Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Release Date, Benchmarks, Specs, and More

12/28/22, 2:42 PM Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Release date, Benchmarks, Specs, and more!
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Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake: Everything you need to know about
Intel's next-gen processors
The Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake chips represent the best of what the company has to offer in the CPU
space. Here are all the details:
BY KARTHIK IYER PUBLISHED FEB 13, 2022
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Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Family
Platform & Compatibility: Alder Lake Motherboards, DDR5 Memory & PCIe Gen 5
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Mobile Processors
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Release Date
https://www.xda-developers.com/intel-12th-gen-alder-lake/ 1/29
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Price & Availability

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Frequently Asked Questions about the Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake processors
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Suggested Reading Links
Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake chips arrived late last year, creating huge waves in the CPU space.
The Alder Lake desktop lineup, lead by the flagship Core i9-12900K, ushers a new era of Intel
chips with a hybrid architecture. The chips now offer a mix of high-performance Golden Cove
cores (P-cores) paired with smaller high-efficiency Gracemont cores (E-cores). Together, this
combination allows the new CPUs to beat AMD Ryzen chips in their own stomping grounds.
Both the Intel Core i5-12600K and the Core i9-12900K are the top picks in our collections of the
best CPUs and the best gaming CPUs on the market right now.
As expected, Intel brought its hybrid architecture to more mainstream models this year. This, in
fact, is one of the major announcements coming out of the CES 2022 show floor. Intel's Alder
Lake is now a strong family of processors including options for the next generation of desktop
and mobile computers.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Family
Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake family is going to have both desktops as well as mobile chips for
laptops. It's also no secret that the company will use the hybrid architecture that combines both
P-cores and E-cores on Alder Lake CPUs except on entry-level and low-powered SKUs.
According to Intel, the Alder Lake family will go by Alder Lake-S and Alder Lake-P processors.
Here, check it out:
The Alder Lake-S, as you can see, is home to all the desktop CPUs. This includes everything
ranging from the high-end Core i9-12900K to relatively low-powered units like the Core i5-
12400(F). The enthusiast processors in the Alder Lake-S lineup will feature up to 8 P-cores and
8 E-cores as seen on the Core i9-12900. Additionally, the Alder Lake-S lineup will also include
mainstream and low-powered CPUs that only have P-cores like the Core i5-12600. The 32EU
count is from the integrated graphics engine with up to 32 execution units.
The Alder Lake-P, on the other hand, will include all mobile SKUs including the ones that fall
under the umbrella of H and U subfamilies. The H-series processors, as we already know, are
high-end units with up to 6 P-cores and 8 E-cores. In addition to this, the Alder Lake-P lineup
will also include low-powered CPUs for ultraportable machines with up to 2 P-cores and 8 E-
cores like the Core i3-1220P mobile CPU. These processors are also paired with an Iris Xe
graphics engine with up to 96 execution units.
Intel Thread Director
Intel tackled the software challenges for the release of Alder Lake CPUs with the new Thread
Director. This new technology is responsible for scheduling different tasks based on priority. The
Intel Thread Director is essentially a hardware-based tech that provided telemetry data to
Windows 11. This ensures the applications are intelligently scheduled to either P-cores or E-
cores. The Thread Director technology collects low-level telemetry data within the processor to
then feed it to the OS. It informs the scheduler about a couple of different CPU metrics, including
it the state of its cores, thermals, and more.
Intel has worked with Microsoft to implement Thread Director in Windows 11. That being said,
the new Alder Lake chips will also work with Windows 10 system, just not as well. With an older
version of Windows 10 OS, you're bound to miss out on some of the newer, enhanced
capabilities of task scheduling with Intel's Thread Director.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S Desktop Processors
The Intel Alder Lake-S processors include all the desktop SKUs including the newly announced
Alder Lake-based Pentium Gold and Celeron processors. The Core i9-12900K is the show-
stopper for the Alder Lake-S processor lineup. It's the one that's leading the charge with a total
of 16 cores (8P+8E) and 24 threads. According to Intel, the Core i9-12900K is the 'world's
fastest gaming processor', providing an average of up to 13-percent generational leap in gaming
performance.
Upon testing the Intel Core i9-12900K, we were able to conclude that it easily beats the general
performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. It's also faster for playing games, streaming, and other
content creation workloads. Notably, the Core i9-12900K also offers plenty of headroom to
boost performance with overclocking. The performance uptick easily puts it ahead of the AMD
Ryzen 5000 CPUs. We encourage you to check out some of these comparison articles listed
below to see how the Alder Lake processors stack up against some of the best AMD CPUs on
the market right now:
Intel Core i9-12900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X: Which high-end CPU to buy in 2021
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X vs Intel Core i5-12600K: The best mainstream CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X vs Intel Core i7-12700K: Battle of the high-end CPU
Now that we've seen exactly how powerful the Alder Lake desktop CPU can be, we think it's a
good time to check out all the available options in the Intel 12th Gen lineup. Let's take a look:
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S Desktop Processor Specifications: All SKUs
Intel has finally introduced us to the full 12th Gen Intel Core desktop processor family. We're
now looking at a full stack of CPUs with ultimate scalable power and performance gaming,
content creation, and more. The Intel Core i5-12600K, Core i7-12700K, and the Core i9-12900K
CPUs arrived as the torchbearers for the Alder Lake lineup. These unlocked parts are currently
the top CPUs on the market.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S Unlocked SKUs

Intel Core i9-

Specification Intel Core i5-12600K Intel Core i7-12700K
12900K
Cores 10 (6P + 4E) 12 (8P + 4E) 16 (8P + 8E)
Threads 16 20 24
3.7GHz (P-core) | 3.60GHz (P-core) | 3.2GHz (P-core) |

Base Frequency
2.8GHz (E-core) 2.70GHz (E-core) 2.4GHz (E-core)
4.9GHz (P-core) | 4.90GHz (P-core) | 5.1GHz (P-core) |

Boost Frequency
3.6GHz (E-core) 3.80GHz (E-core) 3.9GHz (E-core)
L3 Cache 20MB 25MB 30MB
Default TDP 125W 125W 125W
Max. Operating
100°C 100°C 100°C
Temperature (Tjmax)
Unlocked for
Yes Yes Yes
overclocking?
DDR4 3200MT/s | DDR4 3200MT/s | DDR4-3200 |

Memory Support DDR5-4800MT/s Up to DDR5-4800MT/s Up to DDR5-4800 Up to
128GB 128GB 128GB
Integrated Graphics UHD Graphics 770 Intel Graphics UHD 770 Intel UHD 770
The new Alder Lake-S processor introduced as a part of Intel's CES 2022 announcement
includes 22 new SKUs. The new list of processors includes both 65W and 35W CPUs. From the
Intel Core i9-12900 (non-K) variant to the new Alder Lake-based Pentium Gold CPUs, there's a
new CPU option for everyone in the series. Some of these processors, as we mentioned earlier,
only have P-cores. The Intel Core i5-12600 (non-K) is a great example of that. It brings 6 P-
cores with a P-core turbo max frequency of up to 4.8GHz. Not having dedicated E-cores allows
Intel to retain a similar level of performance with the P-cores.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S mainstream (non-K) SKUs

Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Pen

Intel Core Intel Core
Specification Core i5- Core i5- Core i5- Core i3- Core i3- Gol
i9-12900 i7-12700
12600 12500 12400 12300 12100 G74
16 (8P + 12 (8P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 4 (4P + 4 (6P + 2 (2

Cores
8E) 4E) 0E) 0E) 0E) 0E) 0E) 0E)
Threads 24 20 12 12 12 8 8 4
2.4GHz 2.1GHz
Base (P-core) | (P-core) |
3.3GHz 3.0GHz 2.5GHz 3.5GHz 3.3GHz 3.7
Frequency 1.8GHz 1.6GHz
(E-core) (E-core)
5.0GHz 4.8GHz
Boost (P-core) | (P-core) |
4.8GHz 4.6GHz 4.4GHz 4.4GHz 4.3GHz N/A
(E-core) (E-core)
L3 Cache 30MB 25MB 18MB 18MB 18MB 12MB 12MB 6M
Default TDP 65W 65W 65W 65W 65W 60W 60W 46W
DDR4 DDR4 DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DD

3200MT/s 3200MT/s 3200 | 3200 | 3200 | 3200 | 3200 | 320
Memory | DDR5- | DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DD
Support 4800MT/s 4800MT/s 4800 Up 4800 Up 4800 Up 4800 Up 4800 Up 480
Up to Up to to to to to to to
128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128
Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Inte

UHD Intel UHD
Integrated UHD UHD UHD UHD UHD UH
Graphics Graphics
Graphics Graphics Graphics Graphics Graphics Graphics Gra
770 770
770 770 730 730 730 710
RCP Pricing $489 $339 $223 $202 $192 $143 $122 $64
Rounding off the list, we also have the low-powered CPUs in the list that top out at 35W base
power. We're, once again, looking at a combination of both P+E cores for a couple of CPUs. The
Intel Core i9-12900T can take advantage of the available max turbo power to push up to
4.9GHz. The lowest-end CPU in the Alder Lake-S lineup is the Celeron G6900T. It's a dual-core
processor running at a base frequency of 2.8GHz with a max power limit of up to 35W. Here,
take a look at the entire lineup below:
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S mainstream (low-powered) SKUs
Intel Core Intel Core Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Pen
Specification i9- i7- Core i5- Core i5- Core i5- Core i3- Core i3- Gol
12900T 12700T 12600T 12500T 12400T 12300T 12100T G74
16 (8P + 12 (8P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 4 (4P + 4 (6P + 2 (2

Cores
8E) 4E) 0E) 0E) 0E) 0E) 0E) 0E)
Threads 24 20 12 12 12 8 8 4
1.4GHz 1.4GHz
Base (P-core) | (P-core) |
2.1GHz 2.0GHz 1.8GHz 2.3GHz 2.2GHz 3.1
(E-core) (E-core)
4.8GHz 4.6GHz
Boost (P-core) | (P-core) |
4.6GHz 4.4GHz 4.2GHz 4.2GHz 4.1GHz N/A
(E-core) (E-core)
L3 Cache 30MB 25MB 18MB 18MB 18MB 12MB 12MB 6M
DDR4 DDR4 DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DD

3200MT/s 3200MT/s 3200 | 3200 | 3200 | 3200 | 3200 | 320
Memory | DDR5- | DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DDR5- DD
Support 4800MT/s 4800MT/s 4800 Up 4800 Up 4800 Up 4800 Up 4800 Up 480
Up to Up to to to to to to to
128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128GB 128
Intel Core
Link copied to clipboard Intel Core Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Pen
Specification i9- i7- Core i5- Core i5- Core i5- Core i3- Core i3- Gol
12900T 12700T 12600T 12500T 12400T 12300T 12100T G74
Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Inte

UHD Intel UHD
Integrated UHD UHD UHD UHD UHD UH
Graphics Graphics
Graphics Graphics Graphics Graphics Graphics Graphics Gra
770 770
770 770 730 730 730 710
RCP Pricing $489 $339 $223 $202 $192 $143 $122 $64
Platform & Compatibility: Alder Lake Motherboards, DDR5 Memory & PCIe Gen
5
On top of the dominating performance in benchmarks, Intel's new Alder Lake CPUs also brings
support for next-gen features like DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0. It's worth highlighting that these
Alder Lake CPUs are the only ones to support these new features in the Intel family. This is a
huge advantage over the Ryzen chips in the desktop space. AMD doesn't have an answer to this
yet as the DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support is coming later this year with the new chips based on the
AM5 platform.
All Alder Lake chips, including the newer ones, support both DDR4 as well as DDR5 memory.
That being said, the new 600 chipset-based motherboards on the market support either DDR4
or DDR5 memory, not both. That's right, you'll have to buy a board based on the memory type
you choose to stick with since both types aren't supported on any given board. All the premium
Z690 motherboards only support DDR5 because, you know, the best hardware needs the best
components to pair with for the best results. A lot of mid-range Z690 motherboards or even the
newer H670, B660, or the H610 motherboards will come in both DDR4 as well as DDR5 flavors.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs have new memory controllers that support four types of
memories:
DDR5-4800
DDR4-3200
LP5-5200
LP4X-4266
When it comes to PCIe 5.0 supports, we're looking at 64GB/s throughput across an x16 lane
connection. The high-end AlderLake-S chips support an x16 PCIe 5.0 connection along with an
additional x4 PCIe 4.0 connection. The low-powered units, on the other hand, will support an
x12 PCIe 4.0 connection paired with an x16 PCIe 3.0 connection. PCIe 5.0, just like the DDR5
memory modules, is still in its infancy. We won't see much use for PCIe 5.0 until it matures with
more supported peripherals on the market. A bunch of manufacturers including Samsung have
already started showcasing what PCIe 5.0 SSDs will look like, so it'll be interesting to see how
things will change as new AMD chips also become available.
Intel's new 600-series chipset: Z690, B660, H670, & more
Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs were introduced to the world alongside the company's new
Z690 motherboard chipset. These boards are now available in abundance, albeit a bit expensive.
Carrying the new LGA 1700 CPU socket for the new Alder Lake chipset, the Z690 boards were
the only available option on the market for those looking to upgrade to the new Intel CPUs.
While that's changed now with the arrival of newer 600-series motherboard chipsets, we think
the Z690 will continue to remain on the top for the high-end builds.
One of the most significant advancements from the previous generation of chips is that the new
12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs include a hybrid PCIe lane. A total of x16 PCIe 5.0 lanes from the CPU
are now set aside for graphics. In addition to this x16 or x8/x8 configuration for graphics, there
are four additional PCIe 4.0 lanes dedicated to storage devices. Another noteworthy
improvement is seen in the form of a new PCIe 4.0 x8 DMI link between the CPU and the Z690
chipset. This DMI link has been upgraded from a PCIe 3.0 x8 uplink on the previous-gen Z590
motherboards.
The new 600 series chipset motherboards announced at CES 2022 will also be made available in
both DDR4 and DDR5 flavors. Intel has announced the launch of three new 600 series
motherboard chipsets -- H670, B660, and H610. The H670 is what stands closer to the Z690,
while the B660 can be considered for budget Alder Lake builds. All the 600 series motherboard
chipsets besides the H610 support memory overclocking via XMP 3.0. The H670 chipset
features PCIe 5.0 slots and along with a 4.0 x8 DMI link. The B660 and the H610 chipsets, on
the other hand, features a single PCIe 5.0 slot and carry a 4.0 x4 DMI link to the chipset. Both
H670 and B660 chipset motherboards carry PCIe 4.0 lanes, but you'll have to settle for PCIe 3.0
lanes with the H610.
All these new 600 series chipset motherboards, especially the H610, will be more affordable
than the existing Z690 motherboards. This will further reduce the overall platform entry cost,
thereby making the Alder Lake chips more accessible in the market. We'll have more to talk
about these motherboards once we get our hands on them for some in-house testing. In the
meantime, you can check out our collection of the best LGA 1700 motherboards if you're looking
to build a high-end Alder Lake build.
CPU Coolers for Alder Lake
Intel's new Alder Lake-S desktop CPUs demand a new motherboard. The new chips drop on LGA
1700 CPU socket which was only exclusive to the Z690 motherboards until the new chipsets
were announced today. A new CPU socket also means new CPU coolers. The LGA 1700 is
physically different from the older LGA 1200 CPU socket for the Rocket Lake CPUs. The new
socket has different dimensions that render your older CPU coolers useless without a dedicated
mounting bracket. Our detailed essay on LGA 1700 CPU cooler will help you get a better
understanding of the cooler situation. It's safe to say that you will not be able to carry your
existing CPU cooler for the new Alder Lake build without a supporting bracket.
Thankfully, Intel is making things a little easier for those who're looking to buy one of the
mainstream 65W CPUs from the Alder Lake lineup. The 65W Alder Lake desktop CPUs will be
bundled with one of the new Intel Laminar Cooler. Depending on the CPU, you'll either get the
Laminar RH1, the Laminar RMI, or the Laminar RS1 CPU cooler. The new coolers have an entirely
new design and they look, well, quite different from anything we're used to seeing from Team
Blue. You can always pair your CPU with a third-party CPU cooler too. We recommend checking
out our collection of the best CPU fan coolers and even the best AIO liquid coolers if you're
rocking one of the high-end unlocked chips.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Mobile Processors
With the new Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake mobile processor family, it's safe to say that Intel is
firing all cylinders to go against the fierce competition from the likes of AMD and Apple in the
mobile CPU space. The company's Tiger Lake mobile processors had a pretty good run in the
laptop space, but it was due for an update more so than ever after the arrival of Apple's M1 Pro
and M1 Max chips. Well, the much-needed update is now here in the form of Alder Lake-P
mobile processors.
The Alder Lake mobile processor family includes three different sets of chips, spanning across
different laptop segments. The next generation of high-performance enthusiast notebooks for
gaming and content creation will be fueled by the Alder Lake H-series chips. The H-series
processors have unlocked CPUs including the Core i9-12900HK, and other high-performance
chips with a 45W base power. The Alder Lake P-series and the U-series, on the other hand, will
be powering the next generation of Performance and modern thin & light notebooks on the
market. A lot of manufacturers including Dell, HP, MSI, etc. have already announced new laptops
powered by the. Alder Lake mobile processors, and it's only a matter of time till these new
machines become mainstream.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake H-series mobile processors
Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake H-series mobile chips bring the big.LITTLE hybrid architecture we
saw in the Alder Lake-S desktop CPUs to the laptop space. According to Intel, the new H-series
has the fastest mobile processor ever in the form of the Core i9-12900HK, beating the likes of
the Apple M1 Max and the Ryzen counterparts. Intel is claiming some big numbers in the battle
of Core i9-12900HK vs Apple M1 vs Ryzen 9 5900HX. The 12900HK is touted to be the better
processor of the bunch, although we're are yet to put this theory to test.
The new H-series processors also support the latest in tech including features such as Killer
WiFi 6E support, Thunderbolt 4, Intel Deep Link for power-sharing, AI encoding, and more.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake H-series Processor Specifications
The Alder Lake H-series lineup includes as many as eight SKUs with a 45W base power across
the board. Each chip in the series, as we mentioned earlier, is based on the new hybrid
architecture with the combination of P-cores and E-cores. The Core i9-12900HK is the leading
charge with 14 cores and 20 threads. Let's take a quick look at all the available Alder Lake H-
series SKUs to power the next-generation of high-end gaming laptops and content creation
notebooks in 2022:
Intel Core
Link copied to clipboard Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel
Specification i9- Core i9- Core i7- Core i7- Core i7- Core i5- Core i5- Core i5-
12900HK 12900H 12800H 12700H 12650H 12600H 12500H 12450H
14 (6P + 14 (6P 14 (6P 14 (6P 10 (6P 12 (4P 12 (4P 8 (4P +

Cores
8E) + 8E) + 8E) + 8E) + 4E) + 8E) + 8E) 4E)
Threads 20 20 20 20 16 16 16 12
2.5GHz 2.4GHz 2.3GHz 2.3GHz 2.7GHz 2.5GHz 2.0GHz

2.5GHz
(P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core)
Base (P-core) |
| | | | | | |
Frequency 1.8GHz
(E-core)
(E-core) (E-core) (E-core) (E-core) (E-core) (E-core) (E-core)

5.0GHz
(P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core)
Max Turbo (P-core) |
| | | | | | |
Frequency 3.8GHz
(E-core)
L3 Cache 24MB 24MB 24MB 24MB 24MB 18MB 18MB 12MB
Max Turbo
115W 115W 115W 115W 115W 95W 95W 95W
Power
Processor
96EU 96EU 96EU 96EU 64EU 80EU 80EU 48EU
Graphics
The Intel Core i9-12900HK is touted to be more powerful than Apple's new M1 Max chip. The
relative performance curve shows that the 12900HK is capable of delivering more performance
per watt compared to the Apple silicon. When compared to the outgoing 11900HK mobile
processor, the new flagship chip is up to 28% faster for gaming. It also performed significantly
better than AMD's Ryzen 5900HX CPU when paired with the same GPU. Intel also says its new
chip is superior to existing options on the market for content creators.
We recently tested the Intel Core i9-12900HK fitted inside an MSI Raider GE76 gaming machine.
It's among the first laptops to ship with Intel's new 12th generation processors. After running a
suite of benchmarking applications, we can safely say that the new Intel Core i9-12900HK is the
best gaming CPU right now. It's perfect for those who want the best gaming performance from
a portable PC. Even content creators will find plenty to like about the new 12900HK's
performance.
It is, however, worth pointing out that we're yet to test new laptops that are powered by AMD's
new 6000 series mobile processors. It's hard to tell if the new AMD mobile chips will manage to
beat Intel's new H-series chips, but it's going to be a close one, for sure. You can check out our
Core i9-12900HK review to get a detailed look at the kind of performance you can expect from
this new processor.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake P-series mobile SKUs
Joining the Alder Lake-P mobile processor family alongside the new H-series processors are
Intel's new P-series mobile chips. The P-series meant for the Performance Thin & light
notebooks tops out at Core i7-1280P. This particular chip, however, carries the same number of
cores and threads, including the same distribution for P-cores and E-cores. The general
performance, however, is going to be vastly different due to the different base power. The P-
series processor has less allotted power window, thereby making them more suitable for slim
enclosures. We expect to see plenty of ultrabooks powered by this particular chip in 2022.

Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core
Specification
i7-1280P i7-1270P i7-1260P i5-1250P i5-1240P i3-1220P
14 (6P + 12 (4P + 12 (4P + 12 (4P + 12 (4P + 10 (2P +

Cores
8E) 8E) 8E) 8E) 8E) 8E)
Threads 20 16 16 16 16 12
1.8GHz (P- 2.2GHz (P- 2.1GHz (P- 1.7GHz (P- 1.7GHz (P- 1.5GHz (P-
Base core) | core) | core) | core) | core) | core) |
Frequency 1.3GHz (E- 1.6GHz (E- 1.5GHz (E- 1.2GHz (E- 1.2GHz (E- 1.1GHz (E-
core) core) core) core) core) core)
4.8GHz (P- 4.8GHz (P- 4.7GHz (P- 4.4GHz (P- 4.4GHz (P- 4.4GHz (P-
Max Turbo core) | core) | core) | core) | core) | core) |
Frequency 3.6GHz (E- 3.5GHz (E- 3.4GHz (E- 3.3GHz (E- 3.3GHz (E- 3.3GHz (E-
core) core) core) core) core) core)
L3 Cache 24MB 18MB 18MB 12MB 12MB 12MB
Default TDP 28W 28W 28W 28W 28W 28W
Max Turbo
64W 64W 64W 64W 64W 64W
Power
Processor
96EU 96EU 96EU 80EU 80EU 64EU
Graphics
The P-series Alder Lake mobile chips, as you can see, are capable of hitting a turbo frequency of
4.8GHz under favorable conditions. Despite being at the bottom of the barrel, the Core i3-1220P
is capable of operating at 64W to hit a turbo frequency of 4.4GHz on the performance cores for
high-priority tasks.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake U-series mobile SKUs
Lastly, we have the U-series chips that'll power some of the modern slim notebooks. There are a
total of seven SKUs in the U-series, each with its own hybrid architecture. We're looking at a
Core i7-1265U on the top with 10 cores and 12 threads. Those leaning towards an entry-level
low-powered laptop can pick up the variant with Intel Celeron 7305 with a 48U graphics
processor. Here's a quick look at all the Alder Lake U-series (15W) mobile SKUs that'll power
some of the thin and light notebooks in 2022 and beyond:
Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel

Intel Core Intel Core
Specification Core i7- Core i7- Core i5- Pentium Celeron
i5-1235U i3-1215U
1265U 1255U 1245U 8505 7305
10 (2P + 10 (2P + 10 (2P + 10 (2P + 6 (2P + 5 (1P + 5 (1P +

Cores
8E) 8E) 8E) 8E) 4E) 4E) 4E)
Threads 12 12 12 12 8 6 6

Base (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) | (P-core) | (P-core) | (P-core) |
Frequency | 1.3GHz | 1.2GHz | 1.2GHz 0.90GHz 0.90GHz 0.90GHz 0.90GHz
4.8GHz 4.7GHz 4.4GHz 4.4GHz 4.4GHz 4.4GHz

Max Turbo (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) (P-core) | (P-core) | (P-core) |
N/A
Frequency | 3.6GHz | 3.5GHz | 3.3GHz 3.3GHz 3.3GHz 3.3GHz
(E-core) (E-core) (E-core) (E-core) (E-core) (E-core)
L3 Cache 12MB 12MB 12MB 12MB 10MB 8MB 8MB
Default TDP 15W 15W 15W 15W 15W 15W 15W
Max Turbo
55W 55W 55W 55W 55W 55W 55W
Power
Processor
96EU 96EU 80EU 80EU 64EU 48EU 48EU
Graphics
Both the Intel Alder Lake P-series and the U-series mobile chips will be replacing the existing
set of low-powered Tiger Lake chips on the market. A lot of manufacturers have already
announced the launch of their thin & light notebooks based on the new Alder Lake mobile CPUs,
with more to follow soon through the rest of 2022. Intel has also announced the third
generation of its Evo platform. We'll start seeing new notebooks on the market with the Evo
branding that'll use these new Alder Lake chips. The new generation of Intel Evo notebooks will
also be required to meet a specific set of requirements to get the Evo certified badge.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Release Date
The first set of Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs entered the market in November last year. The
original release included three popular SKUs including the Core i5-12600K, the Core i7-12700K,
and the Core i9-12900K. The rest of the Alder Lake-S desktop family was introduced at CES
2022 show alongside the Intel 12th-Gen mobile processors. Not all Alder Lake CPUs are readily
available on the market right now, but we'll update this space with more info as we get more
information.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Price & Availability
Intel's Alder Lake-S desktop CPUs start for as low as $42 for the Celeron G6900 and go all the
way up to $589 for the top-of-the-line chip. You can check out the specs sheet above to find the
price of each chip in the desktop line. The Intel Core i5-12600K is priced at $289 while the Core
i7-12700K costs $409. The flagship Core i9-12900K is the most expensive CPU this generation
with a price tag of $589. You can also buy variants of each of these CPUs without integrated
graphics. They're denoted with the suffix F, and each of them shaves off a few dollars from the
full MSRP. The Intel Core i5-12600KF, Core i7-12700KF, and the Core i9-12900KF are priced at
$264, $384, and $564, respectively.
The Intel Core i5-12600K is currently our pick for the best CPU you can buy on the market.
Intel Core i5-12600K

The Intel Core i5-12600K is currently our pick for the best CPU you can buy on the market.
The Intel Core i7-12700K is one of the best Intel chips out there right now for high-end PCs. This particular processor also supports
overclocking.

The Intel Core i7-12700K sits in a sweet spot between the 12600K & the 12900K to offer a
good value for money.
The Intel Core i9-12900K is one of the most powerful mainstream chips on the market right now.

The Core i9-12900K handily beats the Ryzen 9 5950X to become one of the best-
performing CPUs on the mainstream market.
See at Best Buy
Frequently Asked Questions about the Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake processors
As you can see, there's a lot of information to process while discussing the Alder Lake CPUs.
We've managed to put together an ever-evolving list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to
help answer some queries below:
Can copied
Link I use Intel 12th Gen with my existing socket?
to clipboard
No, the new Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs demand a new CPU socket named LGA 1700.
This means you'll have to buy one of the compatible Z690, H670, B660, or the H610
motherboards with an LGA 1700 socket to use these new CPUs.
Read More
What's the release date for Intel 12th-gen laptops?
We expect to see Intel 12th-gen laptops in the market in a couple of months as more
manufacturers are ready with their new laptops powered by the Alder Lake chips. A lot of
manufacturers have already announced the launch of their new laptops with Intel's new
chips, and they're expected to go on sale as early as next month.
Read More
What's the power consumption of Intel 12th-gen processors?
The power consumption depends on the processor you pick. The base TDP of Alder Lake
desktop CPUs ranges from 35W to 125W. Unlocked/overclocked CPUs tend to consume
more power too. When it comes to mobile processors, the base power consumption varies
from 28W to 45W depending on the SKU.
Read More
Link
Can copied to clipboard
I run Linux with Intel 12th-gen?
Yes, you can run Linux with Intel 12th-gen but Intel is yet to add all the drivers and
optimization for the Linux kernel. The may lead to performance differences.
Read More
Is Intel 12th-gen a 10nm chip?
Yes, the Intel 12th-gen CPUs are 10nm chips. They're based on Intel 7 lithography, not to
be confused with Intel 4, which is its 7nm node.
Read More
Which motherboards can I use with Intel 12th-gen processors?
The Intel 12th-gen processors are compatible with Z690, H670, B660, and H610
motherboards. These boards carry the compatible Intel 600 series chips along with the
new LGA 1700 CPU socket.
Read More

Is Intel 12th-gen good for gaming?
Yes, the Intel 12th-gen processors are good for gaming. In fact, we think these new Intel
12th-gen chips are some of the best CPUs you can buy right now. Intel has made
significant progress when it comes to the overall performance of its new Alder Lake CPUs.
Read More
Do Intel 12th-gen processors have integrated graphics?
Yes, the Intel 12th-gen processors have integrated graphics. However, there are some
variants of 12th-gen desktop CPUs that don't have integrated GPUs. These CPUs are
denoted with the suffix F. For instance, the Intel Core i9-12900K has integrated graphics,
but the Intel Core i9-12900KF does not
Read More
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Suggested Reading Links
Intel's Alder Lake CPUs are still relatively new to the market and it hasn't been that long since
the arrival of the first Alder Lake CPUs. However, we've already covered a wide variety of topics
around these new CPUs including our full review of the unlocked Alder Lake CPUs below:
Intel Core i5-12600K and Core i9-12900K review: Alder Lake is a total game-changer
Best DDR5 RAM: Top memory kits for early adopters in 2022
Best DDR4 RAM: Top memory kits you can buy in 2022
Best motherboards for Intel CPUs you can buy in 2022
These are the best CPU coolers you can buy in 2021
These are the best PC cases you can buy: Lian Li, Cooler Master & more!
AMD’s AM5 platform will launch in 2022 with support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0
Well, that wraps up pretty much everything there is to know about Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake
processors. Intel, as we mentioned earlier, has done a fantastic job of making powerful CPUs.
Not only do these new chips perform better than the competition, but they also support next-
gen features including PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory. We'll continue to test as many SKUs as we
can to see how each of these stacks up against AMD and Apple's silicon.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs

Intel may have been an underdog in the past, but don't sleep on the new Alder Lake CPUs for your next build.
In the meantime, let us know if you have any questions about the new Alder Lake CPUs. You can
let us know by dropping a line in the comments below. We also encourage you to join our XDA
Computing Forums to discuss Alder Lake and many other computing topics with the experts in
our community.
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12/28/22, 2:42 PM Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Release date, Benchmarks, Specs, and more!

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Mobile Processors

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Release Date

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Price & Availability

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Suggested Reading Links

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Family

Intel Thread Director

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S Desktop Processors

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S Unlocked SKUs

Intel Core i9-

Cores 10 (6P + 4E) 12 (8P + 4E) 16 (8P + 8E)

3.7GHz (P-core) | 3.60GHz (P-core) | 3.2GHz (P-core) |

4.9GHz (P-core) | 4.90GHz (P-core) | 5.1GHz (P-core) |

L3 Cache 20MB 25MB 30MB

Default TDP 125W 125W 125W

DDR4 3200MT/s | DDR4 3200MT/s | DDR4-3200 |

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S mainstream (non-K) SKUs

Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Pen

16 (8P + 12 (8P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 4 (4P + 4 (6P + 2 (2

L3 Cache 30MB 25MB 18MB 18MB 18MB 12MB 12MB 6M

DDR4 DDR4 DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DD

Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Inte

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S mainstream (low-powered) SKUs

16 (8P + 12 (8P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 6 (6P + 4 (4P + 4 (6P + 2 (2

L3 Cache 30MB 25MB 18MB 18MB 18MB 12MB 12MB 6M

DDR4 DDR4 DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DDR4- DD

Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel Inte

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Link copied to clipboard

Intel's new 600-series chipset: Z690, B660, H670, & more

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CPU Coolers for Alder Lake

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Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Mobile Processors

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Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake H-series mobile processors

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Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake H-series Processor Specifications

14 (6P + 14 (6P 14 (6P 14 (6P 10 (6P 12 (4P 12 (4P 8 (4P +

2.5GHz 2.4GHz 2.3GHz 2.3GHz 2.7GHz 2.5GHz 2.0GHz

5.0GHz 4.8GHz 4.7GHz 4.7GHz 4.5GHz 4.5GHz 4.4GHz

L3 Cache 24MB 24MB 24MB 24MB 24MB 18MB 18MB 12MB

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake P-series mobile SKUs

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14 (6P + 12 (4P + 12 (4P + 12 (4P + 12 (4P + 10 (2P +

L3 Cache 24MB 18MB 18MB 12MB 12MB 12MB

Default TDP 28W 28W 28W 28W 28W 28W

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake U-series mobile SKUs

Intel Intel Intel Intel Intel

10 (2P + 10 (2P + 10 (2P + 10 (2P + 6 (2P + 5 (1P + 5 (1P +

1.8GHz 1.7GHz 1.6GHz 1.3GHz 1.2GHz 1.2GHz 1.1GHz

4.8GHz 4.7GHz 4.4GHz 4.4GHz 4.4GHz 4.4GHz

L3 Cache 12MB 12MB 12MB 12MB 10MB 8MB 8MB

Default TDP 15W 15W 15W 15W 15W 15W 15W

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Release Date

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor Price & Availability

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Intel Core i5-12600K

Intel Core i7-12700K

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Intel Core i9-12900K