How many watts does i7-12700K use?
This Core i7 has a Base power consumption of 125 W, with 190 W being its highest Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption. It is manufactured on Intel's third-gen 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for more than decent energy efficiency.
i7 CPUs draw 65 to 140 watts.
Considering the 12700K and 12900K run quite hot, those temperatures seem totally normal. However, you already have the best of the best for air cooling but it's only specced to dissipate up to ~220W maximum (in ideal conditions).
The 12700k at stock draws under 200 watts in real load. With an OC you're looking at 240-250 watts at the most. Depending on the specific 3080, it can be up to 380 watts. Though the vast majority will use around 320-340 watts.
Specification | Core i7-12700 |
---|---|
Base power | 65W |
Turbo power | 180W |
Max Memory Size | 128GB |
Memory Types | Up to DDR5 4800MT/sUp to DDR4 3200MT/s |
As we can see, the Alder Lake chips consume far less power than the Rocket Lake chips — we measured a peak of 238W with the 12900K, while the previous-gen 11900K drew nearly 100W more during the same Blender workload. Overall, Intel has reduced its power consumption from meme-worthy to an acceptable level.
Standard CPUs use between 65 and 85 watts, while quad-core processors range from 95 to 140 watts. Hard drives may vary greatly according to age and model; you can get by with 10 watts as an estimate, because drives rarely run simultaneously at full load.
The Intel Core i7-4765T and i7-920 CPUs both have maximum operating temperatures of 66 and 68 degrees Celsius, respectively (150 and 154 Fahrenheit). Both processors operate between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius (97 and 100 Fahrenheit) at idle and 56 and 58 degrees Celsius (132 and 136 Fahrenheit) working at full load.
The peak CPU temperature is 50°C ~86°C for Core i5-12600 and Core i7-12700.
Is the i7-12700K high end?
The Intel Core i7-12700K is a good choice for those looking for a mid-to-high tier CPU with a performance boost over the Core i5-12600K. The Core i7-12700K features the ability to overclock and with the new architectural design from the Alder Lake series, users can expect maximum performance.
Best CPU for Intel streaming PC: Intel Core i7-12700KF Processor.

Best answer: Yes, absolutely. The affordable i7-12700K ranks high in CPU performance tests, placing just below the more expensive Intel Core i9-12900K and AMD Ryzen 9 5900X.
750W is the recommended spec but I would go higher if you plan to overclock and upgrade other power hungry parts in the future. Higher watt PSUs will likely come with the necessary cables with the power connector you will need for this card. Three 8 pin connector cables ain't common in low water PSUs.
Note that Intel lists the Core i7-11700K as a 125 W processor.
The other Alder Lake chips, like the Core i7-12700K and Core i5-12600K, can also sustain up to 5.0~5.2 GHz on the P-cores and 4.0 GHz on the E-cores.
Energy use: Compared to other processors, the Intel Core i7's power consumption is high.
Intel Core i712700K Processor 25M Cache up to 5.00 GHz Product Specifications.
The Core i9-12900KS requires incredible cooling to keep things under control, with around 240 W of power pretty much consistently when under load and sometimes more when there's enough thermal headroom to play with.
Name | Value |
---|---|
Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating | 150 watts |
Integrated Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
Integrated Graphics Base Clock | 300 MHz |
Bundled Cooler | None |
What temp should 12900K be?
Intel® Core™ Processors
My rules are that the processor, while under load, should keep its sustained temperatures below 90 (all temperatures in Celsius). Very short duration spikes up into the 90s are ok, but should not be reaching 100c (the typical Tjmax).
Since TDP represents the theoretical heat generation ceiling—and by extension, the theoretical power consumption ceiling—of a piece of computing equipment, a higher TDP can be seen as representative of more computing power and better processor performance.
Intel Core i7 12700K: future-proof
In addition, the 12700K is a processor for the future, thanks to the DDR5 compatibility, for example. You do need an LGA 1700 socket on your motherboard for this processor, otherwise it won't work. That means you probably need a new motherboard and RAM.
In very general terms, a higher TDP means a CPU that will likely take more power under load over one with a lower TDP, but this is not a hard rule. It does not guarantee better performance, however.
A gaming PC should have enough watts to run everything smoothly and account for any future upgrades to the system. For most people, that means somewhere between 500 and 550 kilowatts. For others, it could mean as few as 450 or as many as 600.
It is also not recommended to have the power supply run at 100% of its capacity. Although a 25 watt power supply can power devices requiring 25 watts, there is a chance it will shut down completely if random spikes in the load occur. This can cause components to overheat and break.
The best power supply for your PC build is the one that provides the right amount of wattage to all components simultaneously. Manually calculating this requires that you multiply the total amps of all components by the total volts of all components. The result is the total watts that your PC build requires.
Anything under 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) is perfect. Just above this temperature is okay, but as you creep above 70 degrees C (158 degrees F), you should look at how to cool your PC down. Above 81 degrees C (178 degrees F) is too hot and could cause damage to your computer if you run it for a sustained period.
At the highest loads, your average CPU temps can go up to 80–85°C, but consider this the absolute limit. Sustained CPU temps above 80°C can do long-term damage to the CPU and its silicon. If your CPU goes higher than 90°C for several hours, it will likely reduce the lifespan of your processor.
Generally speaking, a CPU temperature that is less than 176°F (80°C) while gaming is considered safe. However, if you are concerned about overheating or want to maximize performance, it is best to keep your CPU temperature below 167°F (75°C).
Is Intel Core i7-12700K good for gaming?
The 12700K CPU's support for DDR5 with a max stock speed of 4800 MHz can be excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games.
Intel BX8071512700K Core i7-12700K 12 Core 3.6GHz 10nm Alder Lake Socket LGA1700 Desktop CPU - Cooler Not Included. Please note: This package does not include a CPU cooler, one will have to be purchased separately if required.
Overview. Intel Core i7-12700K Alder Lake 3.6GHz Twelve-Core LGA 1700 Boxed Processor - Heatsink Not Included 5.0 out of 5 stars.
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With the Radeon RX 6800 XT, the Ryzen 7 7700X and the Core i7-12700K offer roughly the same performance. However, when paired with the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, the Ryzen 7 7700X is over 30% faster than the 12700K despite both exhibiting lower performance overall.
The Core i9-12900K is 62% faster in threaded applications than the 5800X3D, while the Core i7-12700K is 40% faster in multi-threaded work, showing that it is the best all-rounder in this price range.
Hardware encoding: Higher efficiency, better performance
If you want to stream a game at 30 FPS with 1080p resolution at a decent level of quality, you would need to dedicate an entire core of an Intel CPU running at 3 GHz or higher. If you're using a dual core CPU, that's 50 percent of your CPU.
Most games are optimized to work around a four-core CPU, and it takes about two cores for streaming, so for best results, a machine running an Intel® Core™ i7 processor or better with at least 8GB of RAM in tow is sufficient for playing games and streaming at the same time.
The Intel Core i7-12700K beats the Ryzen 7 5800X to become one of the best high-end CPUs on the market. It also brings support for next-gen features including DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.
Two to three years. If you play at HD and not higher then that graphics card will last. If you want to run a 27″ screen or more than one screen you might be pushing it.
Is 12th gen i7 good for gaming?
The Processors
With 12th-generation CPUs Intel focused on the ultimate performance of its processors, whether for gaming or other uses. Most prominent in this category are the i7 12700KF and 12700K. These processors are packed with performance and are ideal for a good gaming experience.
NVIDIA recommends the best PSUs to be at least 750W for the RTX 3080, which is where we will focus here. EVGA's SuperNOVA P2 has 750W of power and comes at a competitive price for what you're getting. It has an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency certification, meaning it should run at about 92% efficiency when at half load.
Will RTX 3080 work with a power supply lower than 750W? Yeah , Nvidia itself recommends 750W PSU. As flagship i9-10th gen demands 125W and the new RTX 3080 demands insane 320W. Anyways buying this 750W PSU will be beneficial and somewhat future proofing.
Q “Is 750W PSU overkill if my PC needs 330W according to the PC part picker?” It's more powerful than strictly necessary, but it's much better to go with one that's got a large margin in hand as it's under much less stress, it will regulate the outputs better and ought to last a lot longer.
This Core i7 has a Base power consumption of 125 W, with 190 W being its highest Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption. It is manufactured on Intel's third-gen 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for more than decent energy efficiency.
Recommended 450–750 Watt PSU
Near silent during low usage. 7-year warranty. This series of power supplies comes in power outputs including 450, 600, and 750 watts.
i7 CPUs draw 65 to 140 watts.
The Intel Core i7-12700K is a good choice for those looking for a mid-to-high tier CPU with a performance boost over the Core i5-12600K. The Core i7-12700K features the ability to overclock and with the new architectural design from the Alder Lake series, users can expect maximum performance.
11th Gen Processor | PL1 Power (W) | PL2 Power (W) |
---|---|---|
Core i7-11700K | 125 | 251 |
Core i5-11600K | 125 | 224 |
Core i9-11900 | 65 | 224 |
Core i7-11700 | 65 | 224 |
Is i7 12700K overkill for gaming?
Best answer: Yes, absolutely. The affordable i7-12700K ranks high in CPU performance tests, placing just below the more expensive Intel Core i9-12900K and AMD Ryzen 9 5900X.
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With the Radeon RX 6800 XT, the Ryzen 7 7700X and the Core i7-12700K offer roughly the same performance. However, when paired with the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, the Ryzen 7 7700X is over 30% faster than the 12700K despite both exhibiting lower performance overall.
The Core i9-12900K is 62% faster in threaded applications than the 5800X3D, while the Core i7-12700K is 40% faster in multi-threaded work, showing that it is the best all-rounder in this price range.
The Intel Core i7-4765T and i7-920 CPUs both have maximum operating temperatures of 66 and 68 degrees Celsius, respectively (150 and 154 Fahrenheit). Both processors operate between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius (97 and 100 Fahrenheit) at idle and 56 and 58 degrees Celsius (132 and 136 Fahrenheit) working at full load.
60 frames per second (FPS) is the minimum target for smooth gameplay. Recommend 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 K processors for the performance headroom required for this demanding gaming experience.
The CPU idles at about 42C, and when running Cinebench R23 and Blender (latest version) with all 6 scenes, the CPU temperature is at around 85-86C, peaking to 90C a couple times. Stress testing with AVX in Intel XTU results in a 87C peak.
The type of processor also makes a difference. The Intel Core i5-9600K runs about 5 degrees hotter than an i7-8700K for instance. The high and normal safe temperature varies depending on the processor, but anything above 80 degrees Celsius / 176 degrees Fahrenheit is too high for any modern processor.
As a rule of thumb, however, you want to allocate around 3 watts of power for every 8GB of DDR3 or DDR4 memory. High-performance memory such as Ballistix® parts can draw more power, especially if you overclock the voltage beyond XMP settings.
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