Intel Core i9-12900K: What Reddit Really Thinks

Well it's a 3 year old Processor on a dead platform (no new CPU's coming) so you will have to buy a new mainboard if you want to upgrade (13th and 14th gen exist though) Also unless you need all the cores you would be better off with a 9800x3d for gaming in basically any scenario.

It's pretty outrageous how far past the efficiency point CPUs and GPUs are pushed out of the box these days. I tested my 2070 Super today and I lose something like 4-5% performance by limiting the power to 70%, and only 10-15% performance at 48% power limit.

In reality, it's fine, was it the most optimal choice? probably not. but its a good cpu and will last a long time and unless you're trying to hit 300+ fps in every game cpu matters so little anyways as long as its not hilariously outdated

5 years ago this would have been sold as a 125 watt chip and the majority of enthusiasts would have tuned/overclocked to around that 175 watt point. They really are pushing these things uncomfortably past the sweet spot of the power/performance curve.

It's a perfectly fine processor, idk if it's the best price to performance ratio but you'll be fine, whoever 'almost yelled' at you is either dramatic or an arsehole

I upgraded from a 12900k to the 9800x3D and honestly can't tell a difference gaming on 4k. It's an amazing CPU and if you got a good deal on it than just enjoy it and save your money for the upcoming Nvidia 5000 series GPUs.

12th gen was GOAT, just recently built system with 12700K.

The 13700K is basically an improved 12900K. It looks like the 13700K is $550 CAD plus tax at most stores … so it's not like you overpaid, but the extra expense might've been worth it. Still, nothing wrong with the 12900K! Using one myself.

12900K and 13900K longevity is virtually identical. Those additional 8 e-cores do NOT make any difference to 99% of usual home usage including gaming.

I'm rocking a 12900k. It runs like a beast. Nothing to regret by using it, it's a great cpu.

As great as application performance looks, it does come at the cost of enormous power usage. Whereas the 5950X saw total system consumption reach 221 watts with a bit faster performance, the 12900K peaked at over 350 watts. That's a 60% increase in total system power usage which is an astronomical difference.

Yes it is a fact that at 4k, there isn't much gap difference in FPS between the CPUs due to GPU bound. Hopefully the new RTX5090 can stretch 9800x3d to make a noticeable difference.

12900k is just fine. 9900k, 14700k, 5600x3d….I can't tell the difference between any of them gaming. Just about any modern processor is going to crush it at 1440p and above.

Your choice is perfectly fine. You saved yourself a bunch of cash and this processor will last you many years.

It's interesting how well the 12th gen held up. They are still really good processors even today and are so cheap now. They should be the 2025 starter PC recommendation for sure.

Stop overthinking it and enjoy your build, that is still a good combo and 12900k is strong enough CPU to handle RTX 4070 Super just fine. Switching to 7800x3D/9800x3D is not worth the money when you already have your build

Not too bad. Roughly matches the 14600K in gaming with a slight advantage in multi-core performance. 2 more performance cores with no instability issues like 13th/14th (however they seem to have fixed it). I'd say it's a pretty good deal if you don't plan on going AMD.

Have to give credit where credits due - Intel have extracted performance in any way possible, notably power and heat. It feels like an overclocked 11th gen. The real threat to track remains the next processor node.

Just built with a 12900k and 4070 super. It's a great cpu and saves you a boat load of money. Don't let the haters bug you, it's plenty fast.

Not worth it, 12900K is fine. The only thing you should do is move up to 32GB of RAM, 16GB just isn't enough these days for high spec gaming. Put it this way, 12900K and 13700K are very close in gaming, my 13700K is within 5 FPS of my 9800X3D in MH:W with a 4090.

I was planning to upgrade to Ultra 9 285K before the launch, but I'm sticking with my 12900k for another year or more. I hope future Ultra 9s will not disappoint.

That's a great build, definitely not worth it to upgrade, especially not before you notice a problem yourself. Don't be swayed by all the AMD bias in these subs.

Intel really should have released it at 175w (95% perf). But then again I understand why they didn't.

14600k is faster, cheaper and runs cooler

13700K being so much faster than 12900K at times was a pleasant surprise ngl.

Been rocking a 12900k with a 3080ti for 3 years now, still runs like a charm. Will likely be fine for the next couple of years on 1440.

Keeping my 12700k. In my situation, it isn't worth upgrading to a 13/14th gen since I'm on ddr4. I feel the uplift really doesn't justify the cost. I'm tempted by the 9800x3d, but I am just going to wait out another gen or 2. It's bittersweet. I feel Alder Lake aged so well, but I definitely can't scratch my upgrade itch with 13/14th gen lol.

12900k, $250. 9800X3D, $778 on Amazon. 12900k isn't a bad CPU. It does run hot. and it is a few generations old. But it will give you 13700K performance. If money is no object, 9800X3D. If you have a budget and can squeeze the 12900K into it, go for it.

The 13/14 series literally rots itself.

For intel lovers the best choice is to get an 12900ks it has decent performance without risk of degradation. Also it can be found cheap on sales or bundle deals. Going new gen intels is a dead end.

12900k is very similar to 13700k, and it seems like you paid less than you would have for a 13700k. Doesn't seem like a mistake to me. 12900k is a great processor. And the new 14th gen should be the same socket when they are released, so most likely they'll work with the same motherboard you're using for your 12900k.

12900k is a great CPU if you're good with tweaking to get the heat right.

I got a 12900k / mobo bundle pretty cheap last summer. loving the cpu, I do a lot of home recording and it's rock solid.

I also have a 12900k and it has been great. I have it paired with a 7900 XT and 32Gb DDR4. I have no noticeable bottlenecks in anything I throw at it.

Great CPU and combo. There are just many sour Intel haters on Reddit because they fkd up 13 and 14 gen a little. Not performance wise but the whole degradation issue which took many months to resolve. AMD X3D CPUs offer more gaming performance however you will be GPU bottlenecked in games most of the time unless you get a 4090 or something and play games at 200+ fps competitively.

I have a 12900kf and a 4070 super, 32gb ddr5 on a msi z690 pro-a. I love it!

You are overthinking it. You upgraded your multicore performance by 500% and you are concerned that you did not upgrade it by 550%, if you are really worried in 2 years or so you will be able to pick up bargain bin 14700k and plop it on the same motherboard. Dont lose any sleep over it.

nah bud this is buyer's remorse. 12900k is a insanely fast CPU. you'll have plenty of good years of gaming

I have a 12900K and a 4080 TI super, and I'm convinced I wont be upgrading. By the time this rig is outdated I'll have kids going into kindergarten. The 12900k + 4070 S / TS is fucking bananas. Paired with a 1440 165hz LG monitor I got for $150 new and its literally everything I ever need for gaming. Crushes 1440 165 HZ games.

Nothing wrong with what you built. Did a similar build for myself last year mid summer: 12900ks, MSI Z690 Unify, DDR5 32GB 6000, 4070Ti Super 16GB. You should be getting really quite decent results with that setup tbh.

I have a Covid build 12900k and 4080 FE, I can play AAA titles at 4K ultra settings for around 40 fps, medium-high settings can be 80-120 fps. I usually mess with the settings until I get that range. Not gonna upgrade for a long time unless NVIDIA reaches out to me.

I have a 12900ks on custom water and I can beat my friends 13900k with the same gpu and board on an expensive AIO. Don't over think it.

I bought mine in Sep 2022. I've ran it with a 3080 ti and 32gb of ram and so far I can still run any game on ultra graphics. I am thinking about upgrading my graphics card though just to keep up with the times.