Amazon Spring Sale has dropped this 12th-gen budget processor’s price by 15%
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With all the high-end processors entering the market, like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D or the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, it can be easy to dismiss the more pocket-friendly and previous generation of processors. Just because new processors are coming out doesn’t mean that older processors become obsolete.
So, if you were looking to upgrade from the Ryzen 3000 or Intel 10th or 11th-generation, the Intel Core i5-12600KF is a viable option. It is based on the LGA 1700 platform, which supports three generations of Intel CPUs, meaning you’ll have plenty of options to upgrade to. Also, we’ve reviewed the 12600K and the only difference between that and the 12600KF is that the latter doesn’t have integrated graphics.
Currently, the 12600KF is on sale with 16%, bringing its price down from $146.97 to $124, saving you $22.97.
Intel Core i5-12600KF Desktop Processor
Intel Core i5-12600KF performance
Gaming performance
We’ll use the benchmarks of the 12600K as references since these processors are almost the same. We paired the 12600K with the RTX 4070 Ti Super and ran Days Gone and Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p low settings. This puts more stress on the CPU, and we got 222 and 301 FPS with 1% lows of 149 and 198 FPS, respectively. This shows that it can easily keep up with a much powerful graphics card, and with a little overclocking, you can get better output.
Synthetic performance
To gauge the synthetic performance of this CPU, we ran a handful of benchmarking software like Geekbench, CPU-Z, Blender, and more. In the Geekbench single and multi-core tests, we got 2,626 and 14,498. For comparison, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D delivered 2,624 and 15,066 points in the same test, which is that far off. So, the 12600KF should work well to deliver good output in various demanding workflows.
Should you get this deal?
The Intel Core i5-12600KF isn’t the latest or the fastest processor, but it brings excellent value and is free from the issues that plague the Intel 13th and 14th-generation processors. However, it is based on the LGA 1700 platform, which means that you can easily upgrade to more powerful CPUs from the three generations this socket supports. It can also be paired with a high-end graphics card without any issues for a seamless gaming experience.
So, if you’re operating on a budget but don’t want to compromise on gaming performance and productivity, the 12600KF should serve you well. You’ll just need a discrete GPU to power up your system, and if you’re interested in exploring some options, we’ve got you covered with the best GPUs for 12600K.
Intel Core i7-13700KF Gaming Desktop Processor
Intel Core Ultra 7 Desktop Processor 265K
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
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