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Intel Core i9-12900HX
The Core i9-12900HX is an Alder Lake-HX laptop processor launched in May 2022, with 8 Performance and 8 Efficient cores (24 threads) boosting to 5.0 GHz. It has a 55 W base and 157 W maximum turbo power and appears in high-end gaming laptops and mobile workstations that pair it with a discrete GPU.
Pros
- 16 cores and 24 threads (8 Performance + 8 Efficient) suit rendering, compiling and heavy multitasking
- Performance cores boost up to 5.0 GHz
- Supports DDR5-4800 or DDR4-3200 memory, up to 128 GB
- In review testing, Cinebench R23 multi-core scored about 18,300 to 23,500 across five laptops
Cons
- 157 W maximum turbo power calls for a thick chassis with strong cooling
- Integrated UHD Graphics is basic, so gaming and 3D work need a discrete GPU
- DDR5 support tops out at 4800 MT/s, below the 5600 MT/s of newer HX chips such as the Core i7-13850HX
Good
Computed from specs & benchmarks via our public methodology.
Full specifications
Everything we track for the Intel Core i9-12900HX
General
- Announced
- 2022
- Process
- 10 nm
- Base TDP
- 55 W
- Max TDP
- 157 W
Cores & Clocks
- Cores
- 16
- Performance cores
- 8
- Efficiency cores
- 8
- Threads
- 24
- Base clock
- 2.3 GHz
- Boost clock
- 5 GHz
- L3 cache
- 30 MB
Integrated GPU
- iGPU
- Intel UHD Graphics (32 EU)
- iGPU clock
- 1,550 MHz
Memory
- Memory support
- DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200
- Max memory
- 128 GB
Benchmarks
- Cinebench R23 (single)
- 1,924Top 30%
- Cinebench R23 (multi)
- 22,075Top 15%
- PassMark
- 32,707Top 23%
- PassMark (single thread)
- 3,730Top 46%
Quick answers
Is the Intel Core i9-12900HX good in 2026?
The Intel Core i9-12900HX earns an Inno Score of 60.8/100 (“Good”) based on its specs and benchmark results. The Core i9-12900HX is an Alder Lake-HX laptop processor launched in May 2022, with 8 Performance and 8 Efficient cores (24 threads) boosting to 5.0 GHz. It has a 55 W base and 157 W maximum turbo power and appears in high-end gaming laptops and mobile workstations that pair it with a discrete GPU.
Does the Intel Core i9-12900HX count as "Core i7 or equivalent"?
Its PassMark CPU Mark average is 32,707 (cpubenchmark.net, retrieved Sep 26–Oct 8, 2026), which puts it in Tier A of our CPU tier checker: current Core i7 H / Core Ultra 7 / Ryzen 7 class and above. Requirement pages word this differently, so check the exact wording with your department.
What are the key specs of the Intel Core i9-12900HX?
Cores: 16 · Threads: 24 · Boost clock: 5 GHz · Base TDP: 55 W
What are the closest alternatives to the Intel Core i9-12900HX?
Its closest rivals on InnoReviews are AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, Intel Core Ultra 5 235H, Intel Core Ultra 5 225H — open the comparison pages for a spec-by-spec breakdown.
