AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX vs Intel Core i9-12900F Comparison

The Intel Core i9-12900F and AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX are both high-end processors that land at the 89th percentile against all CPUs, but they achieve that status through very different design philosophies. The Intel chip is a desktop Alder Lake-S part with 16 cores and 24 threads, while the AMD chip is a mobile Dragon Range part with 12 cores and 24 threads. The data shows a clear split: the Intel part dominates in single-core Cinebench tests, while the AMD part wins most multi-threaded and specialized workloads. With an average benchmark score of 47,176 for the Intel part versus 46,654 for the AMD part, the overall difference is narrow, but the distribution of wins is lopsided at 11 for AMD and 6 for Intel.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different manufacturing and design blueprints. The Intel Core i9-12900F uses the Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process node fabricated by Intel, with a die size of 215 mm². The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX uses the Zen 4 architecture on a 5 nm node from TSMC, with a die size of 2x 71 mm² and a transistor count of 13,140 million. This process advantage gives AMD a notably smaller physical footprint per die despite the larger total transistor count.

Cache hierarchies also differ substantially. The Intel part provides 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD part has 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, but a much larger 64 MB of shared L3 cache. That 64 MB L3 is more than double the Intel L3 capacity, which helps explain AMD's strong showing in data compression and encryption tests. The AMD chip also includes integrated Radeon 610M graphics, while the Intel part lists no integrated graphics.

Memory support splits as well: Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5, while AMD supports only DDR5. Both have dual-channel memory buses, but the AMD part has a higher memory bandwidth figure at 83.2 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s for Intel. PCIe capabilities differ too, with Intel offering Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only) and AMD offering Gen 5 with 28 lanes (CPU only). Both processors have unlocked multipliers, target different market segments — Intel for Desktop, AMD for Mobile — and both support ECC memory.

Specification Differences

The core count differs: Intel has 16 cores and 24 threads, while AMD has 12 cores and 24 threads. Base clocks are 2.40 GHz for Intel and 3.00 GHz for AMD, a 0.6 GHz advantage for the AMD part. Boost clocks are closer, with Intel at 5.10 GHz and AMD at 5.20 GHz, a 0.1 GHz edge for AMD. Thermal design power (TDP) is 65 W for Intel and 55 W for AMD, meaning the AMD part carries a lower TDP despite the higher clocks.

Sockets are incompatible: Intel uses Intel Socket 1700, while AMD uses AMD Socket FL1. The process node is 10 nm for Intel and 5 nm for AMD, with foundries being Intel and TSMC respectively. Release dates are one year apart, with Intel launching on 2022-01-03 and AMD on 2023-01-03. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $494, while the AMD part has no listed launch MSRP. The Intel part number is SRL4L, and the AMD part number is 100-000000871.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores?

A: The Intel Core i9-12900F has 16 cores, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX has 12 cores. Both have 24 threads.

Q: How do their boost clocks compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX has a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, which is 0.10 GHz higher than the Intel Core i9-12900F's 5.10 GHz.

Q: What is the L3 cache size for each?

A: The Intel Core i9-12900F has 30 MB of shared L3 cache, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX has 64 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: Which processor supports DDR4 memory?

A: Only the Intel Core i9-12900F supports DDR4 memory. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX supports only DDR5.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The Intel Core i9-12900F has a TDP of 65 W, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX has a TDP of 55 W, a 10 W difference in favor of AMD.

Q: Which processor has integrated graphics?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX includes Radeon 610M integrated graphics, while the Intel Core i9-12900F has no integrated graphics listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern of specialization. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX wins the majority of tests, but the Intel Core i9-12900F takes the most dramatic victories in specific areas. The largest win for Intel comes in Cinebench R23 single-core, where Intel scores 4292 against AMD's 1852, a 131.7% lead. That gap is enormous and suggests the Intel architecture has a substantial advantage in lightly-threaded single-core performance, at least in this benchmark. Intel also wins Cinebench R15 single-core with 432 versus 295, a 46.4% lead, and Cinebench R23 multi-core with 30405 versus 26876, a 13.1% lead.

Intel's other wins are narrow. In Passmark floating point math, Intel scores 96452 versus 94287, a 2.3% edge. In Passmark single-thread, Intel scores 4017 versus 3935, a 2.1% edge. Those are close results, indicating that in pure single-threaded integer work, the two are nearly matched, with Intel holding a slight advantage.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX wins the remaining tests, often by large margins. The biggest win for AMD is in Passmark find prime numbers, where AMD scores 329 against Intel's 127, a 61.4% lead. That is a massive difference in a workload that stresses integer and mathematical operations. AMD also wins Passmark extended instructions with 41020 versus 28265, a 31.1% lead, and Passmark data encryption with 32789 versus 25251, a 23.0% lead. In Passmark random string sorting, AMD scores 63223 versus 48477, a 23.3% lead.

AMD's wins extend to more mainstream benchmarks. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, AMD scores 4320 versus 3064, a 29.1% lead. In Passmark multi-thread, AMD scores 45010 versus 35912, a 20.2% lead. In Passmark integer math, AMD scores 155118 versus 129504, a 16.5% lead. In Passmark data compression, AMD scores 543539 versus 451402, a 17.0% lead. In Passmark physics, AMD scores 2346 versus 1842, a 21.5% lead. AMD also wins Geekbench multi-core with 16633 versus 15965, a 4.0% lead, and Geekbench single-core with 2389 versus 2339, a 2.1% lead.

The head-to-head count is 11 wins for AMD and 6 wins for Intel. However, the magnitude of Intel's single-core Cinebench win is so large that it skews the average benchmark score. The Intel part has an average benchmark score of 47,176, which is 1.1% higher than AMD's 46,654, despite AMD winning more tests. This indicates that Intel's outlier performance in Cinebench R23 single-core heavily influences its overall average.

The Verdict

The data shows that the Intel Core i9-12900F is the stronger choice for workloads that rely heavily on single-core Cinebench performance, where it leads by 131.7% in R23 single-core and 46.4% in R15 single-core. That kind of dominance is rare and suggests a significant architectural advantage for that specific benchmark. Intel also holds a 13.1% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is a widely used rendering benchmark, so content creators using that specific tool would see a clear benefit.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX is the better pick for most other workloads. It wins in Passmark multi-thread by 20.2%, integer math by 16.5%, and data compression by 17.0%. It also wins in encryption by 23.0% and extended instructions by 31.1%. The AMD part's larger L3 cache (64 MB versus 30 MB) and higher memory bandwidth (83.2 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s) likely contribute to these wins. For users running general productivity, data processing, or scientific workloads, the AMD part's consistent victories across a broad range of tests make it the more versatile performer.

The overall average benchmark scores are close, with Intel at 47,176 and AMD at 46,654, a difference of only 1.1%. This means that for a mixed workload, the choice is nearly a toss-up. The decision should come down to the specific applications being used. If Cinebench is the primary benchmark, Intel wins. If the workload is broader, AMD's wider set of wins gives it the edge.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i9-12900F wins in Cinebench-related workloads. It leads in Cinebench R23 single-core by 131.7%, in Cinebench R15 single-core by 46.4%, and in Cinebench R23 multi-core by 13.1%. It also wins in Passmark floating point math by 2.3% and Passmark single-thread by 2.1%. This makes Intel the choice for users who rely on Cinebench for rendering or who need maximum performance in that specific benchmark suite.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX wins in a broader set of categories. It dominates in Passmark find prime numbers with a 61.4% lead, Passmark extended instructions with a 31.1% lead, and Passmark data encryption with a 23.0% lead. It also wins in Cinebench R15 multi-core by 29.1%, Passmark random string sorting by 23.3%, Passmark physics by 21.5%, Passmark multi-thread by 20.2%, Passmark data compression by 17.0%, Passmark integer math by 16.5%, Geekbench multi-core by 4.0%, and Geekbench single-core by 2.1%. Users focused on encryption, compression, integer math, or general multi-threaded productivity should favor the AMD part.

The AMD part also has the advantage of a lower TDP (55 W versus 65 W) and integrated graphics, which the Intel part lacks. For mobile or power-sensitive applications, the AMD chip offers better efficiency and a built-in GPU fallback. The Intel part, with its higher TDP and no integrated graphics, is better suited for desktop builds where power and discrete GPUs are not constraints. The data supports AMD for versatility and Intel for Cinebench-specific performance, with the overall average scores nearly identical.