Intel Core i7-13700HX vs Intel Core i9-12900HX Comparison

The Intel Core i9-12900HX and Intel Core i7-13700HX are both 16-core, 24-thread mobile processors built for high-performance laptops, yet their benchmark profiles reveal a clear split in strengths. The older Alder Lake-based i9-12900HX dominates the head-to-head comparison, winning 18 of 23 tests, with its largest margins coming in multi-threaded rendering workloads. However, the newer Raptor Lake-based i7-13700HX counters with victories in several math-intensive PassMark tests and single-thread PassMark scores, making the choice between them dependent on whether sustained multi-core workloads or peak integer performance matters more.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i9-12900HX is the clear winner for multi-core productivity and rendering tasks. Its most decisive victory comes in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where it scores 23150 against the i7-13700HX's 20479, a substantial 13% advantage. This pattern repeats across the Cinebench suite, with the i9-12900HX leading by 8.8% in R15 multi-core (3566 vs 3277) and 4.2% in R20 multi-core (11764 vs 11290). For users running CPU-bound 3D rendering, video encoding, or scientific simulation, the data consistently favors the i9-12900HX, which also edges ahead in 3DMark max threads with a 0.9% margin (9067 vs 8988).

The i7-13700HX's wins are narrower but concentrated in specific compute patterns. It takes PassMark integer math with a score of 116617 versus 113416 (a 2.7% lead) and floating-point math at 85863 versus 84410 (1.7% ahead). It also wins PassMark single-thread with 3819 against 3745 (1.9% higher) and edges out the i9-12900HX in 3DMark 4-thread (3738 vs 3729). These results suggest the i7-13700HX has slightly better per-core efficiency for lightweight, latency-sensitive workloads, even though its overall multi-core scores trail.

For everyday mixed usage, the i9-12900HX still holds advantages in PassMark multithread (33158 vs 32637, 1.6% ahead) and data compression (400636 vs 392725, 2% ahead). The i7-13700HX is not a weak performer—it sits at the 84th percentile against all CPUs, matching the i9-12900HX's percentile—but its wins are limited to a narrower set of benchmarks.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i9-12900HX has an average benchmark score of 35003, while the Intel Core i7-13700HX averages 34554, a difference of roughly 1.3%.

Q: How much faster is the i9-12900HX in Cinebench R23 multi-core?

A: The i9-12900HX scores 23150 in Cinebench R23 multi-core compared to the i7-13700HX's 20479, giving the i9 a 13% advantage—the largest margin in any benchmark between the two.

Q: Does the i7-13700HX win any benchmark by a significant margin?

A: Yes, the i7-13700HX leads in PassMark integer math by 2.7% (116617 vs 113416) and PassMark single-thread by 1.9% (3819 vs 3745), though these are smaller margins than the i9's multi-core wins.

Q: Do both processors have the same core and thread counts?

A: Yes, both have 16 cores and 24 threads, and both have a 55 W TDP and a 5.00 GHz boost clock.

Q: Which processor is newer and what is its die size?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700HX was released on 2023-01-03, while the i9-12900HX launched on 2022-05-09. The i7 has a larger die size at 257 mm² compared to the i9's 215 mm².

Q: How do these processors compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The i9-12900HX is within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-14500HX (which scores 35094) and 0.1% of the Intel Core 7 253PTE (34962). The i7-13700HX is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (34260) and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single margin in the entire comparison belongs to the i9-12900HX in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where its 23150 score beats the i7-13700HX's 20479 by a full 13%. This is no small gap; it translates to meaningfully faster rendering times in CPU-bound 3D applications. The i9-12900HX also shows a strong 8.8% lead in Cinebench R15 multi-core (3566 vs 3277) and a 4.2% lead in Cinebench R20 multi-core (11764 vs 11290), demonstrating that its multi-core advantage scales across different versions of the same workload.

Beyond Cinebench, the i9-12900HX takes PassMark physics with a 5.5% margin (2012 vs 1908) and PassMark random string sorting with 5.2% (43877 vs 41717). It also leads in PassMark find prime numbers by 6.5% (132 vs 124), a test that stresses integer throughput in a specific algorithmic pattern. In 3DMark tests, the i9-12900HX wins all but one, with margins ranging from 0.2% in 2-thread (1994 vs 1990) to 0.9% in max threads (9067 vs 8988).

The i7-13700HX's wins are all under 3%, but they are consistent in their category. Its 2.7% lead in PassMark integer math (116617 vs 113416) and 1.7% lead in floating-point math (85863 vs 84410) show that for pure arithmetic throughput, the i7-13700HX is the better chip. It also takes PassMark single-thread by 1.9% (3819 vs 3745) and narrowly wins 3DMark 4-thread with 3738 vs 3729 (0.2%). These are smaller deltas than the i9's multi-core victories, meaning the i9-12900HX has the more decisive overall performance profile.

Specification Differences

The two processors share many core specifications: both have 16 cores, 24 threads, a 55 W TDP, a 5.00 GHz boost clock, and use the Intel BGA 1964 socket. Both support DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, include UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics, and offer PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU. They also both have 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 80 KB of L1 cache per core.

The key differences lie in base clock, L2 cache, die size, and release date. The i9-12900HX has a 2.30 GHz base clock, while the i7-13700HX operates at a slightly lower 2.10 GHz base. The i7-13700HX compensates with a larger L2 cache of 2 MB per core, compared to the i9-12900HX's 1.25 MB per core. The i7 also has a larger die size at 257 mm² versus the i9's 215 mm², likely reflecting the additional cache. The i9-12900HX was released on 2022-05-09, while the i7-13700HX came later on 2023-01-03.

Both processors have the same 84th percentile ranking against all CPUs and both are marked as active in production. The i9-12900HX has a launch MSRP of $606, and the i7-13700HX has a launch MSRP of $485. Both have unlocked multipliers, and both support ECC memory.

Architecture Differences

The i9-12900HX is built on Intel's Alder Lake architecture, specifically the Alder Lake-HX codename, while the i7-13700HX uses the newer Raptor Lake architecture with the Raptor Lake-HX codename. Despite the architectural generation gap, both are fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process node. The die size difference—215 mm² for Alder Lake-HX versus 257 mm² for Raptor Lake-HX—suggests the newer architecture uses more silicon area, likely for the increased L2 cache.

The cache hierarchy differs notably in L2: the i9-12900HX provides 1.25 MB per core, while the i7-13700HX offers 2 MB per core. This 60% increase in per-core L2 cache is a primary architectural differentiator. L1 cache remains identical at 80 KB per core, and L3 is the same at 30 MB shared. The larger L2 cache on the i7-13700HX likely contributes to its wins in integer and floating-point math, where more data can be kept closer to the cores.

Both architectures share the same memory controller capabilities (DDR4, DDR5, dual-channel) and PCIe implementation (Gen 5, 20 lanes). The integrated graphics are identical (UHD Graphics 770), and both support ECC memory. The core count is the same at 16, and both use a 10 nm process from Intel's own foundry. The architectural refresh from Alder Lake to Raptor Lake does not change the base process node, but the benchmark data shows the i9-12900HX's older architecture still delivers superior multi-core performance, while the i7-13700HX's newer design improves specific math-oriented workloads and single-thread PassMark performance.