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Hard on the heels of the amazing Intel Core i5-12600K and the hot, toasty and storming Core i9-12900K… We are now heading for the middle ground with the Core i7-12700K, which offers a large slice of the performance you get with Core i9 at a substantially reduced price. At any rate, that's the theory…
As you would expect, Core i7-12700K uses the same imposing LGA1700 socket as Core i9-12900K and is well suited to the impressive MSI MEG Z690 Unify motherboard we used in our test platform.
As you can see from these screenshots, the major difference between the new Core i9 and this Core i7 is the reduction in Efficient cores from eight to four.
We used these slides from Intel in our reviews of Core i5-12600K and Core i9-12900K to lay out the main features of Intel's first wave of 12th Gen CPUs and can the specification of the Core i7 sits squarely between Core i5 and Core i9. The price of the Core i7 is much closer to Core i5 than Core i9 and this gives us hope the new Core i7-12700K will offer decent value to the consumer.
Test System:
Processor: Intel Core i7-12700K (12 cores/20 threads)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H150i Elite LCD
Motherboard: MSI Z690 Unify
Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200
Graphics card: Palit RTX 3080 Gaming Pro 10GB
Power supply: Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
SSD: 500GB Sabrent Rocket 4.0 M.2 NVMe
OS: Windows 11
Testing and Performance – CPU
In Cinebench R23 the new Core i7-12700K takes the fight to AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. It is interesting to note how the reduction in Efficient cores drops the Core i7 a fair distance behind the Core i9.
In the single core Cinebench R23 test we see Core i7 running close to Core i9 however the results suggest our sample of Core i7 has inferior IPC to both our Core i5 and Core i9.
In BAPCo CrossMark the Core i7-12700K takes its rightful place above Core i5 and below Core i9.
Blender shows that Core i7 beats Ryzen 7 5800X by a huge margin and can approach Ryzen 9 5900X, making it clear that Intel has made significant steps forward with 12th Gen.
Memory Performance
We already know the new Intel 12th Gen CPUs running with DDR5-5200 have huge memory bandwidth so we have added some extra data to this review. In addition to the Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 we used in our Core i9 and Core i5 reviews we have added G.Skill Ripjaws S5 with the same DDR5-5200 speed and slightly slower latency.
In AIDA64 the Core i7-12700K performs well, however we can see the G.Skill carries a slight penalty compared to Corsair Vengeance.
AIDA64 shows that DDR5 memory suffers badly with long latency with the G.Skill 40-40-40-76 losing out slightly to the Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 which is rated at 38-38-38-84.
Gaming Performance – Deus Ex and Watch Dogs: Legion
In these two games the Intel Core i7-12700K delivers solid performance 1080p and 1440p, however the Core i7 is slugging it out with the Core i5-12600K where we expected to see a clear win for Core i7. The difference is not huge but it makes us wonder about the quality of our sample of Core i7.
Gaming Performance – Far Cry 6 and 3DMark
In Far Cry 6 we see decent performance from the Core i7-12700K, however that pesky Core i5 once again gives it a good fight. The CPU test in 3DMark Time Spy shows Core i7-12700K in a very good light.
Power Consumption and Temperatures
If we judge the Core i7-12700K by Intel's recent standards we see the Core i7-12700K draws the same power under load as Core i7-11700K, despite using more cores and delivering more work, which is clearly impressive. On the other hand if we compare Intel 12th Gen with AMD Zen 3 we see that Intel uses far more power than AMD.
Cooling Core i7-12700K is easy enough and we see clear steps in temperature between Core i5-12600K, Core i7-12700K and Core i9-12900K.
Our chart of Cinebench R23 scores divided by power consumption plays to the strengths of the Core i7-12700K. It delivers decent performance, although the power draw is rather higher than we would like to see. The two Ryzen 9 CPUs at the top of the chart deliver huge performance with stunning efficiency where Intel 12th Gen relies instead on brute force.
Dividing each Cinebench R23 score by the cost of the CPU shows that Intel is getting aggressive with the positioning of Core i5 and Core i7. It is no surprise that AMD has responded by cutting the price of Ryzen 7 to help it compete with Intel's new CPUs. This chart makes it clear the Ryzen 5 5600X sells at a high premium and also that Core i9-12900K is horribly expensive.
On paper there is very little to separate the Core i7-12700K from the more expensive Core i9-12900K, however our testing demonstrates conclusively that simply chopping out four E cores and dropping clock speeds a tad is indeed a big deal.
To put it another way, we are now clear that Intel Alder Lake needs those E cores to back up the P cores. It is also evident the combination of Intel's Golden Cove architecture and long-delayed Intel 7 Process struggles to compete with AMD's Zen 3 architecture and TSMC's 7nm fabrication process.
The main problem faced by the Core i7-12700K is that a switch to a Z690 motherboard is a big deal, both in terms of cost and also because you are rejecting AMD Zen 3. If you make that jump to Z690 and go all in on DDR5 memory then you probably don't want to sit in the middle ground with a Core i7. It lacks the kudos of the mighty Core i9 and struggles to beat the cheaper Core i5 which makes it sound less than enticing.
Our view is that anyone buying the Core i9-12900K isn't listening to our advice; they already know what they want and are ploughing ahead regardless. Fair enough, that leaves the decision between Core i5-12600K and Core i7-12700K and the fact is there isn't much to argue one way or the other. Look through our charts, focus on the ones that matter most to you and … buy the Core i5-12600K.
You can buy the Intel Core i7-12700K for £380 from Overclockers UK HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros:
- Solid gaming performance.
- Eight P cores plus four E cores is a decent combination.
- Much better value for money than Core i9-12900K.
- Easy to overclock by 300MHz.
- Runs nice and cool under load.
Cons:
- A Z690 motherboard and DDR5 memory will cost a small fortune.
- The reduced number of E cores hurts Core i7 performance.
- Intel’s power efficiency requires work.
KitGuru says: Forget about Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K makes far better sense (but we still give our vote to Core i5-12600K).
