i5-12600K vs i3-7020U

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i3-7020U
2018
2 cores / 4 threads, 15 Watt
1.63
Core i5-12600K
2021
10 cores / 16 threads, 125 Watt
17.43
+969%

Core i5-12600K outperforms Core i3-7020U by a whopping 969% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking2093364
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data43.97
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i3Intel Core i5
Power efficiency10.2813.19
Architecture codenameKaby Lake (2016−2019)Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date10 April 2018 (6 years ago)4 November 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$281$289

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores2 (Dual-core)10 (Deca-Core)
Threads416
Base clock speed2.3 GHz3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed2.3 GHz4.9 GHz
Bus typeOPIDMI 4.0
Bus rate4 GT/s8 × 16 GT/s
Multiplier2337
L1 cache128 KB80K (per core)
L2 cache512 KB1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cache3 MB20 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nmIntel 7 nm
Die sizeno data215.25 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °C100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1
SocketFCBGA1356,FC-BGA1356,FPBGA1356FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
FMA-+
AVX++
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shift++
My WiFi+no data
Turbo Boost Technology-2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access+no data
SIPP-+
Smart Response+no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data-
Deep Learning Boost-+

Security technologies

Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-+
EDB++
Secure Key++
MPX+-
Identity Protection+-
SGXYes with Intel® MEno data
OS Guard++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size32 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth34.134 GB/s76.805 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 620Intel UHD Graphics 770
Max video memory32 GBno data
Quick Sync Video++
Clear Video+no data
Clear Video HD++
Graphics max frequency1 GHz1.45 GHz
Execution Unitsno data32
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported34
eDP+no data
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-
DVI+no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support+no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096x2304@24Hz4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP4096x2304@60Hz5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096x2304@60Hz7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX1212
OpenGL4.54.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K.

PCIe version3.05.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes1220

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i3-7020U 1.63
i5-12600K 17.43
+969%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i3-7020U 2583
i5-12600K 27683
+972%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i3-7020U 736
i5-12600K 2483
+237%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i3-7020U 1490
i5-12600K 11860
+696%

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i3-7020U 3588
i5-12600K 9381
+161%

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i3-7020U 8083
i5-12600K 55462
+586%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i3-7020U 227
i5-12600K 2555
+1026%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i3-7020U 93
i5-12600K 275
+196%

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i3-7020U 1.4
i5-12600K 12.8
+814%

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

i3-7020U 1920
i5-12600K 6239
+225%

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

i3-7020U 16
i5-12600K 148
+849%

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

i3-7020U 80
i5-12600K 334
+317%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.63 17.43
Integrated graphics card 2.43 6.16
Recency 10 April 2018 4 November 2021
Physical cores 2 10
Threads 4 16
Power consumption (TDP) 15 Watt 125 Watt

i3-7020U has 733.3% lower power consumption.

i5-12600K, on the other hand, has a 969.3% higher aggregate performance score, 153.5% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 3 years, and 400% more physical cores and 300% more threads.

The Core i5-12600K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-7020U in performance tests.

Be aware that Core i3-7020U is a notebook processor while Core i5-12600K is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-7020U and Core i5-12600K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i3-7020U
Core i3-7020U
Intel Core i5-12600K
Core i5-12600K

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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