The Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S Desktop CPU family and Z690 motherboard lineup are going to be Chipzilla’s biggest launch for this year. The company will not only be bringing a new architecture & IPC improvements but the entire chip design is getting an overhaul with the 12th Gen Core family being the first consumer-centric desktop launch of a hybrid x86 processor.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-S Desktop CPUs and Z690 Motherboards Launch on 19th November
The Intel Alder Lake-S Desktop CPU lineup will include the 12th Gen Core processors. Intel will kick off its lineup with the introductory ‘K’ and ‘Non-K’ chips which will be followed by more mainstream variants in the following weeks. Our sources have confirmed that the Intel 12th Gen Core processor lineup along with the Z690 motherboards will be readily available on 19th November. Intel will also hold a pre-launch announcement where they would disclose the prices, specifications, and general performance numbers of their next-gen family during 27th & 28th October during the ‘Innovation‘ event.
This won’t be the first time Intel has released an x86 CPU with a hybrid architecture for consumers but it’s definitely the first proper release with optimizations coming along the way. Lakefield can be seen as a test case for the hybrid architecture approach although that was limited to a few laptops. Alder Lake on the other hand is primarily focused on both desktop and mobile platforms & will also receive scheduling and core optimizations within Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system. Intel’s Alder Lake-S will also pave the way for its next-generation Core series which are going to leverage a lot from the hybrid architecture and further increase reliance on Big and Small cores.
In Alder Lake’s case, we are looking at Golden Cove architecture on the Performance Cores and the Gracemont architecture on the Efficiency Cores. Intel will also be rehauling its desktop platform in the form of the 600-series chipsets. The new 600-series will debut with the Z690 motherboards that are going to support both K and non-K chips. The Z690 platform will also feature support for DDR5, PCIe Gen 5.0, and several key features along with enhanced overclocking capabilities. Z690 chipset-based motherboards will be available on the same day as the Alder Lake-S Desktop CPUs while the DDR5 memory kits will be available slightly earlier. A few manufacturers have already released the first DDR5 kits in the retail segment and more gaming modules are expected to hit the market by October.
The Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPU Platform – 600-Series Chipset Including Z690 Flagship
When it comes to the desktop platform, the Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPUs will feature support on the brand new 600-series platform which would include the Z690 motherboards. The motherboard will carry the LGA 1700 socket which is designed around Alder Lake and future generation CPUs. It also looks like only the flagship Z690 motherboards will be able to support DDR5 memory with native speeds of up to 4800 MHz whereas cheaper motherboards based on mainstream & budget-tier chipsets (H670, B650, H610) will retain DDR4-3200 support.
In addition to that, Intel Alder Lake CPUs will feature 16 PCIe Gen 5.0 and 4 PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes. The chipset will offer Gen 4 and Gen 3 lanes although the exact amount of lanes is currently unknown. As for the rest of the features for 600-series chipset motherboards, you can see them below:
- eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities
- 2-Channel (Up To DDR5-4800 / Up To DDR4-3200) Memory Support
- x16 PCIe 5.0 / x4 PCIe 4.0 Lanes (CPU)
- PCIe Express 4.0 & PCIe Express 3.0 Support (600-Series Chipset)
- SATA 3.0
- Integrated WiFi 6E
- Discrete Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4 Compliant)
- USB3 (20G) / USB3 (10G) / USB3 (5G) / USB 2.0
- Intel LAN PHY
- Intel Optane Memory H20 (H10 Successor)
The package size for the chips is 45.0 x 37.5 mm whereas the existing LGA 1200 package is 37.5 x 37.5 mm. We also know that the Intel Alder Lake CPUs will come with a max core configuration of 16 cores and 24 threads (8 cores / 16 threads based on Golden Cove & 8 cores / 8 threads based on Gracemont).
Intel Core i9-12900K 16 Core / 24 Thread Desktop CPU
The Intel Core i9-12900K will be the flagship chip in the 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPU lineup. It will feature 8 Golden Cove cores and 8 Gracemont cores for a total of 16 cores (8+8) and 24 threads (16+8). The P-cores (Golden Cove) will operate at a maximum boost frequency of up to 5.3 GHz with 1-2 active cores and 5.0 GHz with all-cores active while the E-cores (Gracemont) will operate at 3.90 GHz across 1-4 cores and up to 3.7 GHz when all cores are loaded. The CPU will feature 30 MB of L3 cache and TDP values are maintained at 125W (PL1) and 228W (PL2).
Intel Core i7-12700K 12 Core / 20 Thread Desktop CPU
Moving over to the Core i7, Intel will offer 8 Golden Cove cores but cut down the Gracemont cores to 4. This will result in a total of 12 cores (8+4) and 20 threads (16+4). The P-cores (Golden Cove) will operate at a maximum boost frequency of up to 5.0 GHz with 1-2 active cores and 4.7 GHz with all-cores active while the E-cores (Gracemont) will operate at 3.8 GHz across 1-4 cores & up to 3.6 GHz when all cores are loaded. The CPU will feature 25 MB of L3 cache and TDP values are maintained at 125W (PL1) and 228W (PL2).
Intel Core i5-12600K 10 Core / 16 Thread Desktop CPU
Lastly, we have the Intel Core i5-12600K which will be the entry-level unlocked chip within the line. The CPU will carry 6 Golden Cove and 4 Gracemont cores for a total of 10 cores (6+4) & 16 threads (12+4). The P-cores (Golden Cove) will operate at a maximum boost frequency of up to 4.9 GHz with 1-2 active cores and 4.5 GHz with all-cores active while the E-cores (Gracemont) will operate at 3.6 GHz across 1-4 cores & up to 3.4 GHz when all cores are loaded. The CPU will feature 20 MB of L3 cache and TDP values are maintained at 125W (PL1) and 228W (PL2).
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPU Specs “Rumored”
| CPU Name | P-Core Count | E-Core Count | Total Core / Thread | P-Core Base / Boost (Max) | P-Core Boost (All-Core) | E-Core Base / Boost | E-Core Boost (All-Core) | Cache | TDP (PL1) | TDP (PL2) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i9-12900K | 8 | 8 | 16 / 24 | 3.2 / 5.3 GHz | 5.0 GHz (All Core) | TBA / 3.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz (All Core) | 30 MB | 125W | 228W | TBA |
| Intel Core i7-12700K | 8 | 4 | 12 / 20 | 3.6 / 5.0 GHz | 4.7 GHz (All Core) | TBA / 3.8 GHz | 3.6 GHz (All Core) | 25 MB | 125W | 228W | TBA |
| Intel Core i5-12600K | 6 | 4 | 10 / 16 | 3.7 / 4.9 GHz | 4.5 GHz (All Core) | TBA / 3.6 GHz | 3.4 GHz (All Core) | 20 MB | 125W | 228W | TBA |
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