The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is the objective winner of this comparison, securing victory across seven of the fourteen evaluated specifications. Its most significant technical advantage is the L3 cache, which is 60% larger than that found in the Intel Core i5-12600K. By outperforming the Intel alternative in the majority of categories, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 establishes itself as the more capable option based on the provided hardware specifications.

Users who prioritize cache-heavy workloads should select the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 to leverage its superior L3 cache capacity. Conversely, the Intel Core i5-12600K is the better choice for those who require a higher total core count, as it offers a 25% advantage in that specific area. Your final decision should depend on whether your primary computing tasks benefit more from the increased cache of the AMD processor or the additional cores provided by the Intel unit.