AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE vs Intel Core i5-12600T Comparison

The Intel Core i5-12600T and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE are two very closely matched 35W desktop processors, separated by a mere 0.1% in average benchmark score. However, a closer look at the individual test results reveals that the Intel chip is overwhelmingly dominant in most workloads, while the AMD processor carves out narrow victories in specific, niche tasks. The data shows a clear split: Intel wins the compute-heavy performance battle, but AMD holds its ground in certain memory and encryption-related functions.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking aspect of this comparison is the sheer scale of Intel's victory in rendering workloads. Across the entire Cinebench series, the i5-12600T wins every single test by a nearly identical margin of roughly 23%. In the Cinebench R23 multicore test, the Intel chip scores 14,822 points versus the Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE's 12,045, a delta of 23.1%. The single-core result in the same test shows the same pattern: Intel's 2,092 points beat AMD's 1,700 by 23.1%. This consistency extends to the older Cinebench R20 and R15 suites, where the Intel processor maintains a 23% lead in both single and multicore tests. The PassMark multithread test confirms this trend, with Intel scoring 17,446 versus AMD's 14,171, again a 23.1% advantage.

The Intel processor's dominance is not limited to rendering. In the PassMark physics test, the i5-12600T delivers a score of 1,212, which is a staggering 104.7% higher than the 592 points scored by the Ryzen chip. This suggests a massive advantage in simulations and physics calculations. Similarly, in the PassMark floating point math test, Intel's 42,295 score is 51.3% ahead of AMD's 27,947. Even in the find prime numbers test, which often favors different architectures, Intel's 76 points dwarf AMD's 28 points, a delta of 171.4%. These results paint a picture of a processor with significantly higher raw compute throughput.

The single-threaded performance gap is also substantial. In the PassMark single thread test, Intel scores 3,516, which is 32.2% higher than AMD's 2,660. This is a critical advantage for everyday responsiveness and lightly-threaded applications. The Intel chip also shows a 12.6% lead in integer math (54,646 vs 48,513) and an 11.4% lead in extended instructions (13,140 vs 11,792). In the data compression test, the race is much closer, with Intel edging out AMD by a mere 1.5% (195,924 vs 193,067).

Despite Intel's overwhelming 15-2 win count in the head-to-head benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE does secure two distinct victories. The most significant is in the PassMark data encryption test, where AMD scores 11,586 compared to Intel's 10,205, a lead of 11.9%. This indicates that for encryption workloads, the AMD chip's architecture is more efficient. The second win for AMD comes in the random string sorting test, where it scores 21,382 versus Intel's 20,299, a smaller but still notable 5.1% advantage. These wins suggest that while Intel is the superior general-purpose performer, AMD has specific strengths in memory-heavy and cryptographic tasks.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the Intel Core i5-12600T in multi-core rendering?

A: The Intel chip is consistently about 23% faster across all Cinebench versions. In Cinebench R23 multicore, it scores 14,822 versus the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE's 12,045.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, it wins 2 out of 17 head-to-head tests. It leads by 11.9% in PassMark data encryption and by 5.1% in PassMark random string sorting.

Q: Which processor has the higher single-threaded performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600T is significantly faster. In the PassMark single thread test, it scores 3,516, which is 32.2% higher than the Ryzen's 2,660.

Q: What is the overall average benchmark score difference between the two?

A: The average scores are nearly identical. The Intel Core i5-12600T has an average benchmark score of 20,917, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE has 20,900, a difference of just 0.1%.

Q: Are both processors in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i5-12600T and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE are placed in the 74th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: In which specific task does the AMD processor show its largest performance lead?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE shows its largest lead in the PassMark data encryption test, where its score of 11,586 is 11.9% higher than Intel's 10,205.

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents a clear case for the Intel Core i5-12600T for most users. In 15 of the 17 head-to-head comparisons, the Intel processor is the winner, often by a wide margin. For anyone prioritizing compute-heavy tasks like 3D rendering, video encoding, or scientific simulations, the i5-12600T is the obvious choice. Its 23% advantage in all Cinebench tests and a 104.7% lead in the PassMark physics test indicate it will handle demanding workloads with significantly more ease than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE. The 32.2% lead in single-threaded performance also makes it the better option for general desktop snappiness and older, less-optimized applications.

The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE is not without its merits, but they are highly specialized. The data suggests it is the better choice only for workloads that are heavily dependent on encryption. Its 11.9% lead in PassMark data encryption is a significant advantage for tasks like full-disk encryption, secure communications, or cryptographic key generation. Additionally, its 5.1% win in random string sorting could be relevant for specific database or sorting algorithms. However, for the vast majority of users, these niche advantages will not outweigh Intel's massive lead in almost every other benchmark. The verdict is straightforward: the Intel Core i5-12600T is the superior all-around processor, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE is a specialist for encryption-focused tasks.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on several key specification points. The Intel Core i5-12600T has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE has a higher base clock of 3.30 GHz but a lower boost clock of 4.20 GHz. They use different sockets: the Intel chip requires an Intel Socket 1700, while the AMD chip uses the AMD Socket AM4. The memory support also differs, with the Intel chip supporting both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, whereas the AMD chip only supports DDR4. The PCIe interface is another differentiator, with Intel offering Gen 5 with 20 Lanes (CPU only) compared to AMD's Gen 3 with 20 Lanes (CPU only). The integrated graphics are also different, with the Intel chip featuring UHD Graphics 770 and the AMD chip featuring Radeon Vega 7. The Intel Core i5-12600T has a launch MSRP of $223. The AMD part does not have a listed launch MSRP. Finally, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE has a release date of 2022-11-10, while the Intel chip has no listed release date in the data.

Architecture Differences

Architecturally, these are very different chips. The Intel Core i5-12600T is built on the Alder Lake architecture using a 10 nm process at Intel’s foundry, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE uses the Zen 2 architecture on a 7 nm process from TSMC. The Intel chip has a die size of 163 mm², while the AMD chip is slightly smaller at 156 mm². The AMD chip houses 9,800 million transistors, a figure not provided for the Intel chip. Cache configurations are notably different. The Intel chip has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, leading to a large 18 MB shared L3 cache. The AMD chip has a smaller 64 KB L1 cache per core and 512 KB of L2 cache per core, with a much smaller 8 MB shared L3 cache. The memory bandwidth is listed for the AMD chip at 51.2 GB/s, while no figure is provided for the Intel chip. A crucial difference is ECC memory support, which is available on the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE but not on the Intel Core i5-12600T. Both chips feature 6 cores and 12 threads and have a 35W TDP.