i5-12600K vs Xeon E5-2420

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon E5-2420
2012
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
3.17
Core i5-12600K
2021
10 cores / 16 threads, 125 Watt
17.43
+450%

Core i5-12600K outperforms Xeon E5-2420 by a whopping 450% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1619364
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.0343.99
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Seriesno dataIntel Core i5
Power efficiency3.1613.20
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-EN (2012)Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date14 May 2012 (12 years ago)27 October 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$390$289

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i5-12600K has 4171% better value for money than Xeon E5-2420.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2420 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)10 (Deca-Core)
Threads1216
Base clock speed1.9 GHz3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed2.4 GHz4.9 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 4.0
Bus rate7.2 GT/s8 × 16 GT/s
Multiplierno data37
L1 cache64 KB (per core)384 KB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)2 MB
L3 cache15360 KB (shared)2 MB
Chip lithography32 nmIntel 7 nm
Die size294 mm2215.25 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
Number of transistors1,270 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2420 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 configuration21
SocketFCLGA1356FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
FMA-+
AVX++
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shiftno data+
Turbo Boost Technology1.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access-no data
SIPP-+
Demand Based Switching+no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data-
Deep Learning Boost-+

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
OS Guardno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory size384 GB128 GB
Max memory channels32
Maximum memory bandwidth32 GB/s76.805 GB/s
ECC memory support++

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel UHD Graphics 770
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.45 GHz
Execution Unitsno data32

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data4

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4no data4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDPno data5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPortno data7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data12
OpenGLno data4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K.

PCIe version3.05.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes2420

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.

Xeon E5-2420 3.17
i5-12600K 17.43
+450%

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.

Xeon E5-2420 5031
i5-12600K 27683
+450%

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.

Xeon E5-2420 376
i5-12600K 2481
+560%

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.

Xeon E5-2420 1840
i5-12600K 11855
+544%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.17 17.43
Recency 14 May 2012 27 October 2021
Physical cores 6 10
Threads 12 16
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 125 Watt

Xeon E5-2420 has 31.6% lower power consumption.

i5-12600K, on the other hand, has a 449.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 9 years, and 66.7% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads.

The Core i5-12600K is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E5-2420 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E5-2420 is a server/workstation processor while Core i5-12600K is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2420 and Core i5-12600K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

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Intel Xeon E5-2420
Xeon E5-2420
Intel Core i5-12600K
Core i5-12600K

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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