COMPARE
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
CPU
RANKINGS
TEST
YOUR CPU
ADD TO PC
BUILD
IntelBX8071512600K
IntelBX80623I52500K
$246
▲ 996,660 ▼

10 Cores, 16 Threads @3.7GHz, Alder Lake.
Release date: Q4 2021.

VS
▲ 769,602 ▼
 $246 

4 Cores, 4 Threads @3.3GHz, Sandy Bridge.
Release date: Q1 2011.

Effective Speed 
+65%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 244,570 user samples
Benchmark your CPU here
101,563 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 117% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 5 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 100% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 2.35 GHz (avg)
Poor: 100% Great: 117%
SPEED RANK: 58th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 109%
UFO
Desktop
Desktop 110%
UFO
Workstation
Workstation 111%
UFO
143,007 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 79% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 4.6 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 44% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 0.5 GHz (avg)
Poor: 44% Great: 79%
SPEED RANK: 505th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 66%
Battle cruiser
Desktop
Desktop 72%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 49%
Yacht
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed 		109 % Much faster effective speed.
+65% 		65.9 %
Average Score 
+141%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency 		80 Pts 83.1 Pts +4%
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed 		194 Pts Hugely faster single-core speed.
+119% 		88.4 Pts
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed 		382 Pts Hugely faster dual-core speed.
+120% 		174 Pts
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed 		736 Pts Hugely faster quad-core speed.
+162% 		281 Pts
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed 		1223 Pts Hugely faster octa-core speed.
+308% 		300 Pts
Overclocked Score 
+103%
Memory
OC Memory Latency 		91.1 Pts 94.9 Pts +4%
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed 		207 Pts Hugely faster OC single-core speed.
+82% 		114 Pts
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed 		416 Pts Hugely faster OC dual-core speed.
+83% 		227 Pts
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed 		813 Pts Hugely faster OC quad-core speed.
+114% 		380 Pts
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed 		1367 Pts Hugely faster OC octa-core speed.
+243% 		399 Pts
Value & Sentiment 
+191%
Market Share
Based on 68,935,507 CPUs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.72 % Hugely higher market share.
+620% 		0.1 %
Value
Value For Money 		125 % Hugely better value.
+83% 		68.2 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		99 % Much more popular.
+30% 		76 %
Price
Price (score) 		$169 Much cheaper.
+31% 		$246
Nice To Haves 
+163%
Age
Newest 		36 Months Much more recent.
+78% 		166 Months
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 		125 Watts 95 Watts More energy efficient.
+24%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores 		10 cores Hugely higher core count.
+150% 		4 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads 		16 threads Hugely higher thread count.
+300% 		4 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process 		10 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+69% 		32 nm
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed 		3.7 GHz Faster base frequency.
+12% 		3.3 GHz
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed 		4.9 GHz Much faster turbo frequency.
+32% 		3.7 GHz
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed 		1926 Pts Hugely faster OC 64-core speed.
+373% 		407 Pts
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed 		1743 Pts Hugely faster 64-core speed.
+473% 		304 Pts
Specifications 
Series
CPU Architecture 		Alder Lake Sandy Bridge
Socket
Motherboard Socket 		FCLGA1700 LGA1155
Graphics
Integrated Graphics 		UHD 770 HD 3000
Conclusion 
Average Bench 109%
Average Bench 65.9%

Intel’s latest 10-core i5-12600K Alder Lake desktop processor offers an impressive 50% 64-core performance improvement over it's predecessor. The 12600K combines six hyper-threaded Golden Cove P-cores with clock speeds up to 4.9 GHz and four energy efficient Gracemont E-cores for a total of 16 threads. Alder Lake CPUs have a new LGA 1700 socket which requires new cooler brackets and a new Z690 motherboard. Z690 brings several new features including PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory. Most Z690 boards will ship in both DDR4 and DDR5 variants. DDR4 is likely the better option, at least until DDR5 prices settle. With an MRSP of just $290 USD, the 12600K is both cheaper and faster than the competition in both single and, notably, multi-core performance. As a result, even AMD's prolific marketing infrastructure (youtube, reddit, forums etc.) will struggle to drive sales, at least until Zen 4 launches (est. late 2022). In the meantime, Intel's i5-12600K is the obvious choice for consumers that do not wish to pay over the odds for almost unparalleled performance in the majority of workloads including gaming. That said, gamers that already own a K series CPU from the 8th gen. or higher will see limited gains in the majority of titles when paired with a 3060 (or lower) tier GPU. In some cases (e.g. PUBG or Overwatch) gamers will see fewer frame drops by disabling the E-Cores all together. If recent history is a guide, stock levels at MSRP are likely to deplete rapidly. [Nov '21 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

The i5-2500K is a second generation Sandy Bridge processor which is currently two generations old and nearly three years out of date. The many users that had the good sense to purchase this processor should feel in no hurry to upgrade as it's still no slouch, even by today's standards. The benchmark figures indicate that, even at stock clock rates, in terms of real-world performance this processor is approximately 20% slower than the best currently available, not bad considering its age. Given that the 2500K has an unlocked multiplier upping its performance by 10% with stock cooling should not pose much of a problem for the majority of owners. Here is a detailed performance comparison of the 2500K vs 4670K.  [Jul '13 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

User Builds 
101,563
143,007
Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
Processor Rankings (Price vs Performance) November 2024 CPU Rankings

We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]

Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.
How Fast Is Your CPU? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute

Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.

UserBenchmark of the month

Gaming Desktop ProGaming

How it works

  • - Download and run UserBenchmark
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations
  • - Drive tests include: read, write, sustained write and mixed IO
  • - RAM tests include: single/multi core bandwidth and latency
  • - SkillBench (space shooter) tests user input accuracy
  • - Reports are generated and presented on userbenchmark.com
  • - Identify the strongest components in your PC
  • - See speed test results from other users
  • - Compare your components to the current market leaders
  • - Explore your best upgrade options with a virtual PC build
  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware

 Frequently Asked Questions

Processors FAQ
AMD vs Intel: Gaming performance 2012-2021
How does IPC compare between AMD's Ryzen and Intel's Kaby Lake?
What is multi core mixed speed?
What is multi core integer speed?
What is multi core floating point speed?
What is single core mixed CPU speed?
What is quad core mixed CPU speed?
What is quad core floating point speed?
What is quad core integer speed?
What is single core floating point speed?
What is single core integer speed?
What is the GeekBench single core score?
What is a CPU?
What is the effective CPU speed index?
What is overclocking?
What is thermal design power (TDP)?
ALL FAQs »

 Best User Rated
Why does UserBenchmark have a bad reputation on reddit?
Marketers operate thousands of reddit accounts. Our benchmarks expose their spiel so they attack our reputation.
Why don’t PC brands endorse UserBenchmark?
Brands make boatloads on flagships like the 4090 and 14900KS. We help users get similar real-world performance for less money.
Why don’t youtubers promote UserBenchmark?
We don't pay youtubers, so they don't praise us. Moreover, our data obstructs youtubers who promote overpriced or inferior products.
Why does UserBenchmark have negative trustpilot reviews?
The 200+ trustpilot reviews are mostly written by virgin marketing accounts. Real users don't give a monkey's about big brands.
Why is UserBenchmark the gold standard for users?
Instead of pursuing brands for sponsorship, we've spent 13 years publishing real-world data for users.
The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-12600K $169Nvidia RTX 4060 $296WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $135
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $345WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $75
Intel Core i5-13600K $209Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $350
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
If you buy something via a price link, UserBenchmark may earn a commission
Build Test EFps
Can You Run It?
►
YouTube
*NEW*
About  •  User Guide  •  FAQs  •  Email  •  Privacy  •  Developer  •  YouTube Feedback