Computer Forum
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) vs Intel Core i9-12900K
vs
Faster
Intel
Overall performance index
85,1
Rank 8 of 27 CPUs tested
MSRP US$589
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) is 21,5% faster on average
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced)
Intel Core i9-12900K
Individual tests: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) wins 24, Intel Core i9-12900K wins 3 (27 shared tests)
Performance by discipline
Gaming (720p)
+7,5 %
314,7fps
292,8fps
Multi-thread
+35,8 %
139,1points
102,4points
Single-thread
+22,8 %
155,5points
126,6points
Benchmarks
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced)
Intel Core i9-12900K
Other tested CPUs
Click a row to open the chart with every CPU tested; hover shows the gap in %.
Gaming (720p) – all CPUs tested
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) +7,5 %Individual results (10 tests)
VR Mark Orange Room 20.230 points 18.147 points +11,5 %
VR Mark Blue Room 6.473 points 6.363 points +1,7 %
Unigine Superposition 1.1 720p Low Punkte 37.928 points 45.316 points +19,5 %
Unigine Superposition720p, Low,FPS 283,7 fps 338,9 fps +19,5 %
Shadow of the Tomb RaiderLite, 720p 296,0 fps 233,0 fps +27,0 %
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark720p, Low 23.655 points 23.095 points +2,4 %
Resident Evil VILLAGE720p, Lite, DX12 280,8 fps 343,9 fps +22,5 %
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition720p, Low, Moscow 398,4 fps 255,2 fps +56,1 %
Fortnite720p, Low – 508,2 fps
Counter-Strike 2 412,2 fps 372,9 fps +10,5 %
Multi-thread – all CPUs tested
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) +35,8 %Individual results (16 tests)
7-ZipMIPS) 32 MB 179.823 MIPS 122.953 MIPS +46,3 %
Corona 1.3lower is better 40,0 s 55,0 s +37,5 %
HandBrake4GB Video-> HQ1080P30fpslower is better 610,0 s 815,0 s +33,6 %
WinRAR 6.0164-Bit-Version 45.477 KB/s 34.523 KB/s +31,7 %
Cinebench R15 Multi-Core 6.392 points 4.051 points +57,8 %
Cinebench R20 Multi-Core 16.592 points 10.540 points +57,4 %
3D Mark Time Spy ExtremeCPU 14.275 points 9.159 points +55,9 %
3D Mark Time SpyCPU 18.531 points 18.464 points +0,4 %
3DMark CPU BenchmarkMax Threads 18.953 points 11.769 points +61,0 %
3DMark CPU Benchmark16 Threads 14.881 points 10.311 points +44,3 %
3DMark CPU Benchmark8 Threads 9.669 points 7.731 points +25,1 %
3DMark CPU Benchmark4 Threads 5.050 points 4.139 points +22,0 %
3DMark CPU Benchmark2 Threads 2.730 points 2.111 points +29,3 %
Geekbench 5.5.1 CPUMulti-Thread 27.029 points 18.143 points +49,0 %
POV-Ray v3.7Multi-Thread 15.184 px/s 9.045 px/s +67,9 %
Cinebench R23 n-CoreMulti-Thread 42.618 points –
Single-thread – all CPUs tested
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) +22,8 %Individual results (4 tests)
3DMark CPU Benchmark1 Thread 1.389 points 1.063 points +30,7 %
Geekbench 5.5.1 CPUSingle-Thread 2.337 points 2.000 points +16,9 %
POV-Ray v3.7Single-Thread 938,0 px/s 736,0 px/s +27,4 %
Cinebench R23 1-CoreSingle-Thread 2.417 points –
Price / performance
Each dot is a CPU we tested – the further top-left, the more performance per euro.
Specifications
Key details
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Arrow Lake | Alder Lake |
| Series | Core Ultra 200 | Core 12000 |
| Release | Q4 2024 | Q4 2021 |
| Launch MSRP | US$589 | US$648 |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes | Yes |
Cores, clocks and cache
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / threads | 24 | 16 |
| Threads | 24 | 24 |
| Performance cores | 8 | 8 |
| Efficient cores | 16 | 8 |
| Base clock | 3.7 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Max boost clock | 5.7 GHz | 5.2 GHz |
| L2 cache | 40 MB | 14 MB |
| L3 cache | 36 MB | 30 MB |
Power and manufacturing
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| TDP / base power | 125 W | 125 W |
| Max turbo power | 250 W | 241 W |
| Process | n/a | Intel 7 |
| Max temperature (Tjmax) | 105 °C | 100 °C |
Platform and connectivity
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1851 | LGA1700 |
| Memory | Up to DDR5 6400 MT/s | Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s, Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s |
| Memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| PCI Express | PCIe 5.0 and 4.0 | PCIe 5.0 and 4.0 |
| PCIe lanes | 24 | 20 |
| Integrated graphics | Intel Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
Our measurements
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| System power idle | 78 W | 101 W |
| System power load | 309 W | 351 W |
| CPU package idle | 11.7 W | 18 W |
| CPU package load | 189 W | 212 W |
| Temperature idle | 34 °C | 29 °C |
| Temperature load | 74 °C | 86 °C |
| Highest measured clock | 5400 MHz (P) / 4600 MHz (E) | 5000 MHz |
Test system
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Balanced) | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| Test configuration | Balanced | n/a |
| Motherboard | ASUS ROG Strix Z890-F Gaming Wifi | n/a |
| Memory | Lexar ARES RGB Black DIMM Kit 32GB, DDR5-6400 | n/a |
| CPU cooler | DeepCool LS720 | n/a |
| Operating system | Windows 11 23H2 | Windows 11 21H2 |
| Settings | DDR5-6400, Ultimate Leistung, Intel Presets, 10.1.19867.8574 chipset · Ausbalanciert, wegen vergleich | DDR5-5200 |
Buy
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
No offer in our shop network right now.
MSRP: US$589
Intel Core i9-12900K
No offer in our shop network right now.
MSRP: US$648