How do the scores compare?

There is no overall score comparison yet, because at least one of them still awaits benchmark results. On individual spec rows, AMD Ryzen 5 9600 wins 13 and Intel Core i3-12100 wins 1.

What are the main differences between the AMD Ryzen 5 9600 and the Intel Core i3-12100?

AMD Ryzen 5 9600 advantages: Stronger multi-core score: 53 vs 34; 167% higher L3 cache: 32 MB vs 12 MB; 109% higher PassMark: 29,315 vs 14,000; 100% higher Max memory: 256 GB vs 128 GB; 60% lower process: 4 nm vs 10 nm.

AMD Ryzen 5 9600 vs Intel Core i3-12100

AMD

AMD Ryzen 5 9600

Intel

Intel Core i3-12100

$122

—Single-core55.3

52.6Multi-core34.2

65.3Gamingspec-based36

13 spec wins — AMD Ryzen 5 96001 spec wins — Intel Core i3-12100

InnoReviews verdict

No overall winner yet: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 lacks the published benchmark results an Inno Score requires, so there is no Inno Score to compare — we don't rank chips on their spec sheet alone. The spec table below still shows every difference we track.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the AMD Ryzen 5 9600

Stronger multi-core score: 53 vs 34
167% higher L3 cache: 32 MB vs 12 MB
109% higher PassMark: 29,315 vs 14,000
100% higher Max memory: 256 GB vs 128 GB
60% lower process: 4 nm vs 10 nm

Reasons to pick the Intel Core i3-12100

No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.

General

General comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 versus Intel Core i3-12100
Spec	AMD Ryzen 5 9600	Intel Core i3-12100
Announced	2025	2022
Socket	AM5	LGA1700
Process	4 nm+60%	10 nm
Base TDP	65 W	60 W+8%
Max turbo power	—	89 W
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No
Cooler included	Yes	Yes

Cores & Clocks

Cores & Clocks comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 versus Intel Core i3-12100
Spec	AMD Ryzen 5 9600	Intel Core i3-12100
Cores	6+50%	4
Performance cores	6+50%	4
Efficiency cores	0	0
Threads	12+50%	8
Base clock	3.8 GHz+15%	3.3 GHz
Boost clock	5.2 GHz+21%	4.3 GHz
L2 cache	6 MB+20%	5 MB
L3 cache	32 MB+167%	12 MB

Integrated GPU

Integrated GPU comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 versus Intel Core i3-12100
Spec	AMD Ryzen 5 9600	Intel Core i3-12100
iGPU	AMD Radeon Graphics (2 CU RDNA 2)	Intel UHD Graphics 730
iGPU clock	2,200 MHz	1,400 MHz

Memory

Memory comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 versus Intel Core i3-12100
Spec	AMD Ryzen 5 9600	Intel Core i3-12100
Memory support	DDR5-5600	DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200
Max memory	256 GB+100%	128 GB
Memory channels	2	2

Platform

Platform comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 versus Intel Core i3-12100
Spec	AMD Ryzen 5 9600	Intel Core i3-12100
PCIe version	5	5
CPU PCIe lanes	28+40%	20

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 versus Intel Core i3-12100
Spec	AMD Ryzen 5 9600	Intel Core i3-12100
Geekbench 6 (single)	—	2,050Top 48%
Geekbench 6 (multi)	—	6,700Bottom 34%
Cinebench R23 (single)	—	1,680Top 45%
Cinebench R23 (multi)	—	8,700Bottom 29%
PassMark	29,315+109%Top 42%	14,000Bottom 24%

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