We currently have two 8-core and 16-thread processors on the market, a configuration that is recommended for the most cutting-edge video games, as it coincides with that of the new generation consoles. But what is the best choice between el Intel Core i9-12900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X if we are going to choose one RTX 4090 as graphics card?
The release of the NVIDIA RTX 4090 has brought with it a peculiarity, its power is such that even the most powerful processors on the market, that is, the Ryzen 9 and the Core i9, cannot get 100% out of this card. However, many users will prefer to spend less money on the processor, especially considering that no processor requires more than 8 cores and 16 threads of performance, which we mean in more ways than one.
Intel i9-12900K versus AMD 5800X
We have taken the information from TechPowerUp as a reference source for this article, specifically you can see the comparative graphs at three different resolutions. Although from our point of view, using an RTX 4090 to play games at less than 4K today is a waste of resources and money. However, the goal here is to see which of the two processors is the more powerful and will hold up better over time.
We have to start from the fact that none of the games ask for more than 8 cores and 16 threadsWhat’s more, currently the number of titles with these minimum requirements is zero and in terms of recommendations they can be counted on the fingers of both hands. So in theory they shouldn’t use the Intel processor’s E-Cores in their execution, but poor management in some titles like Devil May Cry V makes them run where they shouldn’t. Although in general and as you can see, the i9-1900K beats the 5800X and, therefore, holds the pace better, that is, it is a much more powerful processor.
However, the i9-12900K costs twice as much as the 5800X, so in performance per dollar spent the i9-12900K should get twice the performance. In any case, combining the AMD processor with an NVIDIA RTX 4090 is losing potential performance. So in that case we recommend the 16 GB RTX 4080 as a much better partner.
The reason for this comparison
Okay, we know what you think about this comparison and it is that the Intel processor really does not only have 8 P-Core or performance cores, but also an additional 8 with worse performance that are the E-Cores. It is clear that video games are designed to assign their processes to the P-Cores, leaving the E-Cores for processes in the background of the operating system. However, this is a double-edged sword, as developers have to take this fact into account, since Windows will manage resources according to what is available.
That is why it is usually considered that the E-Cores in the case of the Intel Core 12 do not really contribute in games and hence the comparison between the i9-12900K and the 5800X for games. Although it is also true that the price is different between the two processors, the question is whether the difference in performance is enough to justify the difference in price.
And the best of it is a stress test, for which both processors must be placed to give their best in a scenario that was impossible a few days ago. Make them work together with NVIDIA RTX 4090, to see which of them can better withstand the pace set by the most powerful graphics card on the market. As well as to know which of the two processors is the most powerful.
