The big change here is the hybrid architecture, which moves away from the conventional sets of identical CPU cores and instead splits them up into high-speed, high-power Performance cores (or P-cores) and smaller, less PSU-hungry Efficiency cores (E-cores). There will almost definitely be more Alder Lake desktop CPUs to come, though it’s likely these six will be the ones to focus on from a gaming standpoint, especially as they all come unlocked for overclocking.
These include the top-tier Core i9-12900K, the high-end Core i7-12700K and the mid-range Core i5-12600K, as well as “KF” versions of each, which are technically identical with the exception of lacking integrated graphics. Intel has kicked off the 12th Gen era with six new processors.
Hopefully the 12th Gen Alder Lake lineup’s ambition can drive the kind of meaningful performance gains that previous generations often lacked, but for now here’s everything we know about the new CPUs so far. About time, too – while AMD has been stuffing the ranks of the best gaming CPUs with its Ryzen chips, previous Intel generations have been mere incremental updates.
