Intel Core i5-12400 ES & OEM CPUs Are Available For Sale on $228 US on eBay & Here’s Why You Should Avoid Them

Intel’s 12th Generation Mainstream Alder Lake CPUs such as the Core i5-12400, Core i5-12500 & Core i5-12600 have started being listed down on US-based E-Commerce sites such as eBay. While it provides anxious buyers the opportunity to purchase these chips weeks or even months ahead of launch, you should definitely avoid them at all costs and for good reasons.

Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake Core i5-12400 Desktop CPU Listed on eBay For $228 US, Other Non-K Chips Also Tested By Chinese Leakers

The specifications of Intel’s non-K Alder Lake lineup leaked out last week and now these chips are appearing all over the internet in ES variants. According to Zhuanlan, in a detailed post discovered by Momomo_US, it is stated that the ES and QS variants of these chips are appearing in the black market more often now. Following is the designation of each QS and ES chip along with its unique identifier.

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• Intel Core i5-12400 – Qualifaction Sample (QS) – QYHW
• Intel Core i5-12400 – Engineering Sample (ES2 BETA) – QXDY
• Intel Core i5-12500 – Qualification Sample (QS) – TBD
• Intel Core i5-12500 – Engineering Sample (EN BETA) – TBD
• Intel Core i5-12600 – Qualification Sample (QS) TBD
• Intel Core i5-12600 – Engineering Sample (EN Test Version) – QYGE

As you can tell, there are at least six different variants in QS and ES state that are on sale at various outlets such as eBay. But they also come with their unique set of issues related to incompatibility & stability.

Starting with the ES variants, the Core i5-12400 model features a boost clock that can hit a frequency of up to  4.0 GHz (3.6 GHz all-core) and is 10% lower than the final retail variant. It packs a UHD 770 graphics chip as opposed to the UHD 730 chip it should feature. The chip has a price of 930 Yuan or 145 USD. The Core i5-12500 ES features a base frequency of 2.4 GHz, boost frequency of 4.4 GHz (4.0 GHz all-core), and has the same core configuration as the Core i5-12500 & is priced at $150 US (950 Yuan). Finally, we have the Core i5-12600 ES which has a boost clock of 4.60 GHz & 4.20 GHz all-core boost. It has a price of $165 US (1050 Yuan).

There’s even currently a listing for the Intel Core i5-12400 ES2 BETA sample (QXDY) over at eBay for $228 US which is $80 US higher than what the Chinese are asking for it. It was actually listed for an even higher price of $239.99 US but the seller decided to offer a 5% discount. There are also listings of the Core i5-12400 OEM chip at eBay for around 300 Euros.

Moving over to the QS variants, the Intel Core i5-12400 features a 2.5 GHz base, 4.4 GHz boost (4.0 GHz all-core), and the retail UHD 730 graphics chip. The catch however is that it is based on the C0 (8+8) and not the H0 (6+0) die as it should be. It looks like Intel sent out QS variants with the bigger die while the retail chips will utilize the proper die configuration. The pricing for the chip is around $230 US or 1480 Yuan. The Core i5-12500 QS does feature the proper H0 die and clocks of 4.60 GHz boost with pricing around 1550 Yuan or $242 US. The Core i5-12600 QS features a boost clock of up to 4.6 GHz and pricing of $260 US which makes it not worth it over a Core i5-12600K.

With that said, these ES/ES2 and QS parts should not be purchased by individuals as they are based on older microcodes that the new Z690 motherboards cannot recognize and won’t boot at all. So in the end, you are going to be left with a paperweight by spending around $150-$250 US. Aside from that, even if the CPU somehow boots up, there are good chances that these samples won’t run at the advertised retail clock speeds and won’t function properly. Some samples also exhibit power & thermal issues. So it’s advised not to get them but some people who might want to test out these chips will still go after these and find a golden sample hidden within the listings. The Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake mainstream lineup is expected to debut in the coming months along with the affordable H670, B660, and H610 motherboards.

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News Source: Videocardz