Core i9-12900KS vs Core Ultra 7 265

Intel Core i9-12900KS ≈ ₹55,400 today · 2022 Buy now

Intel Core Ultra 7 265 ≈ ₹38,200 today · 2025 Buy now

Verdict: Core i9-12900KS and Core Ultra 7 265 are within a few percent in gaming performance, so pick on price, power and features. They use different platforms (LGA1700 with DDR4/DDR5 vs LGA1851 with DDR5), so the motherboard and memory differ too.

Performance (estimate)

Est. gaming score

Est. multi-core score

Est. single-core score

Est. value: gaming score per ₹10,000 today

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Core i9-12900KS Core Ultra 7 265

These are PC-Build's own estimates worked out from the specifications, not official AMD or Intel benchmarks and not frame rates. The real gap depends on the game, your graphics card, the resolution and the settings. How the scores work

Why pick Core i9-12900KS

About £55 cheaper today

Why pick Core Ultra 7 265

4 more cores (20 vs 16)
85 W lower rated TDP (65 W vs 150 W)
About ₹17,200 cheaper today

Specifications

	Core i9-12900KS	Core Ultra 7 265
Architecture	Golden Cove + Gracemont	Lion Cove + Skymont
Code name	Alder Lake	Arrow Lake
Process	Intel 7	TSMC N3B
Cores	16	20
P-cores + E-cores	8P + 8E	8P + 12E
Threads	24	20
Boost clock	5.5 GHz	5.2 GHz
Base clock	3.4 GHz	2.4 GHz
L2 cache	14 MB	36 MB
L3 cache	30 MB	30 MB
TDP (rated)	150 W	65 W
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1851
Memory	DDR4/DDR5	DDR5
Max memory speed	DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200	DDR5-6400
PCIe	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Overclocking	Unlocked	Locked
Integrated graphics	Intel UHD 770	Intel Graphics
Released	2022	2025-01-06
Price today (≈)	₹55,400	₹38,200

FAQ

Is Core i9-12900KS better than Core Ultra 7 265?

Core i9-12900KS and Core Ultra 7 265 are within a few percent in gaming performance, so pick on price, power and features. They use different platforms (LGA1700 with DDR4/DDR5 vs LGA1851 with DDR5), so the motherboard and memory differ too.

Which uses less power, Core i9-12900KS or Core Ultra 7 265?

Core Ultra 7 265 is rated at 65 W versus 150 W for Core i9-12900KS.

Which is better value, Core i9-12900KS or Core Ultra 7 265?

Going by today's prices (shown at the top of this page in your currency), performance for the money is close, so pick on features, platform and the price you actually find.

Do Core i9-12900KS and Core Ultra 7 265 use the same motherboard?

No. Core i9-12900KS uses LGA1700 with DDR4/DDR5 memory and Core Ultra 7 265 uses LGA1851 with DDR5 memory. Moving from one to the other means a new motherboard and new RAM.