In this review we take an in-depth look at the performance of Intel’s Core i7 12700F processor which is accessible among the most sought after features by home computer users
While we are entering the spring period of 2022 and the rash can be smelled outside, it seems that even in the hardware world there are buds of re-blooming for some markets.
While Intel officially launched its Alder Lake series of mobile and PC processors at the end of the year, the processor in this review took some time to reach the market and there are many who expected it to come for very justifiable reasons.
Intel’s 12th generation processor for desktops is mostly praised from every direction, when it’s very difficult to find “irrational” processors here, or what used to be called “sand waste” or “silicon waste”. From the discounted Core i3 12100 to the Core i9 12900K, it seems that every processor has something to offer for its price. The secret lies mostly behind Intel’s Golden Cove cores, the so-called P Core and they are juicy processing cores, rich in cache memory and computational capability. Games and a variety of software get the algae very nice in this intergenerational processor.
When launching so many processors into the market, one can come across striking examples of models that become significantly more lucrative for users compared to other models at similar prices, it is ultimately the nature of such a compressed product line.
A candidate for a leading product in its price range is the Core i7 12700F which we will examine in this review, a processor that continues a proud line of powerful but discounted processors from flagships that come to serve the audience with the goal of “something powerful but not overpriced”.
Our processor came a bit naked from Intel, but this is a Core i7 12700F at the shelf product level for all intents and purposes.
This processor contains eight P Core processing cores alongside four cost-effective E Core cores. Its basic operating frequency is 3.6GHz for large cores and 2.1GHz for cost-effective cores. The maximum frequency that the processor can reach is 4.9GHz for the single fastest P-core.
This processor has 25MB of cache memory for its processing cores. The defined heat envelope is up to 180W, and when there are no obstructions from the motherboard or cooling direction, this is the heat envelope in which the processor will operate regularly.
The use of the letter F in the name of the Core i7 12700F indicates that this processor does not have a built-in graphics core, and the user must implement a video card if he needs a display. Also, the lack of K in the model name means that this processor is not open to overclocking by changing the base frequency multiplication (BCLK).
This processor is available at the time of writing for less than NIS 1,500, which makes it significantly cheaper than processors such as the Core i7 12700K or Core i9 12900F, which cost about NIS 1,850 and 2,100, respectively. This is a serious difference.
All those who are interested in more technical details about the architecture – feel free to take a look at our previous reviews of processors and motherboards for Intel’s LGA1700 bracket, of course. Now, let’s move on to the performance tests for the Core i7 12700F.
Exam system and performance tests
After receiving a number of important updates, we decided to officially move our processor exam system to Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system. Also, we both have a number of tests in order to present two important endpoints to the processors being tested.
The exam system for Alder Lake processors includes:
The exam system for the 11th generation processors includes:
- ASUS Z590-E STRIX GAMING motherboard
- G.Skill TridentZ Royal DDR4 3600 CL16 8GBx2 memory
- Cooling Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black
The exam system for AMD processors includes:
- GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master Motherboard
- G.Skill TridentZ Royal DDR4 3600 CL16 8GBx2 memory
- Cooling Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black
Hardware used with all exam systems:
- MSI GeForce RTX 3080 GAMING X 10GB video card
- Kingston SSD RENEGADE 2TB M.2 storage
- ASUS THOR 1200W power supply
Examination philosophy
It is important for us to clarify that a full format of the system drive has been performed in the transition between the various test platforms when AMD performance is partially taken from our existing database. It is also important for us to clarify that although the Alder Lake system enjoyed an increased memory volume, all the tasks we performed were not intensive towards the system memory volume and by no means came close to 16GB of memory.
Each game performance test was performed in two settings – one that came to show how many frames per second the processor could produce in its descriptions, at least with exam system limitations. The second – comes to show the extreme state of use of a modern system today when the bottleneck in games usually rests on the video card. Therefore, the graphs described show potential versus realistic mode using a powerful graphics card, AMD’s Radeon RX 6900 XT.
In the Tomb Raider game as the maximum frame-per-second of the Core i7 12700F lands close to the Ryzen 7 5800X, its main competition today at a similar price tag. The Core i5 12600K which enjoys slightly higher clock frequencies gets to pick up here a slightly higher maximum performance, but not significantly.
Also in the Horizon Zero Dawn we see that in the two modes tested, both if most frames per second or less, the Core i7 12700F is practically the same as the performance we got with the Ryzen 7 5800X. The performance is very good, close to the flagship level which is the Core i9 12900K. It can be seen that the slower processors on the list such as the Core i5 11400F or Core i3 12100 will also see extremely inferior performance in both exam modes.
The game Overwatch brings the e-sports aspect and illustrates more clearly the differences between the processing power of different processors, both for a single core and for a large number of cores. Here the Core i9 12900K is far ahead, as it is powerful in both of these areas. The Core i7 12700F is given a slight lag behind the Ryzen 7 5800X while relying on CPU power as a bottleneck, but before the 5800X when the graphics load increases. This is a slight standard deviation, and can be called a negligible difference between them. The Core i5 12600K is the fastest in this trio, which shares fairly close price tags.
In the Final Fantasy XIV test, it appears that AMD’s processors have the upper hand. On the list of Intel processors, the Core i7 12700F delivered the same performance at 1440P but for some reason slightly higher than those of the Core i7 12700K. This is a complete deviation from the standard. There is a Core i5 12600K bypass here.
Dirt 5 is also a big fan of AMD but the performance differences here between the bottom line processors are negligible between the whole bunch of processors, using the formidable RX 6900 XT and also at low settings at the light 1080P. Still, one can see where the line between kids and men works, with the 11400F and 12100 not reaching the same potential status as the other processors on the list. This means that using a more powerful video card will not result in a significant improvement for them like others.
Another title that has been re-examined with this whole exam system is Borderlands 3. Also in this title we were surprised to see the Ryzen 7 5800X emerging to the top of the table. However, the actual performance was the same as that of the Core i9 12900K. The Core i7 12700F here is close behind the Core i5 12600K.
Passing on productivity tests. In the compression test the fastest processor among those tested is the Core i9 12900K and by a considerable margin. The Core i7 12700F here is adjacent to the K variant and is located significantly higher than any predecessor processor. On average. Its performance is also better than that of the RYZEN 5800X in this test.
In the rendering times of the 3D software the Blender Core i7 12700F shows the power of its core configurations. With eight juices and a little more help from four thin cores, the Core i7 12700F manages to screw up very high among the tested processors, and with a price tag of less than NIS 1,500 is considered the most affordable processor for this task among the new processors today. Its performance is very close to that of the 12-core RYZEN 9 5900X.
In the Cinebench R20 rendering test that uses the Cinema4D engine, the rendering performance of the Core i7 12700F is also significantly superior to everything else in the price range, and 43 percent higher than that of the RYZEN 7 5800X. This is not a competition.
In the unfortunate rendering test, which tests a long-range rendering of a scene with Denoise, it can be seen that the Core i7 12700F overtakes the Ryzen 7 5800X more easily and is next to the more agile Core i7 12700K.
Summary – the best of all worlds
According to the performance tests we conducted, it seems that the Core i7 12700F mainly enjoys the described Jack of all trades, master of none. That is, there is no common action in which this processor will be considered weak, at all. Still, this is a processor that contains eight of the most powerful processing cores in the silicon world alongside a “contra” of four efficient cores that definitely give improvements in a variety of multi-core rendering applications.
In gaming tests it can be seen that at least using the Radeon RX 6900 XT, the Core i7 12700F is found shoulder to shoulder with the Ryzen 7 5800X. Of course the difference between them is expected to change depending on the game, and specifically our game list is mostly in the enemy line, where the AMD logo can be seen rising in the rise of the game, probably thanks to its dominance in the console world.
When it comes to multi-core rendering, the Core i7 12700F hits the market with the Ryzen 7 5800X. This is not a competition, and the Alder Lake architecture shows here its developed muscles compared to AMD’s Zen 3 in the corresponding product lines. It is possible that the lead in this area over the competition is exactly what Intel needs in the desired market share of around NIS 1,500 for a processor.
A processor with such a budget is usually what you will find in productivity computers alongside gaming and content editing in advanced computers. These are the same users who would be happy to use the Core i9 12900K but the big price increase is probably unnecessary and better for investing in another share of the computer market. There will be a Core i7 12700F like a mini-12900K to make sure there is no lack of processing power in any general task that the computer has to perform.
The only asterisk for this processor is that if one wants to utilize its power fully and without limitation, a heat emission of 180W from it will require a fairly respectable heat sink. This is not the 241W craze we saw in the 12900K but quality air coolers that sometimes ask for 200 shekels and more are what you want it to sit on such a processor.
The Core i7 12700F is the Swiss Army Knife of processing power seekers in desktops. Rational price tag, respectable amount of processing cores, solid gaming performance and great productivity performance – what else can you add? Well, if you really want, a graphic core. For this purpose, by the way, there is the Core i7 12700 (without F) that contains exactly the same general processing power.
Recommended – Intel Core i7 12700F processor