Core i9-12900vsRyzen Threadripper 9970X
The Core i9-12900 is a sensible mainstream chip for gamers and general PC builders, while the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is a workstation monster built for creators and data-crunchers who need maximum core counts.
Core i9-12900
Alder Lake-S · Intel 7 nm · 2022
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Ryzen Threadripper 9970X
Shimada Peak · 4 nm · 2025
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Overall Performance Score
A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest desktop CPU available.
Side-by-Side Specs
Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.
Which should you buy?
The Ryzen Threadripper 9970X wins overall with far more cores and cache for heavy multi-threaded work, leaving the Core i9-12900 behind.
For budget/value buyers, the Core i9-12900 is the smarter pick due to much lower power draw and adequate performance for everyday tasks.
The Core i9-12900 is the right choice if you need a quiet office PC with low electricity bills and no heavy rendering or virtualization workloads.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Core i9-12900 better than the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X?
Overall the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (64 vs 20 out of 100), so it leads the Core i9-12900 in most workloads.
How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X than the Core i9-12900?
Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is roughly 220% faster than the Core i9-12900 overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.
Which should you buy, the Core i9-12900 or the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X?
If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X. If the Core i9-12900 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.