Intel Core i5-12600H vs Intel Core i7-12650H Comparison

The Intel Core i5-12600H and Intel Core i7-12650H are both Alder Lake-H mobile processors, but benchmark results reveal a surprising split: the i5 dominates rendering workloads while the i7 leads in system-level PassMark tests. The overall average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with the i5-12600H posting 28882 against the i7-12650H's 28815, a delta of just 0.2%. However, this statistical tie masks wildly different performance profiles across individual tests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic divergence appears in Cinebench testing, where the i5-12600H delivers a crushing victory. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the i5 scores 20072 against the i7's 12074, a 66.2% advantage. The single-core R23 result is similarly lopsided: 2833 for the i5 versus 1763 for the i7, a 60.7% gap. This pattern continues in older Cinebench versions, with the i5 leading by 14% in R15 single-core (285 vs 250), 10.8% in R20 single-core (1189 vs 1073), 9.3% in R15 multicore (2023 vs 1851.5), and 10.8% in R20 multicore (8430 vs 7608). These are not marginal wins; the i5-12600H is categorically faster in every Cinebench iteration.

The i7-12650H fights back in PassMark workloads, winning 9 of the 17 head-to-head tests. Its largest victory comes in find prime numbers, where it scores 91 against the i5's 71, a 22% edge. Physics performance also favors the i7 significantly, with 1430 versus 1262, an 11.7% improvement. In floating point math, the i7 leads by 6.7% (54934 vs 51264), and extended instructions show a 6% advantage (15438 vs 14508). The i7 also wins in integer math (73641 vs 71168, +3.4%), multithread (21962 vs 21128, +3.8%), and single-thread tests (3539 vs 3453, +2.4%).

The i5-12600H counters with wins in data encryption (14799 vs 14041, +5.4%) and random string sorting (27653 vs 26591, +4%), while data compression goes narrowly to the i7 (250026 vs 247404, just 1% apart). When tallying all head-to-head benchmarks, the i7 claims 9 wins to the i5's 8, yet the i5's victories are often by much larger margins. The overall average benchmark scores reflect this: 28882 for the i5 versus 28815 for the i7, a difference so small that the two chips sit within 0.2% of each other in aggregate performance.

Architecture Differences

Both processors share the same Alder Lake-H architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 217 mm². They use the same Intel BGA 1744 socket and support DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration. The core configurations differ substantially: the i5-12600H packs 12 cores and 16 threads, while the i7-12650H has 10 cores and 16 threads. This means the i5 has two additional physical cores, which likely explains its dominant Cinebench multicore performance.

Cache allocation also diverges. Both chips have 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, but the shared L3 cache is larger on the i7: 24 MB versus 18 MB on the i5. Clock speeds favor the i7 in boost, with a 4.70 GHz maximum versus 4.50 GHz on the i5, but the i5 has a higher base clock at 2.70 GHz versus 2.30 GHz. Both chips have a 45 W TDP and are not multiplier-unlocked.

Integrated graphics separate the two further. The i5-12600H features Iris Xe 80EU graphics, while the i7-12650H is paired with the more modest UHD Graphics. Both support PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU and lack ECC memory support. The production status for both is listed as Active, and they belong to the same Core 12th Gen series with the Alder Lake-H codename.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600H is decisively faster, scoring 20072 compared to the i7-12650H's 12074. This represents a 66.2% advantage for the i5 in this rendering workload.

Q: Does the i7-12650H win any benchmark categories?

A: Yes, the i7-12650H wins 9 of the 17 head-to-head tests, including PassMark physics (1430 vs 1262), find prime numbers (91 vs 71), floating point math (54934 vs 51264), and integer math (73641 vs 71168).

Q: How do the core counts compare between these two CPUs?

A: The i5-12600H has 12 cores and 16 threads, while the i7-12650H has 10 cores and 16 threads. Despite having fewer cores, the i7 still matches the thread count.

Q: What is the difference in L3 cache size?

A: The i7-12650H has a larger shared L3 cache at 24 MB, compared to 18 MB on the i5-12600H. Both processors have identical per-core L1 (80 KB) and L2 (1.25 MB) caches.

Q: Which chip has a higher boost clock?

A: The i7-12650H reaches a higher boost clock of 4.70 GHz, while the i5-12600H tops out at 4.50 GHz. However, the i5 has a higher base clock at 2.70 GHz versus 2.30 GHz.

Q: How do their overall average benchmark scores compare?

A: The i5-12600H has an average benchmark score of 28882, and the i7-12650H scores 28815. The i5 holds a 0.2% edge, and both chips sit within a narrow band of their nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i9-13900H (28886) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (28940).

The Verdict

The data paints a clear split-personality picture. For users whose workloads resemble Cinebench — heavily threaded rendering, 3D modeling, or video encoding — the i5-12600H is the overwhelming choice. Its 66.2% lead in R23 multicore and 60.7% lead in R23 single-core are impossible to ignore, and it also wins in R15 and R20 across both single and multicore tests. The i5's 12 physical cores give it a structural advantage in scaling-heavy applications.

Conversely, the i7-12650H is the better pick for mixed productivity workloads that PassMark represents. It wins in physics simulation (11.7% faster), prime number finding (22% faster), floating point math (6.7% faster), and integer math (3.4% faster). The i7 also leads in single-threaded PassMark tests (2.4% faster) and multithread (3.8% faster). Its larger 24 MB L3 cache and higher 4.70 GHz boost clock likely contribute to these wins, even with fewer cores.

The tiebreaker depends on the application mix. If the workload is dominated by Cinebench-style rendering, the i5-12600H provides a massive performance advantage. If the workload is more varied, spanning encryption, math operations, and physics, the i7-12650H's broader set of wins, plus its 9-8 head-to-head victory count, makes it the more versatile option. Both chips sit in the 80th–81st percentile of all CPUs, and their aggregate averages are within 0.2% of each other, so neither is a bad choice — just a differently optimized one.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i5-12600H | Intel Core i7-12650H |

|---------------|---------------------|---------------------|

| Cores | 12 | 10 |

| Threads | 16 | 16 |

| Base Clock | 2.70 GHz | 2.30 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.50 GHz | 4.70 GHz |

| L3 Cache | 18 MB (shared) | 24 MB (shared) |

| Integrated Graphics | Iris Xe 80EU | UHD Graphics |

| Part Number | SRLCZ | SRLD0 |

| Generation | Core i5 (Alder Lake-H) | Core i7 (Alder Lake-H) |