Intel Core i5-12500 vs Intel Core i7-10700 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark comparison between the Intel Core i5-12500 and the Intel Core i7-10700 shows a decisive overall victory for the i5-12500, which wins 18 of the 25 recorded tests. The i7-10700 manages 7 wins, but several of those are narrow margins, while the i5-12500’s victories often come by substantial double-digit percentages.

The most striking result in the entire comparison is in Geekbench multicore, where the i5-12500 scores 9374 against the i7-10700’s 5092, a delta of 84.1%. This is the largest single margin in either direction. Geekbench singlecore also favors the i5-12500 heavily, with 1969 versus 1275, a 54.4% advantage. These two results alone establish that the i5-12500 has a fundamentally stronger per-core and heavily threaded performance profile in this particular workload.

Cinebench results are uniformly lopsided. Across all three versions (R15, R20, R23), both multicore and singlecore tests show the i5-12500 leading by approximately 53.5% to 53.7%. For example, Cinebench R23 multicore shows 16759 for the i5-12500 versus 10910 for the i7-10700, while the singlecore result is 2366 versus 1540. These consistent deltas suggest that the architectural advantage of the i5-12500 is not workload-specific but rather a general throughput improvement.

Passmark tests paint a more nuanced picture. The i5-12500 wins passmark_multithread with 19893 against 16161, a 23.1% lead, and passmark_single_thread with 3666 versus 2891, a 26.8% lead. Floating point math also goes to the i5-12500 at 48004 versus 38823, a 23.6% margin. The encryption test is the most extreme single result for the i5-12500: 12033 versus 5379, a 123.7% advantage. Prime number finding shows a 59.6% lead for the i5-12500 (75 versus 47), and physics testing gives a 56.4% edge (1242 versus 794).

The i7-10700’s wins are concentrated in specific areas. Passmark random string sorting is its biggest victory, scoring 31585 against 23523, a 25.5% margin in its favor. Data compression also goes to the i7-10700, 252113 versus 238753, a 5.3% lead. Integer math is close, with the i7-10700 ahead at 62988 versus 61626, a 2.2% margin. Extended instructions are nearly tied, with the i7-10700 ahead by just 0.4% (16160 versus 16090). In 3DMark tests, the i7-10700 wins the 16-thread test (6465 versus 6007, a 7.1% lead), the 8-thread test (4945 versus 4862, a 1.7% lead), and the max-threads test (6719 versus 6023, a 10.4% lead).

The i5-12500 counters in 3DMark with the 2-thread test (1741 versus 1565, an 11.2% lead), the 4-thread test (3125 versus 2996, a 4.3% lead), and the single-thread test (951 versus 793, a 19.9% lead). This pattern, where the i7-10700 wins as thread counts scale up but loses at lower thread counts, reflects its 8-core, 16-thread configuration versus the i5-12500’s 6-core, 12-thread design.

Where Each One Wins

The i5-12500 dominates in single-threaded and lightly threaded workloads. Its single-thread wins range from 19.9% in 3DMark to 54.4% in Geekbench, with Cinebench singlecore showing a 53.5% to 53.7% margin across all versions. For everyday responsiveness, web browsing, office productivity, and any application that relies heavily on one or two cores, the data points clearly to the i5-12500.

The i5-12500 also wins in most heavily threaded applications, despite having fewer cores. The Cinebench multicore results, Geekbench multicore, and Passmark multithread all favor the i5-12500 by margins ranging from 23.1% to 84.1%. This suggests that the i5-12500’s per-core efficiency and architectural improvements more than compensate for the i7-10700’s two additional physical cores.

The i7-10700’s wins are narrow in most cases. Its 3DMark victories at 8, 16, and max threads range from 1.7% to 10.4%. Its data compression win is 5.3%, and its integer math win is just 2.2%. The only substantial i7-10700 victory is random string sorting at 25.5%. This indicates that the i7-10700 retains an edge in workloads that specifically scale with core count and benefit from its 8-core layout, such as certain data manipulation tasks.

For users running well-parallelized compute workloads, the i7-10700’s wins in 3DMark max threads and random string sorting suggest it can still be competitive in niche scenarios. However, the i5-12500’s wins in encryption, floating point math, and prime number finding, which are often used in scientific and security applications, give it a broader applicability.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different Intel generations and use different underlying designs. The i5-12500 is built on Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node, while the i7-10700 uses Comet Lake architecture on a 14 nm process node. This process difference is a primary driver of the performance gap, as the smaller node allows for higher efficiency and improved instructions per clock.

Core counts differ: the i5-12500 has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the i7-10700 has 8 cores and 16 threads. Despite having fewer cores, the i5-12500 still wins most multithreaded tests, which indicates that its per-core performance advantage outweighs the core count deficit.

Cache configurations also differ. The i5-12500 has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The i7-10700 has 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The i5-12500’s larger L2 and L3 caches likely contribute to its superior performance in cache-sensitive workloads.

Memory support differs significantly. The i5-12500 supports both DDR4 and DDR5, while the i7-10700 supports only DDR4. Both use dual-channel memory buses. The i7-10700 has a recorded memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s, while the i5-12500’s memory bandwidth is not recorded in the database.

PCIe capabilities differ. The i5-12500 offers Gen 5 with 20 lanes (CPU only), while the i7-10700 offers Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only). This gives the i5-12500 a substantial advantage in bandwidth for high-speed storage and graphics connectivity.

Integrated graphics differ as well. The i5-12500 includes UHD Graphics 770, while the i7-10700 includes UHD Graphics 630. Both processors have locked multipliers, meaning they are not unlocked for overclocking.

Sockets are different: the i5-12500 uses Intel Socket 1700, while the i7-10700 uses Intel Socket 1200. This means the two processors are not interchangeable in the same motherboard.

Both processors have a TDP of 65 watts and do not support ECC memory. The i5-12500’s die size is recorded at 163 mm², while the i7-10700’s die size is not recorded. The i5-12500 was released on 2022-01-03, while the i7-10700 was released on 2020-04-29.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins more benchmark tests overall?

A: The Intel Core i5-12500 wins 18 of the 25 recorded head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core i7-10700 wins 7.

Q: What is the largest performance margin in the comparison?

A: Passmark data encryption shows the i5-12500 leading by 123.7%, scoring 12033 versus the i7-10700’s 5379. The second largest margin is Geekbench multicore at 84.1%.

Q: Does the i7-10700’s 8-core advantage help in any tests?

A: Yes, the i7-10700 wins in 3DMark 8-thread, 16-thread, and max-threads tests, plus passmark data compression, extended instructions, integer math, and random string sorting. Its biggest win is random string sorting at 25.5%.

Q: How do the Cinebench scores compare?

A: The i5-12500 leads in all six Cinebench tests (R15, R20, R23, both multicore and singlecore) by margins between 53.5% and 53.7%.

Q: Are these processors on the same socket?

A: No, the i5-12500 uses Intel Socket 1700, while the i7-10700 uses Intel Socket 1200.

Q: What memory types does each support?

A: The i5-12500 supports both DDR4 and DDR5, while the i7-10700 supports only DDR4. Both use dual-channel memory buses.

The Verdict

The benchmark data strongly favors the Intel Core i5-12500 for most use cases. Its wins in single-threaded tests, Cinebench multicore, Geekbench multicore, and Passmark multithread make it the better choice for general computing, content creation, and even many heavily threaded workloads. The 53.6% average Cinebench advantage and the 84.1% Geekbench multicore margin are decisive.

The i7-10700 retains relevance in a narrow band of workloads. Its 8-core, 16-thread configuration gives it an edge in 3DMark tests at higher thread counts, data compression, integer math, and random string sorting. Users whose primary applications fall into these categories, particularly random string sorting where it leads by 25.5%, may find the i7-10700 competitive.

However, the i5-12500 also offers newer architecture, a smaller process node, faster PCIe (Gen 5 versus Gen 3), and support for DDR5 memory. The i7-10700 has a recorded memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s, which is a specific advantage, but the i5-12500’s broader performance lead across most benchmarks makes it the stronger overall processor. The data indicates the i5-12500 is the superior choice for the majority of users, with the i7-10700 serving only those with very specific, core-count-sensitive workloads.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the Intel Core i5-12500 and Intel Core i7-10700:

• Cores: 6 (i5-12500) versus 8 (i7-10700)
• Threads: 12 (i5-12500) versus 16 (i7-10700)
• Base Clock: 3.00 GHz (i5-12500) versus 2.90 GHz (i7-10700)
• Boost Clock: 4.60 GHz (i5-12500) versus 4.80 GHz (i7-10700)
• Socket: Intel Socket 1700 (i5-12500) versus Intel Socket 1200 (i7-10700)
• Architecture: Alder Lake (i5-12500) versus Comet Lake (i7-10700)
• Process Node: 10 nm (i5-12500) versus 14 nm (i7-10700)
• Die Size: 163 mm² (i5-12500) versus not recorded (i7-10700)
• L1 Cache: 80 KB per core (i5-12500) versus 64 KB per core (i7-10700)
• L2 Cache: 1.25 MB per core (i5-12500) versus 256 KB per core (i7-10700)
• L3 Cache: 18 MB shared (i5-12500) versus 16 MB shared (i7-10700)
• Memory Support: DDR4 and DDR5 (i5-12500) versus DDR4 only (i7-10700)
• Memory Bandwidth: not recorded (i5-12500) versus 46.9 GB/s (i7-10700)
• PCIe: Gen 5, 20 Lanes CPU only (i5-12500) versus Gen 3, 16 Lanes CPU only (i7-10700)
• Integrated Graphics: UHD Graphics 770 (i5-12500) versus UHD Graphics 630 (i7-10700)
• Release Date: 2022-01-03 (i5-12500) versus 2020-04-29 (i7-10700)
• Part Number: SRL5V (i5-12500) versus SRH6Y (i7-10700)

Both processors share a TDP of 65 watts, dual-channel memory bus, no ECC support, locked multipliers, and active production status. The i5-12500 has a recorded launch MSRP of $212, while the i7-10700 has no recorded launch MSRP.