Core i5-12600 bottleneck & gaming FPS

Ranked 105 of 201 desktop processors for gaming in our database (48th percentile). It can sustain roughly 121 fps in a typical AAA title regardless of resolution — that ceiling is what decides whether a graphics card is worth pairing with it.

SpecificationsAlder Lake · 2021

Architecture	Alder Lake
Cores	6
Threads	12
Boost clock	4,800 MHz
L3 cache	18 MB
TDP	65 W
Released	2021

Processor ceiling by game1080p, high

The frame rate this chip could sustain with an infinitely fast graphics card. It is almost the same at every resolution, because rendering more pixels gives the processor no extra work.

Game	CPU ceiling	With Radeon RX 6900 XT
Cyberpunk 2077	115 fps	83 fps
Fortnite	155 fps	153 fps
Counter-Strike 2	183 fps	181 fps
Baldur's Gate 3	105 fps	104 fps
Red Dead Redemption 2	138 fps	93 fps
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024	69 fps	68 fps

Best matched graphics cards1080p, high

Ranked by how little performance the pairing wastes. Anything much faster than the top entry will sit partly idle at this resolution — though it may still be worth it if you plan to move to 1440p or 4K.

Graphics card	Est. FPS	Unused
Radeon RX 6900 XT	119	1.3%
GeForce RTX 5070	119	2.7%
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20 GB	119	3.1%
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti	119	3.1%
Radeon RX 9070	119	3.6%
Radeon RX 6950 XT	119	3.9%

What a Core i5-12600 is good for

This chip is capable at 1080p with a mid-range card, but it will become the limit if you pair it with something substantially faster. If you are considering a large graphics upgrade, check the pairing first — you may find most of the new card sitting idle.

Moving to a higher resolution is the cheapest way to get more out of it, because it shifts work onto the card and away from the chip.

Where it sits

Ranked 105 of 201 desktop processors for gaming. Nearest faster: Ryzen 5 5600X, Ryzen 9 3950X. Just below: Ryzen 5 5500X3D, Ryzen 9 3900X. Full method on the methodology page.