The Intel 12th Gen Core i9-12900K Review: Hybrid Performance Brings Hybrid Complexity
by Dr. Ian Cutress & Andrei Frumusanu on November 4, 2021 9:00 AM ESTCPU Benchmark Performance: DDR5 vs DDR4
Traditionally we test our memory settings at JEDEC specifications. JEDEC is the standards body that determines the requirements for each memory standard. In this case, the Core i9 supports the following aligning with those standards:
- DDR4-3200 CL22
- DDR5-4800B CL40*
There's an * next to the DDR5 for a couple of reasons. First, when asked, Intel stated that 4800A (CL34) was the official support, however since the technical documents have now been released, we've discovered that it is 4800B (CL40). Secondly, 4800B CL40 technically only applies to 1 module per 64-bit channel on the motherboard, and only when the motherboard has two 64-bit slots to begin with. We covered Intel's memory support variants in a previous article, and in this instance, we're using DDR5-4800B memory in our testing.
As explained in our SPEC section, DDR5 memory not only brings bandwidth improvements but also the increased number of channels (4x32-bit vs 2x64-bit) means that the memory can be better utilized as threads pile on the memory requests. So while we don't see much improvement in single threaded workloads, there are a number of multi-threaded workloads that would love the increased performance.
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Spunjji - Friday, November 5, 2021 - link
This. People often get halfway through the analogy and then give up when they think it's made their argument for them.Dribble - Sunday, November 7, 2021 - link
The having lots of potential power and high power consuption is exactly what mobile phones and laptop cpu's do. That Intel do that in desktops too is not surprising.Spunjji - Friday, November 5, 2021 - link
99% of users don't need a 12900K. Presumably the people who do are likely to use it for these tasks where it will actually show a performance improvement over a cheaper CPU (accepting that some people overspend for e-peen reasons and will buy one for gaming where a 12600K would do just as well).lmcd - Friday, November 5, 2021 - link
99.9999999999% of users don't need a 12900K peak performance constantly, even if they will use the peak performance sometimes, including times when it definitely counts.I won't lie and say I have the best of the best, but Zen 2 vs Zen 1 cut down my build times noticeably. That helps keep me in flow, even if it's only saving me a few minutes per day. For people like me with ADHD or other attention-related issues, this can be a massive boon.
brucethemoose - Thursday, November 4, 2021 - link
Does efficiency really matter for top end desktop SKUs? Intel/AMD tend to clock these near their voltage walls, WAY outside the "sweet spot" of a given architecture, and you can get a boatload of efficiency back just dropping boost clocks by 10% yourself.Now, if the laptop SKUs end up being power hungry, thats a different story.
Blastdoor - Thursday, November 4, 2021 - link
Same core design, same process. So.... I'm sure Intel will lower clocks for mobile and servers to get power usage down, but once they lower the clocks, how will the performance compare?meacupla - Thursday, November 4, 2021 - link
For now, efficiency doesn't matter for desktops, but in a few years time, we are very likely to see laws passed that will mandate high efficiency in high end desktops.There are already some legislation in the works that calls for exactly this, but have not been passed yet.
TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, November 4, 2021 - link
And how, pray tell, are they going to legislate that? Max power usage for a CPU? We've already seen how california tried it, and predictably they made a mess of it.INB4 intel just refuses to sell anything but a celeront o californians and mysteriously tech resellers in arizona get a bunch of cali orders. Hmmmm.....
meacupla - Thursday, November 4, 2021 - link
don't ask me, IDK how law makers will do it. Just be aware that there are some really dumb laws that are already in existence, and the world is going to be entering an age of power shortages, along with carbon neutral incentives.Considering how things are going currently, I think it'll just be a 100% tax on desktop CPUs that can't hit some efficiency metric that Apple has designed.
Wrs - Thursday, November 4, 2021 - link
Doubtful given how poorly the existing law works. All they do is measure computer idle wattage. The lawmakers aren't techies. And they're busy handling the blowback from carbon neutrality bills that the pubic believes are related to power shortages and cost spikes.