ees Team Blue reveal a further 22 12th Gen processors alongside three

additional 600-series chipsets. In effect, the Alder Lake vanguard made furtive
sorties last year, whetting enthusiasts’ appetites; this year sees the bulk of the
army advance on positions held by rival AMD.

Club386 has taken a detailed look at the hybrid architecture powering 12th Gen
Core chips previously. In a nutshell, these processors use a combination of new
manufacturing process, adoption of Performance and Efficient cores, and bring
the entire platform bang up to date by supporting DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0
connectivity.

“THE EXACT MIX OF CORES, FREQUENCY, AND POWER DETERMINES

THE MODEL DESIGNATION”
2022’s cornucopia of Alder Lake silicon is different from the original release in
two distinct areas. All chips have a Processor Base Power (PBP) rating of
between 35W and 65W, intimating their use in mass-volume mainstream and
small-form-factor systems. The second departure is more interesting, however,
as 16 of the 22 chips are imbued with Performance ‘Golden Cove’ cores alone,
leaving Efficient ‘Gracemont’ by the wayside. Let’s explain further.

Intel’s segmentation is worthy of analysis insofar as any 12th Gen chip from the
Core i5-12600K and above has a combination of Performance and Efficient
cores. The exact mix of cores, frequency, and power determines the model
designation. Though there are 18 new Core processors for 2022 we are
focussing on the 11 comprising the 65W range and above; the other seven are
more likely to be used exclusively by OEMs.

Core i9
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 125
12900K 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 125
12900KF

Core i9- 16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 UHD77 65

12900*
 Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 65
12900F*

* denotes Alder Lake CPUs new for 2022

The duo of Core i9 additions tug on this restrained power output theme. You’ll
notice that most other attributes remain identical to the established pair so
what gives? The answer is two-fold. The first aspect is that a lower power limit
introduces a lower all-core speed. Intel doesn’t publish those numbers,
unfortunately, but you can bet your bottom dollar the Core i9-12900 and
12900F aren’t going to munch through rendering benchmarks as quickly.

Secondly, the non-K designation means these chips cannot be overclocked via
adjustments to the multiplier. That’s no honest hardship as the intelligent
smarts built into 12th Gen do a good enough job of extracting optimal
frequency.

Core i7
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.2 125
12700K 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.0 – 125
12700KF

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 65
12700* 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 – 65
12700F*

The situation is mostly the same for Core i7. The two new chips, i7-12700 and
i7-12700F feature a lower power envelope and are solely segregated by the
latter not carrying built-in UHD770 Graphics. Pricing is commensurately lower
too.

Core i5
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i5- UHD77

10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 125
12600K 0

Core i5-
10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 – 125
12600KF

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.8 65
12600* 0

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.6 65
12500* 0

Core i5- UHD73

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 65
12400* 0

Core i5-
6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 – 65
12400F*

ees Team Blue reveal a further 22 12th Gen processors alongside three
additional 600-series chipsets. In effect, the Alder Lake vanguard made furtive
sorties last year, whetting enthusiasts’ appetites; this year sees the bulk of the
army advance on positions held by rival AMD.

Club386 has taken a detailed look at the hybrid architecture powering 12th Gen
Core chips previously. In a nutshell, these processors use a combination of new
manufacturing process, adoption of Performance and Efficient cores, and bring
the entire platform bang up to date by supporting DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0
connectivity.

“THE EXACT MIX OF CORES, FREQUENCY, AND POWER DETERMINES

THE MODEL DESIGNATION”
2022’s cornucopia of Alder Lake silicon is different from the original release in
two distinct areas. All chips have a Processor Base Power (PBP) rating of
between 35W and 65W, intimating their use in mass-volume mainstream and
small-form-factor systems. The second departure is more interesting, however,
as 16 of the 22 chips are imbued with Performance ‘Golden Cove’ cores alone,
leaving Efficient ‘Gracemont’ by the wayside. Let’s explain further.

Intel’s segmentation is worthy of analysis insofar as any 12th Gen chip from the
Core i5-12600K and above has a combination of Performance and Efficient
cores. The exact mix of cores, frequency, and power determines the model
designation. Though there are 18 new Core processors for 2022 we are
focussing on the 11 comprising the 65W range and above; the other seven are
more likely to be used exclusively by OEMs.

Core i9
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 125
12900K 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 125
12900KF

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 65
12900* 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 65
12900F*

* denotes Alder Lake CPUs new for 2022

The duo of Core i9 additions tug on this restrained power output theme. You’ll
notice that most other attributes remain identical to the established pair so
what gives? The answer is two-fold. The first aspect is that a lower power limit
introduces a lower all-core speed. Intel doesn’t publish those numbers,
unfortunately, but you can bet your bottom dollar the Core i9-12900 and
12900F aren’t going to munch through rendering benchmarks as quickly.

Secondly, the non-K designation means these chips cannot be overclocked via
adjustments to the multiplier. That’s no honest hardship as the intelligent
smarts built into 12th Gen do a good enough job of extracting optimal
frequency.

Core i7
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.2 125
12700K 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.0 – 125
12700KF

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 65
12700* 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 – 65
12700F*

The situation is mostly the same for Core i7. The two new chips, i7-12700 and
i7-12700F feature a lower power envelope and are solely segregated by the
latter not carrying built-in UHD770 Graphics. Pricing is commensurately lower
too.

Core i5
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i5- UHD77

10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 125
12600K 0

Core i5-
10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 – 125
12600KF

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.8 65
12600* 0
 Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.6 65
12500* 0

Core i5- UHD73

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 65
12400* 0

Core i5-
6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 – 65
12400F*

ees Team Blue reveal a further 22 12th Gen processors alongside three
additional 600-series chipsets. In effect, the Alder Lake vanguard made furtive
sorties last year, whetting enthusiasts’ appetites; this year sees the bulk of the
army advance on positions held by rival AMD.

Club386 has taken a detailed look at the hybrid architecture powering 12th Gen
Core chips previously. In a nutshell, these processors use a combination of new
manufacturing process, adoption of Performance and Efficient cores, and bring
the entire platform bang up to date by supporting DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0
connectivity.

“THE EXACT MIX OF CORES, FREQUENCY, AND POWER DETERMINES

THE MODEL DESIGNATION”
2022’s cornucopia of Alder Lake silicon is different from the original release in
two distinct areas. All chips have a Processor Base Power (PBP) rating of
between 35W and 65W, intimating their use in mass-volume mainstream and
small-form-factor systems. The second departure is more interesting, however,
as 16 of the 22 chips are imbued with Performance ‘Golden Cove’ cores alone,
leaving Efficient ‘Gracemont’ by the wayside. Let’s explain further.

Intel’s segmentation is worthy of analysis insofar as any 12th Gen chip from the
Core i5-12600K and above has a combination of Performance and Efficient
cores. The exact mix of cores, frequency, and power determines the model
designation. Though there are 18 new Core processors for 2022 we are
focussing on the 11 comprising the 65W range and above; the other seven are
more likely to be used exclusively by OEMs.

Core i9
 Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 125
12900K 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 125
12900KF

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 65
12900* 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 65
12900F*

* denotes Alder Lake CPUs new for 2022

The duo of Core i9 additions tug on this restrained power output theme. You’ll
notice that most other attributes remain identical to the established pair so
what gives? The answer is two-fold. The first aspect is that a lower power limit
introduces a lower all-core speed. Intel doesn’t publish those numbers,
unfortunately, but you can bet your bottom dollar the Core i9-12900 and
12900F aren’t going to munch through rendering benchmarks as quickly.

Secondly, the non-K designation means these chips cannot be overclocked via
adjustments to the multiplier. That’s no honest hardship as the intelligent
smarts built into 12th Gen do a good enough job of extracting optimal
frequency.

Core i7
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.2 125
12700K 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.0 – 125
12700KF

Core i7- 12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 UHD77 65

 Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

12700* 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 – 65
12700F*

The situation is mostly the same for Core i7. The two new chips, i7-12700 and
i7-12700F feature a lower power envelope and are solely segregated by the
latter not carrying built-in UHD770 Graphics. Pricing is commensurately lower
too.

Core i5
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i5- UHD77

10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 125
12600K 0

Core i5-
10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 – 125
12600KF

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.8 65
12600* 0

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.6 65
12500* 0

Core i5- UHD73

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 65
12400* 0

Core i5-
6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 – 65
12400F*

ees Team Blue reveal a further 22 12th Gen processors alongside three
additional 600-series chipsets. In effect, the Alder Lake vanguard made furtive
sorties last year, whetting enthusiasts’ appetites; this year sees the bulk of the
army advance on positions held by rival AMD.
Club386 has taken a detailed look at the hybrid architecture powering 12th Gen
Core chips previously. In a nutshell, these processors use a combination of new
manufacturing process, adoption of Performance and Efficient cores, and bring
the entire platform bang up to date by supporting DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0
connectivity.

“THE EXACT MIX OF CORES, FREQUENCY, AND POWER DETERMINES

THE MODEL DESIGNATION”
2022’s cornucopia of Alder Lake silicon is different from the original release in
two distinct areas. All chips have a Processor Base Power (PBP) rating of
between 35W and 65W, intimating their use in mass-volume mainstream and
small-form-factor systems. The second departure is more interesting, however,
as 16 of the 22 chips are imbued with Performance ‘Golden Cove’ cores alone,
leaving Efficient ‘Gracemont’ by the wayside. Let’s explain further.

Intel’s segmentation is worthy of analysis insofar as any 12th Gen chip from the
Core i5-12600K and above has a combination of Performance and Efficient
cores. The exact mix of cores, frequency, and power determines the model
designation. Though there are 18 new Core processors for 2022 we are
focussing on the 11 comprising the 65W range and above; the other seven are
more likely to be used exclusively by OEMs.

Core i9
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 125
12900K 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 125
12900KF

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 65
12900* 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 65
12900F*

* denotes Alder Lake CPUs new for 2022

The duo of Core i9 additions tug on this restrained power output theme. You’ll
notice that most other attributes remain identical to the established pair so
what gives? The answer is two-fold. The first aspect is that a lower power limit
introduces a lower all-core speed. Intel doesn’t publish those numbers,
unfortunately, but you can bet your bottom dollar the Core i9-12900 and
12900F aren’t going to munch through rendering benchmarks as quickly.

Secondly, the non-K designation means these chips cannot be overclocked via
adjustments to the multiplier. That’s no honest hardship as the intelligent
smarts built into 12th Gen do a good enough job of extracting optimal
frequency.

Core i7
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.2 125
12700K 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.0 – 125
12700KF

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 65
12700* 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 – 65
12700F*

The situation is mostly the same for Core i7. The two new chips, i7-12700 and
i7-12700F feature a lower power envelope and are solely segregated by the
latter not carrying built-in UHD770 Graphics. Pricing is commensurately lower
too.

Core i5
 Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i5- UHD77

10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 125
12600K 0

Core i5-
10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 – 125
12600KF

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.8 65
12600* 0

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.6 65
12500* 0

Core i5- UHD73

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 65
12400* 0

Core i5-
6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 – 65
12400F*

ees Team Blue reveal a further 22 12th Gen processors alongside three
additional 600-series chipsets. In effect, the Alder Lake vanguard made furtive
sorties last year, whetting enthusiasts’ appetites; this year sees the bulk of the
army advance on positions held by rival AMD.

Club386 has taken a detailed look at the hybrid architecture powering 12th Gen
Core chips previously. In a nutshell, these processors use a combination of new
manufacturing process, adoption of Performance and Efficient cores, and bring
the entire platform bang up to date by supporting DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0
connectivity.

“THE EXACT MIX OF CORES, FREQUENCY, AND POWER DETERMINES

THE MODEL DESIGNATION”
2022’s cornucopia of Alder Lake silicon is different from the original release in
two distinct areas. All chips have a Processor Base Power (PBP) rating of
between 35W and 65W, intimating their use in mass-volume mainstream and
small-form-factor systems. The second departure is more interesting, however,
as 16 of the 22 chips are imbued with Performance ‘Golden Cove’ cores alone,
leaving Efficient ‘Gracemont’ by the wayside. Let’s explain further.
Intel’s segmentation is worthy of analysis insofar as any 12th Gen chip from the
Core i5-12600K and above has a combination of Performance and Efficient
cores. The exact mix of cores, frequency, and power determines the model
designation. Though there are 18 new Core processors for 2022 we are
focussing on the 11 comprising the 65W range and above; the other seven are
more likely to be used exclusively by OEMs.

Core i9
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 125
12900K 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 125
12900KF

Core i9- UHD77

16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 65
12900* 0

Core i9-
16 (8P+8E) 24 14 30 5.1 – 65
12900F*

* denotes Alder Lake CPUs new for 2022

The duo of Core i9 additions tug on this restrained power output theme. You’ll
notice that most other attributes remain identical to the established pair so
what gives? The answer is two-fold. The first aspect is that a lower power limit
introduces a lower all-core speed. Intel doesn’t publish those numbers,
unfortunately, but you can bet your bottom dollar the Core i9-12900 and
12900F aren’t going to munch through rendering benchmarks as quickly.

Secondly, the non-K designation means these chips cannot be overclocked via
adjustments to the multiplier. That’s no honest hardship as the intelligent
smarts built into 12th Gen do a good enough job of extracting optimal
frequency.

Core i7
 Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.2 125
12700K 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 5.0 – 125
12700KF

Core i7- UHD77

12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 65
12700* 0

Core i7-
12 (8P+4E) 20 12 25 4.9 – 65
12700F*

The situation is mostly the same for Core i7. The two new chips, i7-12700 and
i7-12700F feature a lower power envelope and are solely segregated by the
latter not carrying built-in UHD770 Graphics. Pricing is commensurately lower
too.

Core i5
Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i5- UHD77

10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 125
12600K 0

Core i5-
10 (6P+4E) 16 9.5 20 4.9 – 125
12600KF

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.8 65
12600* 0

Core i5- UHD77

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.6 65
12500* 0

Core i5- UHD73

6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 65
12400* 0
 Processor L2 cache L3 cache Turbo Max Base P
Processor Threads IGP
cores (MB) (MB) (GHz) (W)

Core i5-
6 (6P+0E) 12 7.5 18 4.4 – 65
12400F*