AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i9-12900K

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Ryzen 9 3950X compared with Core i9-12900K

	AMDRyzen 9 3950X	IntelCore i9-12900K
Overview
Released
Released	November 2019	November 2021
Cores and clocks
Cores
Cores	16	16 (8 performance, 8 efficiency)
Threads
Threads	32 (better)	24
Base clock
Base clock	3.5 GHz	3.2 GHz
Boost clock
Boost clock	4.7 GHz	5.2 GHz (better)
L3 cache
L3 cache	64 MB (better)	30 MB
Cores
Cores	Zen 2; Matisse; sixteen cores with simultaneous multithreading. Two fully enabled eight-core CPU chiplets (PC Perspective).	8 P-cores and 8 E-cores; 24 threads. Intel Thread Director supported.
Clocks
Clocks	Unlocked for overclocking; Precision Boost 2.	P-cores: 3.2 GHz base, up to 5.1 GHz Turbo Boost 2.0 and 5.2 GHz Turbo Boost Max 3.0; E-cores: 2.4 GHz base, up to 3.9 GHz turbo.
Cache
Cache	1024 KB L1; 8 MB L2; 64 MB L3.	30 MB Intel Smart Cache (L3); 14 MB total L2.
Graphics and AI
Built-in graphics
Built-in graphics	No	Yes
Graphics
Graphics	No integrated graphics; a separate graphics card is required.	Intel UHD Graphics 770; 32 execution units; 300 MHz base, up to 1.55 GHz; Quick Sync Video; up to four displays.
Platform
Socket
Socket	AM4	LGA1700
Base power
Base power	105 W	125 W
Maximum power
Maximum power	–	241 W
Unlocked
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
Cooler in the box
Cooler in the box	No	No
Memory support
Memory support	DDR4 UDIMM; two channels; up to 128 GB. Two single-rank or dual-rank modules support 3200 MT/s; four single-rank modules 2933 MT/s and four dual-rank modules 2667 MT/s. ECC requires motherboard support.	Up to 128 GB; two channels; DDR5-4800 or DDR4-3200; 76.8 GB/s; ECC supported with an appropriate platform.
PCIe
PCIe	PCIe 4.0; 24 native lanes in total, 20 usable. X570 adds 16 usable PCIe 4.0 lanes.	PCIe 5.0 and 4.0; 20 CPU lanes: 1 × 16 + 4 or 2 × 8 + 4; DMI 4.0 × 8.
Chipsets
Chipsets	AMD lists X570, X470, X370 and B450; check the motherboard's CPU support list and BIOS.	–
Process
Process	TSMC 7nm FinFET CPU cores.	Intel 7; Alder Lake; 45 × 37.5 mm package; 100°C maximum junction temperature.
Cooler
Cooler	No cooler included; liquid cooling recommended. AMD's November launch notice recommends an AIO with at least a 280 mm radiator. Maximum operating temperature 95°C.	No cooler included with the boxed K processor (Intel support).