Intel Core i7-11700B vs Intel Core i9-12900TE Comparison

The Intel Core i7-11700B and the Intel Core i9-12900TE occupy an unusual position in the database: two processors from consecutive Intel generations, one mobile and one desktop, that land within a few percentage points of each other across every recorded Cinebench test. The recorded data shows the older, fewer-core i7 winning all six head-to-head comparisons, while the i9 counters with a far lower rated power envelope, a newer platform, and broader platform features. This page walks through where each one wins, why the benchmarks come out the way they do, and which buyer each part suits.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark record is unambiguous in one direction: the Core i7-11700B sweeps the Cinebench suite. It wins Cinebench R15 multi-core with 1826 points against 1759, Cinebench R15 single-core with 257 against 248, Cinebench R20 multi-core with 7609 against 7333, Cinebench R20 single-core with 1074 against 1035, Cinebench R23 multi-core with 18119 against 17461, and Cinebench R23 single-core with 2558 against 2465. Every one of those margins sits between roughly 3.6 and 3.8 percent in favor of the i7. That is a narrow but perfectly consistent edge, and consistency across three Cinebench generations and both threading modes tells the analyst something useful: this is not a fluke of one test configuration, it is a genuine throughput advantage at the recorded settings.

The i9-12900TE wins nothing in the benchmark table, but the specification sheet is where it earns its place. Its rated TDP of 35 watts is dramatically lower than the i7's 65 watts, which matters for thermally constrained systems. It supports DDR5 in addition to DDR4, while the i7 supports DDR4 only. It carries PCI Express Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes versus the i7's Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes. It is a socketed desktop part on Intel Socket 1700, it has an unlocked multiplier, and it remains in active production, whereas the i7-11700B is a soldered BGA 1787 mobile package classified as end-of-life. In other words, the i7 wins the performance column today, and the i9 wins the platform, efficiency, and longevity columns.

The Verdict

For a buyer whose decision rests purely on the recorded rendering throughput, the Core i7-11700B is the pick. It is roughly 3.8 percent faster in multi-core and single-core alike, it sits in the 60th percentile of all CPUs in the database, and its average benchmark score of 5241 edges out the i9's 5050. Its nearest rivals by average score include the Intel Core i9-10850K, effectively tied with it, along with the Intel Core i5-14401E and the Intel Xeon E5-2699A v4, both marginally ahead, and the Intel Core i5-13400T just behind.

For a buyer building or specifying a system around efficiency, upgradeability, and platform lifespan, the Core i9-12900TE is the rational choice despite the benchmark deficit. It draws a rated 35 watts against the i7's 65, offers twice the core count at 16 cores and 24 threads against 8 cores and 16 threads, carries more shared L3 cache at 30 MB against 24 MB, and supports DDR5 memory. Its launch MSRP was $494, which can be stated once for reference. It is also still active in production, while the i7 is end-of-life, so long-term availability strongly favors the i9. The i9's own peer group includes the Intel Core i9-9820X, the Intel Xeon Gold 6334, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5750GE, and the Intel Xeon W-2155, all within a fraction of a percent of its average score.

The paradox worth understanding is that the i9's 16 cores do not translate into a Cinebench win, because its 1100 MHz base clock and 35 watt envelope hold it back under sustained all-core load, while the i7's 3.20 GHz base and 65 watt budget let its 8 cores run harder for longer. Both chips share the same 4.80 GHz maximum boost clock, so lightly threaded bursts are close, and indeed the single-core gap is about the same as the multi-core gap.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Walking through the data test by test, the pattern emerges immediately and never breaks.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-11700B scores 1826 against the i9-12900TE's 1759, a 3.8 percent advantage. In R15 single-core the i7 scores 257 against 248, a 3.6 percent edge. Moving to Cinebench R20, the i7 posts 7609 multi-core points to the i9's 7333 and 1074 single-core points to 1035, both 3.8 percent advantages. The modern R23 run repeats the story: 18119 versus 17461 in multi-core and 2558 versus 2465 in single-core, again 3.8 percent in the i7's favor on both counts.

Six tests, six wins for the i7, and margins that vary by barely two tenths of a percentage point across the entire suite. Benchmark results indicate that the i7's advantage is architectural and thermal rather than situational: the Tiger Lake-H design in its 65 watt configuration simply sustains higher effective clocks in these rendering workloads than the power-throttled Alder Lake-S part at 35 watts. The i9's hybrid core count advantage never materializes as a score advantage because the recorded tests reward sustained per-core throughput, and the i9's base clock of 1100 MHz illustrates how conservatively it must run within its envelope.

It is also notable that the single-core margins are essentially identical to the multi-core margins. If the i9's extra cores were being underutilized while its single-thread performance matched the i7, the single-core gap would be smaller than the multi-core gap. The data shows they are the same, meaning the i9 is uniformly a step behind at both ends of the threading spectrum under these test conditions.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in Cinebench R23 multi-core? A: The Core i7-11700B, scoring 18119 points against the i9-12900TE's 17461, a 3.8 percent advantage.

Q: Which CPU uses less power? A: The i9-12900TE, with a rated TDP of 35 watts compared to 65 watts for the i7-11700B.

Q: Can either CPU be overclocked? A: Only the i9-12900TE, which has an unlocked multiplier. The i7-11700B's multiplier is locked.

Q: Which memory types does each CPU support? A: The i7-11700B supports DDR4 only. The i9-12900TE supports both DDR4 and DDR5. Both use a dual-channel memory bus.

Q: Are both CPUs still in production? A: No. The i9-12900TE is active, while the i7-11700B is listed as end-of-life.

Q: How do the two compare in cache? A: Both have 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, but the i9 has 30 MB of shared L3 versus 24 MB on the i7.

Architecture Differences

The i7-11700B is built on the Tiger Lake architecture, codename Tiger Lake-H, as an 11th Generation Core part, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a 190 mm² die. It is a homogeneous design: 8 cores and 16 threads, all of the same type, which is one reason its per-core throughput holds up so uniformly in the Cinebench suite. It belongs to the mobile segment and ships as a soldered BGA 1787 package, meaning it is permanently attached to its motherboard and cannot be upgraded independently.

The i9-12900TE is an Alder Lake part, codename Alder Lake-S, from the 12th Generation Core family, also on Intel's 10 nm process but with a larger 215 mm² die. It is a desktop processor on Intel Socket 1700, so it is socketed and replaceable. Its 16 cores and 24 threads come from Intel's hybrid design, and although the recorded benchmark data does not break performance down by core type, the thread count not being a simple doubling of the core count reflects that hybrid layout. The larger shared L3 cache of 30 MB is another concrete architectural consequence of the bigger die.

Both chips run the same maximum boost clock of 4.80 GHz, but their base clocks diverge sharply: 3.20 GHz for the i7 versus 1100 MHz for the i9, a direct reflection of the 65 watt versus 35 watt design targets. Both include integrated graphics, with the i7 carrying UHD Graphics based on the Xe-LP architecture and the i9 carrying UHD Graphics 770. Neither supports ECC memory, and both provide 20 CPU PCI Express lanes, though the i9's are Gen 5 and the i7's are Gen 4.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in the following recorded fields. Core count: 8 on the i7 versus 16 on the i9. Thread count: 16 versus 24. Base clock: 3.20 GHz versus 1100 MHz. Boost clock is identical at 4.80 GHz. TDP: 65 watts versus 35 watts. Socket: Intel BGA 1787 versus Intel Socket 1700. Architecture: Tiger Lake versus Alder Lake, with codenames Tiger Lake-H and Alder Lake-S respectively. Shared L3 cache: 24 MB versus 30 MB. Memory support: DDR4 only versus DDR4 and DDR5. PCI Express: Gen 4 versus Gen 5, both with 20 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics: UHD Graphics (Xe-LP) versus UHD Graphics 770. Market segment: mobile versus desktop. Production status: end-of-life versus active. Release dates differ, with the i7 recorded as May 2021 and the i9 as January 2022. Multiplier: locked on the i7, unlocked on the i9. Die size: 190 mm² versus 215 mm². The i7 lists a part number, SRKU5, and a memory bandwidth figure of 51.2 GB/s; the i9 lists neither. The i9's launch MSRP is recorded as $494, while no launch MSRP is recorded for the i7. Fields that match include manufacturer, foundry, process node, memory bus, ECC support, L1 and L2 per-core cache sizes, and database percentile, where both sit at the 60th mark.