Intel Core i5 12600K CPU

It's fast and runs cool with the right cooler. Note, along with a z690 mother board, you need an aftermarket LGA 1700 compatible cooler for the CPU (it doesn't come bundled with one) and PB Tech wasn't stocking any at time of review. Would buy again. It's fast and runs cool with the right cooler. Note, along with a z690 mother board, you need an aftermarket LGA 1700 compatible cooler for the CPU (it doesn't come bundled with one) and PB Tech wasn't stocking any at time of review. Would buy again.

I built 2 pcs;
12600ks with noctua air cooler
12600k with corsair h100 aio

When overclocking thermals and power draw rise very quick... I settled for a balance of thermals and performance rather than maximum perormance...

I think the IHS on the 12600ks is better from my limited experience with just 2 cpus

For the price and thermals the 12600ks wins, but Im not so sure I would say 12th gen is a win over amd 5800x... I built 2 pcs;
12600ks with noctua air cooler
12600k with corsair h100 aio

When overclocking thermals and power draw rise very quick... I settled for a balance of thermals and performance rather than maximum perormance...

I think the IHS on the 12600ks is better from my limited experience with just 2 cpus

For the price and thermals the 12600ks wins, but Im not so sure I would say 12th gen is a win over amd 5800x...

Did my research and price/performance didn't disappoint - coming from a coffee lake i5 the jump in performance is most noticeable and my games run extremely well - 60fps @ 1440p Ultra no problems coupled with the newly acquired 3060Ti.. a happy camper recommend.. PSA - if you need performance for gaming AAA but aren't doing hi end video or 3D rendering or any other extreme process - then this is the CPU for you. Did my research and price/performance didn't disappoint - coming from a coffee lake i5 the jump in performance is most noticeable and my games run extremely well - 60fps @ 1440p Ultra no problems coupled with the newly acquired 3060Ti.. a happy camper recommend.. PSA - if you need performance for gaming AAA but aren't doing hi end video or 3D rendering or any other extreme process - then this is the CPU for you.

I still can't believe it's an i5 I still can't believe it's an i5

The 12600k is really fast and runs Minecraft (Java 1.19) at 32 chunks with over 120 fps, comes without a cooler though and requires a cooler with lga 1700 support. The 12600k is really fast and runs Minecraft (Java 1.19) at 32 chunks with over 120 fps, comes without a cooler though and requires a cooler with lga 1700 support.

Great CPU especially price and performance. If you're planning on upgrading GPU this is a great CPU. Great CPU especially price and performance. If you're planning on upgrading GPU this is a great CPU.

I've tested this thing on a bunch of games including some very CPU-intensive ones and it hasn't let me down. I'm running an RX 6800 XT and some 4800 MHz DDR5 RAM with it. Every game I've tested so far is capable of running at well over my monitor's 75Hz refresh rate at 2560 x 1080. If this processor was paired with a fancier GPU, I'm pretty certain this thing wouldn't cause much bottlenecking when playing at 4k with ray tracing. I've tested this thing on a bunch of games including some very CPU-intensive ones and it hasn't let me down. I'm running an RX 6800 XT and some 4800 MHz DDR5 RAM with it. Every game I've tested so far is capable of running at well over my monitor's 75Hz refresh rate at 2560 x 1080. If this processor was paired with a fancier GPU, I'm pretty certain this thing wouldn't cause much bottlenecking when playing at 4k with ray tracing.

If you’re upgrading to a 12th gen Intel for gaming, this is the CPU to go for. Absolute monster of a processor and anything above this starts to see diminishing returns unless you’re doing heavy multi core workloads. Buy this CPU. If you’re upgrading to a 12th gen Intel for gaming, this is the CPU to go for. Absolute monster of a processor and anything above this starts to see diminishing returns unless you’re doing heavy multi core workloads. Buy this CPU.

Great price for the performance. Great price for the performance.

This thing is excellent. easy to install no problems so far on my rig.
Will need to upgrade my GTX980 years before this has a issue with performance. This thing is excellent. easy to install no problems so far on my rig.
Will need to upgrade my GTX980 years before this has a issue with performance.

What a fantastic CPU, had read up about it in cpu usermark comparison and was sceptical, oh my word, this CPU is a beast. I ave this cpu working with a RTX 2070 super and I feel this out performs my ryzen 9 3900x with rxt 3080, while gaming and streaming. Best buy What a fantastic CPU, had read up about it in cpu usermark comparison and was sceptical, oh my word, this CPU is a beast. I ave this cpu working with a RTX 2070 super and I feel this out performs my ryzen 9 3900x with rxt 3080, while gaming and streaming. Best buy

Overclocked to 5.3/5.2/5 GHz (2core/4c/6c) very easily, at 1.34 peak VCORE and temps not exceeding 60c with a deepcool castle AIO cooler. You mileage will vary, but it's definitely worth overclocking if you're doing anything that'll benefit from the higher clock speeds.

Better than a 12900K for most games imo. And requires a lot less cooling and power to run. Overclocked to 5.3/5.2/5 GHz (2core/4c/6c) very easily, at 1.34 peak VCORE and temps not exceeding 60c with a deepcool castle AIO cooler. You mileage will vary, but it's definitely worth overclocking if you're doing anything that'll benefit from the higher clock speeds.

Better than a 12900K for most games imo. And requires a lot less cooling and power to run.