Core i7 12700K and Core i5 12400F: performance analysis

Our benchmark results are presented a little differently to what you might be used to elsewhere on the web. On mobile, you'll get a basic overview, with metadata from the video capture of each GPU being translated into simple bar charts with average frame-rate and lowest one per cent measurements for easy comparisons.

On a desktop-class browser, you'll get the full-fat experience with embedded YouTube videos of each test scene and live performance metrics. Play the video, and you'll see exactly how each card handled the scene as it progresses; you can even choose exactly what GPUs at what resolutions you're interested in and it'll update in real time. Below the real-time stuff is a bar chart, which you can mouse over to see different measurements and click to switch between actual frame-rates and percentage differences. As always, all the data here is derived from video captured directly from each GPU, ensuring an accurate replay of real performance.

We'll start with three recent additions to our CPU test suite designed to offer a stern test for even modern CPUs: Flight Simulator 2020 and Hitman 3.

Flight Simulator 2020

Flight Sim is up first, as we take an autopilot flight from London City to London Heathrow over some of the city's most well-known landmarks. This game is incredibly heavy on the CPU, even at 1440p and Ultra settings, and CPUs generally fit into different tiers based on their core count and speed. The 12700K sits in the same band as the 12600K, 11900K, 5950X and 5600X at around 55fps, while the 12900K sits alone at the top of the pile with a 10 percent higher frame-rate - just about a 60fps average. Meanwhile, the 12400F and 11600K are about 10 percent slower than our 'median' CPU. An average of 50fps puts a hypothetical 12400F PC well within the 40-60fps window that can be smoothed out by a VRR display, so it's still a decent result - and impressive for a budget Core i5!

Hitman 3

Hitman 3's Dartmoor benchmark comes next. Of the two integrated benchmarks provided in the game's out-of-game option menu, Dartmoor offers the greater CPU load with a demonstration of the Glacier Engine's destruction physics. The 12700K sits comfortably between the Core i9 and Core i5 we tested initially, 10 percent faster than the 12600K and around 10 percent slower than the 12900K. Meanwhile, the 12400F is a few percentage points faster than last year's 11600K, but you get about 10 percent better performance by going with the faster-clocked (and E-core equipped) 12600K. In terms of the AMD competition, the £175 Core i5 12400F is tied with the £240 Ryzen 5 5600X.

It's interesting stuff so far with some strong results for our new 12th-gen competitors, so let's take a look at the next set of games - which include three popular competitive FPS titles, spanning from 2012 to 2021.

Intel Core i7 12700K and Core i5 12400F analysis

• Introduction, test rig and content creation benchmarks
• Gaming benchmarks: Flight Simulator 2020, Hitman 3 [This Page]
• Gaming benchmarks: CS:GO, Metro Exodus EE, Black Ops Cold War
• Gaming benchmarks: Cyberpunk 2077, Far Cry 6, Crysis 3 Remastered
• Gaming benchmarks: Memory bandwidth analysis
• Intel Core i7 12700K and Core i5 12400F: the Digital Foundry verdict