CPU Showdown

Core i5-12500TvsRyzen Threadripper 9960X

The Core i5-12500T is a low-power office and home-theater chip for quiet, energy-sipping builds, while the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X is a workstation monster for heavy rendering and virtual machines.

Intel Core i5-12500T
6C / 12T · 35W
VS
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9960X
24C / 48T · 350W
Intel

Core i5-12500T

Alder Lake-S · Intel 7 nm · 2022

10score
4.3/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
6 / 12
TDP
35W
Boost Clock
4.4 GHz
L3 Cache
18 MB

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AMD

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

Shimada Peak · 4 nm · 2025

56score
4.9/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
24 / 48
TDP
350W
Boost Clock
5.3 GHz
L3 Cache
128 MB

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest desktop CPU available.

Core i5-12500T
10
Ryzen Threadripper 9960XWinner
56
Ryzen Threadripper 9960X leads by 460.0% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#5Ryzen Threadripper 7970X60
#6Ryzen Threadripper 9960X56
#7Ryzen Threadripper 7960X50
#264Core i5-1140010
#265Core i5-12500T10
#266Ryzen 7 1800X10
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsCore i5-12500TRyzen Threadripper 9960X
Cores
Total Cores624
Threads1248
Base Clock2.0 GHz4.2 GHz
Boost Clock4.4 GHz5.3 GHz
Cache
L2 Cache7.5 MB24 MB
L3 Cache18 MB128 MB
Platform
PCIePCIe 5.0 and 4.0PCIe 5.0
iGPUIntel UHD Graphics 770
Power
Base TDP35W350W
General
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The Ryzen Threadripper 9960X wins overall for heavy workloads, thanks to far more cores and faster processing power.

Best value

For budget buyers, the Core i5-12500T is the smarter pick with much lower power consumption and adequate performance for everyday tasks.

When the other wins

The Core i5-12500T is right for a low-power office PC or home server where quiet operation and efficiency matter more than multi-core muscle.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the Core i5-12500T better than the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X?

Overall the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (56 vs 10 out of 100), so it leads the Core i5-12500T in most workloads.

How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X than the Core i5-12500T?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X is roughly 460% faster than the Core i5-12500T overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the Core i5-12500T or the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X?

If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X. If the Core i5-12500T is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.