PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i5-12500E

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $225 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Ryzen 9 5980HS

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.2% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,257 vs 20,411).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-12500E moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Core i5-12500E

2022

Ryzen 9 5980HS

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of FP6 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.2% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $225 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,257 vs 20,411).
❌Older platform position on FP6 with DDR4, while Core i5-12500E moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12500E better than Ryzen 9 5980HS?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HS is ahead with a 15.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12500E pulls ahead with 0.8% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12500E is the better fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core i5-12500E is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12500E is at an unclear MSRP at $225 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.8% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 9 5980HS is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 15.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (90.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core i5-12500E is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2021), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of FP6, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i5-12500E Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 5980HS Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12500E	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	178 FPS	277 FPS
medium	156 FPS	250 FPS
high	129 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	108 FPS	180 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	241 FPS
medium	125 FPS	195 FPS
high	102 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	140 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	168 FPS
medium	74 FPS	138 FPS
high	59 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	93 FPS

Open Core i5-12500E Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12500E	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	488 FPS	506 FPS
medium	416 FPS	464 FPS
high	351 FPS	390 FPS
ultra	309 FPS	342 FPS
1440p
low	424 FPS	485 FPS
medium	369 FPS	407 FPS
high	320 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	273 FPS	294 FPS
4K
low	284 FPS	334 FPS
medium	252 FPS	288 FPS
high	232 FPS	263 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	227 FPS

Open Core i5-12500E Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12500E	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	510 FPS	506 FPS
medium	510 FPS	506 FPS
high	510 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	510 FPS	506 FPS
1440p
low	510 FPS	506 FPS
medium	510 FPS	506 FPS
high	467 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	410 FPS	463 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	506 FPS
medium	364 FPS	469 FPS
high	313 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	252 FPS	348 FPS

Open Core i5-12500E Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12500E	Ryzen 9 5980HS
1080p
low	510 FPS	506 FPS
medium	510 FPS	506 FPS
high	510 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	510 FPS	506 FPS
1440p
low	510 FPS	506 FPS
medium	510 FPS	506 FPS
high	510 FPS	506 FPS
ultra	510 FPS	477 FPS
4K
low	510 FPS	506 FPS
medium	503 FPS	463 FPS
high	444 FPS	410 FPS
ultra	380 FPS	346 FPS

Open Core i5-12500E Open Ryzen 9 5980HS

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12500E and Ryzen 9 5980HS

Core i5-12500E

The Core i5-12500E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 20,411 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 9 5980HS

The Ryzen 9 5980HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HS (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,257 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12500E packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen 9 5980HS offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Ryzen 9 5980HS has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core i5-12500E versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HS — a 6.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5980HS (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i5-12500E uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (10 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HS uses Cezanne-HS (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12500E scores 20,411 against the Ryzen 9 5980HS's 20,257 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i5-12500E. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12500E vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HS.

Feature	Core i5-12500E	Ryzen 9 5980HS
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz	4.8 GHz+7%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3 GHz+3%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+13%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512K (per core)
Process	10 nm	7 nm-30%
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Cezanne-HS (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	20,411	20,257
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,528	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,168	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,615	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12500E uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HS uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800 on the Core i5-12500E versus LPDDR4-4266 on the Ryzen 9 5980HS — the Core i5-12500E supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-12500E supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Core i5-12500E) vs 16 (Ryzen 9 5980HS) — the Core i5-12500E offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i5-12500E	Ryzen 9 5980HS
Socket	LGA1700	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800+25%	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+300%	32 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	20+25%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 5980HS has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-12500E) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5980HS). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 770 (Core i5-12500E) and Radeon Graphics (8CU) (Ryzen 9 5980HS) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12500E targets Workstation, Ryzen 9 5980HS targets Mobile High-End. Direct competitor: Core i5-12500E rivals EPYC 7413.

Feature	Core i5-12500E	Ryzen 9 5980HS
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 770	Radeon Graphics (8CU)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Workstation	Mobile High-End