When the first wave of Intel's 12th generation Core processors was tested, Chen Ba used the new DDR5 memory on the test platform, please see:

Intel's 12th generation Core i9-12900K processor measured the top flagship to create a performance ceiling

Intel Core i5-12600K processor is a true mid-level powerhouse that exerts the advantages of heterogeneous cores

The first wave of DDR5 memory performance hits CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 memory VIP set out-of-the-box measurement

Kingston FURY Renegade SSD and Beast DDR5 memory set return to the gaming market with top specifications

However, because the DDR5 memory is the new specification BAT54SDW-7, and the current important role in the DDR5 memory module: the power control chip PMIC is out of stock, the DDR5 memory is currently in a state of high price and low quantity (how to display The card is a bit like, the computer is really expensive at this time), which also makes many users hesitate to upgrade to DDR5 memory. Fortunately, Intel's 12th generation Core processors and Z690 motherboard chipsets are not one-size-fits-all in terms of memory support. The 12th generation Core processors can still support DDR4 models">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model"> DDR4 Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model">DDR4Model ">DDR4 model">DDR4 model">DDR4 memory, so in the Z690 chipset motherboard part, there are still manufacturers that use DDR4 memory module slots, so Chen Ba will take a look this time, after matching DDR4 memory , whether the Intel 12th generation Core processor can perform as it should.

Matching motherboard and memory

In the part of matching motherboard and memory, Chen Ba borrowed ASUS TUF GAMING Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 this time, and the matching DDR4 memory is CORSAIR VENGENCE RS DDR4-3600 8Gx4 module. In addition to applying the memory XMP profile, Other parts are automatically set by the motherboard. The following are the parameters of the test platform:

Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING Z690 PLUS WIFI D4

Memory: CORSAIR VENGENCE RS DDR4-3600 8Gx4

System SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 FE

Power supply: Seasonic TX-1000

Cooling system: ROG RYUJIN 2 360 AIO

Operating system: Windows 11 Pro 21H2

However, ASUS TUF GAMING Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 belongs to the cheaper version of the Z690 chipset product line in terms of product positioning. The processor power supply is weaker than that of the Z690 product line using DDR5 memory modules. It uses 14+1 DrMOS Power level, 80A per phase configuration, for this generation's high-demand processor power supply wattage, it is matched with the top-level i9-12900K. The design of TUF GAMING Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 is relatively tight, but ASUS uses 6-layer PCB, ProCool Slots, alloy inductors and long-lasting capacitors are designed to provide the stability of the processor's power supply, so during the overall test with the i9-12900K processor, the TUF GAMING Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 can still be set at 5.0 GHz stably operate.

With Intel Core i9-12900K processor and ASUS TUF GAMING Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 motherboard, the information displayed in CPU-Z.

The memory part uses the VENGENCE RGB RS DDR4 memory module launched by CORSAIR for gaming and visual lighting fans. The specification is DDR4-3600 C18, and the capacity configuration is 8GB x4.

As for the performance comparison, in addition to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X listed earlier, Chen Ba also tested the Ryzen 9 5900X processor for comparison. The following are the parameters of the AMD test platform:

Motherboard: ROG Crosshair VIII X570 Dark Hero

Memory: CORSAIR VENGENCE RS DDR4-3600 8Gx4

System SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 FE

Power supply: Seasonic TX-1000

Cooling system: ROG RYUJIN 2 360 AIO

Operating system: Windows 11 Pro 21H2

In addition, Chen Ba also included the previous test data with DDR5 memory for reference, so that partners can see the difference in performance between DDR5 memory and DDR4 memory.

Intel 12th Gen Core Processor with DDR4 Memory Benchmark Results

processor core performance test

Next, no nonsense, let’s look at the test data directly. First of all, in terms of the performance of pure core performance, CPU-Z, 7-Zip, WinRAR, Sisoftware Sandra four sets of software are used to perform processor core, file compression/decompression, etc. Performance test, the following are the test results:

It can be seen that in terms of core performance alone, after the i9-12900K processor is equipped with DDR4 memory, some memory-related performance has indeed declined.

Multimedia Performance Test

Then use X264 FHD BENCHMARK, X265 BENCHMARK, Sissoftware, CINEBENCH R15/R20/ R23 and other software to test the performance of the processor in video encoding, pixel processing and image rendering speed. The following are the test results:

As far as the test results are concerned, after switching to DDR4 memory, the performance of Intel's 12th generation Core processor does not have much effect on the rendering performance. Lower DDR4 memory leads the test numbers with DDR5 memory on some tests.

memory performance test

Next, let's look at the performance of Intel's 12th generation Core processor in the memory performance part. The AIDA64 Engineer version is used. The test results on the test platform are all turned on XMP profile, and the DDR4 memory clock is set at 3600MHz, and the timing is Tested to the specifications of C18. Unfortunately, in this test, the AIDA64 Engineer 650 version used still has some problems with the Z690 chipset, and the data cannot be displayed in the delay part, so it is not included in the comparison here.

The test results of the memory test project of AIDA64 Engineer software show that the transmission bandwidth of DDR5 memory is indeed much higher than that of DDR4.

game performance test

Next, let's look at the performance of the processor in the game performance part, using the 3DMark test software and the actual game to test, to see how it performs in the running score software and the actual game.

3DMark benchmark

The first is in the part of the 3DMark test software, mainly through five test items such as 3DMark Time SPY/Time SPY Extreme, FireStrike Extreme/Ultra and CPU Profile to see the performance of the processor in game performance. The following are the test results:

In addition, in 3DMark's new processor performance test CPU Profile, the performance performance of single-thread and full-thread respectively.

In the test results of 3DMark, it can be seen that after switching to DDR4 memory, the performance is slightly behind when compared with DDR5 memory, but the gap is not large, and compared with the competitor AMD, it has a certain degree of lead.

1080p gaming performance test

In the actual game performance part, Chen Ba used the main 3A masterpiece games for testing, game styles include: "Tom Clancy's The Division 2" (Tom Clancy's The Division 2), "Watch Dogs: Freedom Legion" ( WatchDogs: Legion), FarCry 6, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Borderlands 3 ( Seven games such as Borderland 3) and "F1 2021" were set at 1080p resolution and tested with the game's highest picture quality and full special effects. The following are the test results:

In the game performance performance at 1080p resolution, it can be seen that after matching with DDR4 memory, the performance of the game part has not been significantly improved, but there is still a downward trend in some games, so the same as the previous conclusion, if the main purpose If it is used to play games, choosing DDR4 memory is still a relatively cheap and efficient choice at present.

Processor daily work performance test

Next, let's look at the performance test of the processor in daily work applications. The test tools used include BAPCO's new cross-platform work performance test software CrossMark, UL's Procyon test software, PCMark 10 test software, WebXPRT 3 test web page, and test AI. Nero AI Photo Tagger photo classification software, etc.

The first is the common PCMark 10 work application performance test software, which includes basic performance, work productivity, content creation and game performance. In addition, in the PCMark 10 Application test, performance tests were conducted for individual applications of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other programs. The following are the test results:

Test summary

As far as the test results are concerned, even if the Intel 12th generation Core processor is paired with DDR5 memory, it has a leading edge in most of the actual performance test results. The performance gap between the 12600K processor and the DDR5 test group is not that big in most usage scenarios. If you look at the current price difference between DDR5 memory and DDR4 memory, if you want to install it, the DDR4 memory is still Intel's 12th generation. The most cost-effective choice of processors.

As for the same DDR4 memory setting compared with the competitor AMD processors, most of Intel's 12th generation Core processors maintain a leading or flat situation, and through the heterogeneous core design, they can compete with more competitors. Products with the number of threads have a higher level of strength, but unfortunately, in terms of power consumption and heat generation, even if DDR4 memory is used, it is still a problem that plagues Intel processor users.

Another problem is the positioning of the motherboard. Currently, the Z690 chipset motherboard with DDR4 memory specification is limited in the overall design due to the positioning factor. For example, Chen Ba borrowed the TUF GAMING Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 from ASUS this time. , in addition to the reduction in the power supply specifications of the processor, there is also a lack of high-end port settings such as Thunderbolt 4. We can only see if the motherboard manufacturers will adjust the product online in the future. Some also open higher-level settings.