Left · Intel
Intel Core i9-12900K
Spec score
Spec score 71
$279
typical price
Core i9-12900K against Core Ultra 5 245KF
Level on the overall index; the details below decide it. The price beside each button is the Amazon US reading where ScoutPrices has one; the comparison below is worked on typical prices.
Right · Intel
Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF
Spec score
Spec score 72
$178
Amazon US, Oct 24
Which one for what
Office & everyday
Core Ultra 5 245KFright
76 vs 79 on the office & everyday blend.
Coding & development
Either
Within 0 points; buy on price.
Light gaming
Core Ultra 5 245KFright
71 vs 74 on the light gaming blend.
Gaming
Core Ultra 5 245KFright
69 vs 71 on the gaming blend.
Heavy gaming
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
Content creation
Core i9-12900Kleft
71 vs 68 on the content creation blend.
3D & rendering
Core i9-12900Kleft
71 vs 66 on the 3D & rendering blend.
Gaming & streaming
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
AI & local models
Core i9-12900Kleft
72 vs 69 on the AI & local models blend.
Head to head
Scores
Indices out of 100 on ScoutSpecs' own scale, one per kind of work. They are not frames per second and not a measurement of any one sample.
Spec score
Core i9-12900K: 71
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 72
1 ptsto the right
Gaming
Core i9-12900K: 66
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 67
1 ptsto the right
Multi-core
Core i9-12900K: 68
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 58
10 ptsto the left
Single-core
Core i9-12900K: 82
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 92
10 ptsto the right
Price and value
Worked on typical prices, the figures the comparison is built on.
Value, points per $100
Core i9-12900K: 25.4
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 36
42%to the right
Typical price
Core i9-12900K: $279
Core Ultra 5 245KF: $200
$79to the right
From the spec sheets
Cores
Core i9-12900K: 16
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 14
14%to the left
Threads
Core i9-12900K: 24
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 14
71%to the left
Boost clock
Core i9-12900K: 5.2 GHz
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 5.2 GHz
level
Turbo power
Core i9-12900K: 241 W
Core Ultra 5 245KF: 159 W
52%to the right
The verdict
- Core i9-12900K and Core Ultra 5 245KF are level on gaming.
- The Core i9-12900K has 17% more all-core throughput for renders, compiles and exports.
- The Core Ultra 5 245KF is 12% quicker in single-threaded work, which is most of what a desktop does.
- The Core Ultra 5 245KF typically costs $79 less.
- Per dollar, the Core Ultra 5 245KF is the better buy: 36 points per $100 against 25.4.
Specifications
| Spec | Core i9-12900K | Core Ultra 5 245KF |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Alder Lake | Arrow Lake |
| Socket | LGA1700 | LGA1851 |
| Cores / threads | 16 / 24 (better) | 14 / 14 |
| Base clock | 3.2 GHz | 4.2 GHz (better) |
| Boost clock | 5.2 GHz | 5.2 GHz |
| TDP / turbo power | 125 / 241 W | 125 / 241 W |
| Memory | DDR4 or DDR5 | DDR5 |
| Built-in graphics | Yes (better) | No |
| Cooler in the box | No | No |
| Brand | Intel | Intel |
| Released | 2021 | 2024 (better) |
| Typical price | $279 | $200 (better) |
The better figure of each pair is in green, with a tick.