    125 W left arrow 165 W
    About 1.32 0.97 times less performance per watt
Reasons to consider
Intel Core i9-9980XE
Report a bug
  • More number of cores
    18 left arrow 16
    1 times more cores
Specifications
Complete list of technical specifications
Intel Core i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
CPU generation and family

Let's find out which one of Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core i9-9980XE is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

  • Name
    Intel Core i9-12900KF left arrow Intel Core i9-9980XE
  • Segment
    Desktop / Server left arrow Desktop / Server
  • Family
    Intel Core i9 left arrow Intel Core i9
  • Generation
    12 left arrow 9
  • CPU group
    Intel Core i 12000 left arrow Intel Core i 9000X
  • Predecessor
    Intel Core i9-11900KF left arrow --
CPU Cores and Base Frequency

In this block we are going to compare Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Intel Core i9-9980XE by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

  • Frequency
    3.70 GHz left arrow 3.00 GHz
  • CPU Cores
    16 left arrow 18
  • Turbo (1 Core)
    5.30 GHz left arrow 4.50 GHz
  • CPU Threads
    24 left arrow 36
  • Hyperthreading
    Yes left arrow Yes
  • Overclocking
    Yes left arrow Yes
  • Core architecture
    hybrid (big.LITTLE) left arrow normal
  • A core
    8x Golden Cove left arrow --
  • B core
    8x Gracemont left arrow --
Internal Graphics

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core i9-9980XE along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

  • GPU name
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics 32 (Alder Lake S) left arrow no iGPU
  • GPU frequency
    0.40 GHz left arrow
  • GPU (Turbo)
    1.45 GHz left arrow No turbo
  • Execution units
    32 left arrow
  • Shader
    256 left arrow
  • Max. GPU Memory
    16 GB left arrow --
  • Max. displays
    4 left arrow
  • Generation
    12 left arrow
  • DirectX Version
    12 left arrow
  • Technology
    10 nm left arrow
  • Release date
    Q4/2021 left arrow
Hardware codec support

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core i9-9980XE. Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

  • h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
    Decode / Encode left arrow No
  • h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
    Decode / Encode left arrow No
  • h264
    Decode / Encode left arrow No
  • VP9
    Decode / Encode left arrow No
  • VP8
    Decode left arrow No
  • AV1
    Decode left arrow No
  • AVC
    Decode / Encode left arrow No
  • VC-1
    Decode left arrow No
  • JPEG
    Decode / Encode left arrow No
Memory & PCIe

To choose the best model between Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core i9-9980XE you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

  • Memory type
    DDR4-3200DDR5-4800 left arrow DDR4-2666
  • Max. Memory
    256 GB left arrow 128 GB
  • ECC
    No left arrow No
  • Memory channels
    2 left arrow 4
  • PCIe version
    5.0 left arrow 3.0
  • PCIe lanes
    20 left arrow 48
Encryption

AES-NI encryption support for CPUs Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core i9-9980XE.

  • AES-NI
    Yes left arrow Yes
Thermal Management

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Intel Core i9-12900KF or Intel Core i9-9980XE? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

  • TDP (PL1)
    125 W left arrow 165 W
  • TDP (PL2)
    228 W / 56 s left arrow --
  • Tjunction max.
    100 °C left arrow 84 °C
Technical details

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core i9-9980XE CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

  • Instruction set (ISA)
    x86-64 (64 bit) left arrow x86-64 (64 bit)
  • Virtualization
    VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d left arrow VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
  • ISA extensions
    SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ left arrow SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
  • L2-Cache
    3.75 MB left arrow --
  • L3-Cache
    30.00 MB left arrow 25.00 MB
  • Architecture
    Alder Lake S left arrow Skylake X Refresh
  • Technology
    10 nm left arrow 14 nm
  • Socket
    LGA 1700 left arrow LGA 2066
  • Release date
    Q4/2021 left arrow Q4/2018
  • Part Number
    BX8071512900KF left arrow --
Devices using this processor

List of devices based on Intel Core i9-12900KF and Intel Core i9-9980XE.

  • Used in
    Unknown left arrow Unknown
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