Ryzen 5 9600X vs Core i5-12400
The Ryzen 5 9600X has 6 cores and 12 threads with 3.9–5.4 GHz clocks, while the Core i5-12400 has 6 cores and 12 threads with 2.5–4.4 GHz clocks.
Compare different CPUs
Overview
Sub-scores from 0 to 100, relative to the fastest CPU in our database.
Scoring for: Balanced
Value for money
Balanced score points per ₹1,000, using today's lowest in-stock prices.
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score points per ₹1,000
No in-stock offers right now
Value can't be calculated until both CPUs have an in-stock price.
The verdict
Ryzen 5 9600X is the better CPU overall, scoring 65 vs 49.
- It leads in multi-core (+49%) and efficiency (+49%).
Pick Ryzen 5 9600X if…
- you mainly play games (Gaming score 77 vs 60)
- you render, edit video or stream (Content Creation score 53 vs 38)
- you compile code or run VMs and containers (Programming score 61 vs 44)
- it's for office work, study and browsing (Office score 62 vs 45)
Pick Core i5-12400 if…
- you find it at a better price than Ryzen 5 9600X
Spreadsheet brain activated? The full benchmark and spec breakdown is right below. ↓
Key differences
Only real differences in specs, scores and price. Ties are left out.
Advantages of Ryzen 5 9600X
- 30% faster single-core performance
- 49% faster multi-core performance
- 23% higher gaming performance
- 49% better performance per watt
- 14 MB more L3 cache (32 vs 18 MB)
- 8 more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20)
- 23% higher boost clock (5.4 vs 4.4 GHz)
- Newer process node (4 nm vs 10 nm)
- Higher memory speed support (5600 vs 4800 MT/s)
- Unlocked multiplier for overclocking
Advantages of Core i5-12400
No clear advantages on the data we have.
Benchmarks
Results from published reviews and databases. (est.) marks estimated values.
Cinebench 2024
CPU rendering performance (higher is better).
Geekbench 6
General-purpose compute across everyday workloads (higher is better).
Blender
Time to render a Blender scene on the CPU (lower is better).
Gaming
Relative average FPS across a game suite with a high-end GPU (higher is better).
Integrated Graphics
Relative integrated-GPU performance (higher is better).
Performance per watt
Multi-core benchmark points per watt of rated power. Higher is better.
| Metric | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core per W (TDP) | 14.5 ✓ | 9.7 |
| Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core per W (max turbo power) | 10.7 ✓ | 5.4 |
Full specifications
The better value is highlighted. “—” means we don't have that spec yet.
| General | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Aug 2024 ✓ | Jan 2022 |
| Unlocked Multiplier | Yes ✓ | No |
| Cores & Clocks | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Cores | 6 | 6 |
| Performance Cores | 6 | 6 |
| Efficiency Cores | 0 | 0 |
| Threads | 12 | 12 |
| Base Clock | 3.9 GHz ✓ | 2.5 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 5.4 GHz ✓ | 4.4 GHz |
| Cache | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| L2 Cache | 6 MB | 7.5 MB ✓ |
| L3 Cache | 32 MB ✓ | 18 MB |
| Package & Power | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM5 | LGA1700 |
| Process Node | 4 nm ✓ | 10 nm |
| TDP | 65 W | 65 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 88 W ✓ | 117 W |
| Memory | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Type | DDR5 | DDR4/DDR5 |
| Max Memory Speed | 5600 MT/s ✓ | 4800 MT/s |
| Max Memory Capacity | — | 128 GB |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Platform | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe Version | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| PCIe Lanes | 28 ✓ | 20 |
| Integrated Graphics | Ryzen 5 9600X | Core i5-12400 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Radeon Graphics (2 CU) | Intel UHD 730 |