Honestly 5 star processor no doubt about it. This mid to high end CPU to me is where Intel really shines. I know AMD have always been very good on their price to performance,
but I recommend anyone looking for a CPU on a reasonable budget to definitely consider the i5 12600k. With all the hype generally being centered around the i7 & i9 processors these days,
i feel as though the i5 range (which 6 - 10 years ago received just as much hype) doesn't now get the attention it deserves and seems to be pushed to the back bench.
At 3.7ghz (4.9ghz boost!) for the performance and 3.6ghz for the efficentcy cores, making a 10 core, 16 thread beast, this absolutely flies in content creation and games! I upgraded from a 6600k and
straight away the performance was insane. Never did i ever think that the i5 range would move out of the quad core seat it was ever so used to being placed in.
The efficiency cores make good use of keeping the background processes chruning while you can enjoy the full potentional of the CPU during the long gaming sessions. Downloading games in the background
and not having to take a hit or wait during your gaming sessions has never been so seemless, and for those making use during photo or video editing this also applies in a very similar way.
The processor does make use of the new DDR5 memory (RAM) but until that stabalises and reaches a more attractive price point, i really don't feel it being neccesary. For gamers, this would make a very
incremental perfomance increase, if any, from the reviews and benchmarks i have seen. So as you can guess i remained with the sensible DDR4 motherboard option.
Now if you're debating between this or the AMD equivelant (5700x) at the same price point, my only question would be, do you already have an AM4 motherboard or looking to upgrade your motherboard?
If you're looking to upgrade the CPU and have an AM4 motherboard, well, i'd say to go with the 5700x and save yourself some money or put the extra money elsewhere, but if you're looking to upgrade
completely then i suggest the i5 without a doubt.