Over the years, the i7 models have often been in an awkward spot in terms of value and performance. Moving on, the more expensive Core i7-12700K model is also of particular note. If you think you won't be needing the iGPU, you can save even more money by opting for the 12600KF model, which retails for £235.99 and lacks the integrated UHD Graphics 770. In the UK, you can currently purchase the OEM version for just £244.99, which is shockingly even lower than the current 5600X prices! It's also significantly below the retail boxed model, which is selling for £290+ at outlets like Scan or Amazon. That's pretty impressive stuff, even if you have to buy into a new Z690 platform in order to do it.ĭespite the immense generational gains over its predecessor and often handily beating the competition, the Core i5-12600K is surprisingly well-priced. In our testing, we found that the 12600K was able to match or outperform the competing AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and as other outlets have discovered it actually significantly outperforms the 5600X and, in some cases, even the 5800X, in productivity applications. This 10-core/16-thread processor features six performance cores (P-cores) and four efficient cores (E-cores) and strikes the perfect balance between price and performance. The part that impressed us the most is the new Core i5-12600K. Our own 12900K and 12600K review here at Digital Foundry convinced us that they're exceptional performers in their price range, especially the mid-range 12600K.
Thanks to a combination of a more modern manufacturing process and a unique architectural design (for desktop CPUs, anyway), these chips have been able to outperform their AMD counterparts in both gaming and productivity. Intel's 12th Gen CPUs have largely received rave reviews from reviewers across the gaming and technology space.