Intel Alder Lake 12th Gen CPUs now available with power to rival Apple's M1 Max

(Image credit: Intel)

Intel Alder Lake is the 12th generation of chips from the well-known chipmaker, one that promises unprecedented performance thanks to a new hybrid architecture for Intel'south desktop CPUs. While the full lineup of Alder Lake desktop and mobile CPUs volition be rolling out through 2022, a handful of Alder Lake desktop CPUs are now available for purchase -- including the tiptop-of-the-line Core i9-12900K.

This is significant because Intel's long reign as summit dog of the CPU market (fiercely contested by AMD) has been undercut this yr by the outstanding functioning and efficiency of Apple's new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. These two new pieces of Apple silicon debuted in the new MacBook Pro 2021 (14-inch) and MacBook Pro 2021 (16-inch) laptops, and in our ain Macbook 2021 benchmarks Apple's latest chips helped the new MacBooks outperform the lion's share of Windows laptops we've tested, all of which were packing Intel'southward 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs.

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Of form the M1 Pro and M1 Max are tailor-made for Apple tree's laptops, whereas Intel builds fries for everyone. And nosotros can't compare the Alder Lake CPUs hitting the marketplace in November 2021 confronting Apple silicon anyway, because Intel'south releasing just a handful of its desktop fries first; we'll have to wait a while (potentially until 2022) to see the Alder Lake laptop chips and find out how well they stack upward against the competition.

But now that we have our first real wait at what Intel'south Alder Lake CPUs are capable of, we tin begin to come across how the CPU market will estrus upwardly in 2022. Intel's 12th Gen chips promise remarkable power, but by early 2022 we're expecting to run across not only a new generation of Ryzen CPUs from AMD congenital on its Zen iv architecture, but a new Apple M2 chip powering the long-rumored MacBook Air 2022.

Without farther ado, here's everything we know so far about Intel's Alder Lake 12th Gen CPUs.

Intel Alder Lake: Price and release date

Intel put half-dozen of its new Alder Lake desktop CPUs up for pre-order on Oct 27 2021, with a planned release date of November 4. All told the company plans to release at least 60 processors in the Alder Lake family through 2022, with models for both desktop and mobile devices.

intel alder lake Core i9 CPU sitting in box on table — (Epitome credit: Intel)

Currently you can order from your choice of two Cadre i5, Core i7, or Cadre i9 Alder Lake CPUs, with prices ranging from $264 to $589. At the lowest terminate you can get a new Core i5-12600KF for an MSRP of $264, or a Core i5-12600K for $289. A Core i7-12700KF will run you $384, while the Cadre i7-12700K is $409. At the high end, a new Core i9-12900KF will set you lot dorsum $564, while a Cadre i9-12900K costs $589. These prices are very close to what Intel asks for its electric current Tiger Lake chips, though the ongoing flake shortage might make prices unstable for a while.

The large difference between the two CPUs at each level is that the K variants come with Intel UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics, while the cheaper KF variants do not. And then if you're planning to slot one of these into a desktop with a detached GPU, you're probably fine with the cheaper chip.

Notwithstanding, keep in mind that these Alder Lake CPUs employ the new Z690 chipset, which means y'all'll need a motherboard with Z690 to brand use of them.

Intel Alder Lake: Specs and performance

Intel Alder Lake desktop CPU specs
Processor	Cores	Threads	Graphics	Base of operations clock speed in GHz	Max clock speed (single core)	Max Intel Turbo Boost clock speed (all cores)	MSRP	Power range
Core i9-12900K	16 (8P + 8E)	24	Intel UHD Graphics 770	3.ii (P-core), 2.4 (E-core)	5.1 (P-core), 3.9 (E-core)	five.2 GHz	$589	12-28W
Cadre i9-12900KF	16 (8P + 8E)	24	None	iii.2 (P-core), 2.4 (East-core)	5.1 (P-core), 3.9 (E-cadre)	5.two GHz	$564	12-28W
Core i7-12900K	12 (8P + 4E)	20	Intel UHD Graphics 770	3.6 (P-cadre), ii.vii (Eastward-core)	iv.9 (P-core), 3.8 (East-core)	v.0 GHz	$409	12-28W
Core i7-12900KF	12 (8P + 4E)	20	None	3.half dozen (P-core), 2.seven (E-core)	4.9 (P-core), 3.eight (East-core)	5.0 GHz	$384	12-28W
Core i5-12900K	10 (6P + 4E)	xvi	Intel UHD Graphics 770	iii.seven (P-core), 2.8 (E-cadre)	4.ix (P-core), iii.six (E-core)	Due north/A	$289	12-28W
Core i5-12900KF	ten (6P + 4E)	xvi	None	3.7 (P-cadre), 2.eight (E-core)	four.9 (P-core), 3.6 (E-core)	North/A	$264	7-15W

As you tin can see from the specs chart above, these new Alder Lake chips are the first Intel desktop x86 CPUs to be built on a hybrid compages. That ways they accept a set of high-powered functioning cores and a grouping of weaker, high-efficiency cores on each chip, likewise every bit a new embedded microcontroller chosen the Intel Thread Director which aims to intelligently manage workflows across all cores for optimal operation.

If that sounds familiar, it's because Apple tree silicon like the M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max all rely on a similar hybrid architecture of high-functioning and high-efficiency CPU cores on a single bit. In fact, Apple takes things a step further by putting a multi-core GPU on the aforementioned chip, and letting both CPU and GPU access the aforementioned shared unified memory puddle.

Withal, it'south the hybrid high-power/high-efficiency CPU cadre setup that help requite Apple tree fries similar the M1 Pro and M1 Max their incredible ability efficiency, allowing the modern MacBook Pros to last for upwardly to xv hours (based on our lab testing) on a unmarried charge. While power efficiency is less critical in desktop CPUs since you don't have a battery to worry virtually, it'south still quite exciting to run across Intel roll out its showtime hybrid desktop CPUs. Ability efficiency is nevertheless important for desktops, and we're eager to run into what kind of battery life improvements we'll run across in Windows laptops sporting new Alder Lake CPUs.

intel alder lake chip on a fancy background — (Image credit: Intel)

These are also the first Intel desktop CPUs to apply DDR5 RAM and be built on a 7 nanometer procedure, an improvement over the 10 nm process used in Intel'southward 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs. That brings these new chips in line with AMD'due south electric current Ryzen CPUs, which are likewise congenital on a seven nm process. Yet, the next generation of Ryzen chips are tipped to exist built on a 5 nm process, so they could prove even more powerful when they hit the market in 2022.

Intel Alder Lake: Graphics and game functioning

The first round of Alder Lake CPUs Intel is releasing are clearly marketed at folks building high-performance PC rigs, and the company is keen to dorsum that upward with promises of improving functioning in demanding PC games.

Notably, Intel is marketing the top-of-the-line Core i9-12900K every bit "the world's all-time gaming processor", claiming it can deliver upward to 28% more frames per second in Hitman 3, up to 24% improve FPS in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and up to 23% more FPS in Far Cry 6. These comparisons are based on Intel's own testing against its one-time Core i9-11900K CPU using a 1080p Windows 11 Pro organization with an Nvidia RTX 3090 GPU, and they advise that at least at the high end, Alder Lake CPUs will deliver a significant operation improvement over Intel's quondam Tiger Lake fries.

Intel too shared some benchmarks illustrating how its new Alder Lake chips compete against AMD'southward high-powered Ryzen 5950X CPU, and you lot probably won't exist surprised to hear the Core i9-12900K performed better overall -- though in credit to Intel, it did bear witness two cases in which the Ryzen-powered system equaled or exceeded the gaming performance of the latest Alder Lake chip.

intel alder lake performance benchmarks provided by intel — Intel provided this chart comparing performance of the superlative-of-the-line Alder Lake desktop CPU against both its predecessor and AMD'southward Ryzen 5950X CPU (Image credit: Intel)

Specifically, Intel claims that on the same 1080p Windows Pro system (with an Nvidia RTX 3090 GPU and 64GB DDR4 RAM) the Core i9-12900K delivered up to fifteen% more FPS than the Ryzen 5950X in Hitman 3, up to fourteen% more FPS in Far Weep 6, and upwards to xi% more FPS in Age of Empires IV. Nonetheless, the AMD arrangement and Intel system delivered roughly the aforementioned amount of FPS when running Crysis Remastered, and Intel says the Alder Lake system actually delivered up to 3% less FPS than the AMD system when running Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

So while it'south articulate that Intel'southward latest high-end Alder Lake desktop fries will evangelize outstanding gaming performance, it likely won't be that much better than the competition. Merely if you're planning to overclock your new CPU, Intel says you should have an easier time than ever cheers to its updated Intel Extreme Tuning Utility seven.5. This utility will allow yous to overclock the efficiency cores and DDR5 RAM in unlocked Alder Lake CPUs (unlocked Intel CPUs have a K designator in the proper noun), and its Intel Speed Optimizer feature is meant to streamline the process of overclocking downwardly to a single click.

Intel Alder Lake: Outlook

Though nosotros've only seen manufacturer-provided benchmarks of a handful of desktop Alder Lake chips so far, that's already plenty to get excited about if you're passionate about PC performance. Later witnessing Apple'due south remarkable success using hybrid SoCs in both the latest MacBooks and the 2021 iMac and Mac mini, it'due south thrilling to encounter Intel embarking on a like path to deliver hybrid chips for desktops. Of course, nosotros'll take to expect and run into whether the laptop Alder Lake chips tin assistance mod Windows laptops match the incredible power efficiency of M1-powered MacBooks.

But if you're primarily a desktop PC users, these new CPUs are clumsily promising. With their hybrid high-operation/high-efficiency core arrays under the guidance of the Intel Thread Managing director, these new Alder Lake chips could potentially make life a lot easier for gamers, streamers, content creators, and anyone else who regularly runs into CPU bottlenecks.

Of course, nosotros've got new Apple tree silicon and the next generation of AMD Ryzen chips on the horizon, so Intel may be in for a real fight come 2022. We'll just have to expect and see how well Alder Lake desktops and laptops perform in our lab, where we subject every PC nosotros review to a battery of synthetic and real-earth performance testing. Stay tuned!

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of feel covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC World magazine. He currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things calculating, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.