Intel's 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake-S" silicon apparently comes in two variants based on core count. The first one is a larger variant with 8 P cores and 8 E cores, while the second variant is a visibly smaller die with only 6 P cores, no E cores. This was revealed by an MSI Insider video presentation where pictures of LGA1700 packages with the two die types were shown off.

MSI also confirmed die-sizes and dimensions of the two. The larger C0 die measures 10.5 mm x 20.5 mm, working out to 215.25 mm² area. The smaller H0 die measures 10.5 mm x 15.5 mm, and a die area of 162.75 mm². The H0 silicon completely lacks "Gracemont" E-core clusters, and physically features six "Golden Cove" P cores. It's possible that given the 3 MB L3 slice size on the larger C0 silicon, the smaller H0 silicon physically features 18 MB of shared L3 cache.

Today, PC system integrator MAINGEAR announced that all-new 12th Gen Intel Core processors are available for pre-order across its product line of award-winning custom gaming desktop PCs and workstations — including the recently launched MAINGEAR R1 | RAZER Edition. 12th Gen Intel Core (Alder Lake-S) processors are built for the next generation of gaming, featuring Intel's new performance hybrid architecture on unlocked processors. Performance-cores and Efficient-cores (P-cores & E-cores) combined into a single CPU divide and conquer workloads, for multitasking that does not compromise on performance in gaming or productivity tasks. MAINGEAR will offer the following 12th Gen Intel Core processors as a configuration option across their stable of gaming desktops and workstations: the Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i7-12700K, and Intel Core i5-12600K.

12th Gen Intel Core series CPUs are now available for pre-order as a configuration option across multiple custom MAINGEAR gaming desktops and workstations — including PC Mag's Editor's Choice award-winning VYBE, RUSH, MAINGEAR Pro Max workstations, and the newest MAINGEAR R1 | RAZER Edition. The purchase of any MAINGEAR Intel-based system additionally includes a game bundle featuring the Crysis Remastered Trilogy and Humankind. MAINGEAR PCs featuring new 12th Gen Intel CPUs can be equipped with a selection of Z690 Motherboards from MSI and ASUS, DDR4 memory, and paired with MAINGEAR's exclusive APEX hand-crafted water cooling solution that unlocks the top performance potential of any PC.

Kingston Technology, revealed today it has unleashed its cutting-edge Kingston FURY Beast DDR5. Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 arrives in sync with the launch of the Intel Z690 Chipset and 12th Gen Intel Core processors (code-named "Alder Lake-S"). This marks the first platform to utilize the new memory standard, bringing the performance and data integrity advancements of DDR5 to a global audience.

Taking speed, capacity, and reliability even further, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 delivers an arsenal of enhanced features like on-die ECC (ODECC) for improved stability at extreme speeds, dual 32-bit subchannels for increased efficiency, and on-module power management integrated circuit (PMIC) to provide juice where it's needed most. When gaming at the most extreme settings, live streaming at 4K+ or pushing large animation and 3D rendering, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 is the level-up needed while seamlessly linking style and performance.

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, and MSI, a world-leading gaming brand, have partnered up once again to launch the next-gen MSI CARBON motherboard and EK-Quantum monoblock combo. The brand new EK-Quantum MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X D-RGB is based on the latest Z690 chipset and supports Intel 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs, this motherboard offers unparalleled cooling for the CPU, VRM section, and the first slot m.2 SSD thanks to the purpose-designed monoblock.

MSI's world-class engineering team and EK's industry-leading thermal engineers worked together to improve the previous-gen solution and bring even more benefits to the newest Intel Alder Lake platform. The MPG Z690 Carbon EK X allows maximum performance without the noisy environment, providing you with countless hours of uninterrupted gameplay while monitoring the flow in your loop via the integrated flow indicator. And to make sure your first assembly goes without a hitch, an EK-Leak Tester was included in the package.

Intel today formally launched the 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" desktop processors. With it, Intel claims to have developed not just the best processors for gaming, but also close the overall performance gap with AMD, even against its top 16-core chips. "Alder Lake" is Intel's first Hybrid core architecture for the desktop, with 8 "performance" cores sitting next to 8 "efficient" ones in a configuration not unlike Arm big.LITTLE. The Intel Thread Director middleware gives the operating system awareness of the Hybrid core topology. Intel is only debuting the unlocked "K" and "KF" models spanning the Core i9, Core i7, and Core i5 brand extensions today, along with the top Z690 chipset. The rest of the lineup will join the product stack in 2022. Intel claims that its performance cores with near-30% IPC gains, and efficiency cores capable of Skylake-like IPCs, it is able to close the performance gap against AMD. The processors also herald a new socket, the LGA1700, along with next-gen platform I/O that includes DDR5 and PCI-Express 5.0.

We prepared a preview article with the limited amount of information we're allowed to publish today. Read it here.

Update Nov 4th: The reviews embargo has finally expired, we have the following Alder Lake reviews for you today: Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K, Core i5-12600K, ASUS ROG Maximum Z690 Hero, Intel Z690 Motherboard Comparison

After the recent release of our EK-Quantum Velocity² water blocks that are specifically engineered for the new LGA 1700 CPU socket and Intel Alder Lake processors, we are also happy to announce that the original Velocity water block is also able to support this new platform. The cold plate is large enough to accommodate the larger CPU IHS found on LGA 1700 CPUs and the only required part is the LGA 1700 compatible backplate.

The backplate is available in the EK webshop, free of charge, and it will also be available free of charge at major partnering retailers for the end customers. The EK-Quantum Velocity Backplate - LGA1700 is limited to one piece per order, but if any customer requires this upgrade kit for multiple PCs, please reach out directly to our customer support team.

Intel's upcoming Alder Lake-S lineup of processors is shaping up to be a rather good generational improvement. With wonders of the Intel 7 process, previously called 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin (10ESF), the processor lineup will deliver new hybrid technology, mixing new big and small cores into one package. Today, some new CPU-Z validation tests have shown up for the Intel Core i5-12600K CPU, which directly replaces the previous Core i5-11600K Rocket Lake model. With six high-performance Golden Cove and four efficient Gracemont cores, the Core i5-12600K CPU is a ten-core design with 16 threads. And compared to the 6C/12T i5-12600K CPU, the performance is much higher.

According to CPU-Z scores, the new Alder Lake processor scored 7220 and 7156 points for a multi-threaded benchmark in two tests. Compare this to the previous-generation model, which scores 4731 points, and the new chip is almost 50% faster. According to CPU-Z, the new CPU achieved this while running at a boost frequency of 4.5 GHz to 4.7 GHz.

The Intel Core i5-12600K is set to feature 6 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores running at base speeds of 3.7 GHz and 2.8 GHz respectively. These cores can boost to 4.9 GHz and 3.6 GHz with Turbo Max Boost 3.0 however we don't expect much more speed can be extracted out of them using overclocking so default performance with sufficient cooling should be close to max. We have recently seen some CPU-Z test scores for the processor from prominent leakers which show the chip scoring 746 and 7058 points in the single-threaded and multi-threaded tests when running stock on Windows 11. The processor was also tested with an unknown overclock on Windows 10 where it scored 79X and 72XX points respectively.

These scores are extremely competitive with them easily beating the Ryzen 5 5600X by 19.5% and 46.7% in single-threaded and multi-threaded tests. We still don't know where Intel will position the Core i5-12600K in the market so any judgment on the value of these processors will need to wait until release. While we don't currently know the expected MSRP for the Core i5-12600K we have seen pricing for the Core i7-12700K and Core i9-12900K at 469.99 USD and 669.99 USD respectively. Intel is expected to announce these Alder Lake desktop processors during an event on October 27th with general availability expected November 4th.

DeepCool, a global brand and manufacturer of computer hardware and peripherals for enthusiasts, today announced that it will provide free-of-charge mountings kits for Intel's upcoming LGA1700 platform, enabling customers to continue using their existing DeepCool CPU coolers on the new 12th generation Intel Core CPUs (Alder Lake S). Additionally, current and future DeepCool coolers will also include the new mounting hardware.

Intel's new CPU will follow a new hybrid architecture that will be more powerful than previous generations through the use of high-performing, efficient cores. This new architecture will have a direct impact on the appearance of the CPU, as Alder Lake features an additional 500 contacts compared to its predecessors (i.e., 1200 to 1700); as a result, the socket had to be greatly enlarged.

Intel Corporation today reported third-quarter 2021 financial results. "Q3 shone an even greater spotlight on the global demand for semiconductors, where Intel has the unique breadth and scale to lead. Our focus on execution continued as we started delivering on our IDM 2.0 commitments. We broke ground on new fabs, shared our accelerated path to regain process performance leadership, and unveiled our most dramatic architectural innovations in a decade. We also announced major customer wins across every part of our business," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. "We are still in the early stages of our journey, but I see the enormous opportunity ahead, and I couldn't be prouder of the progress we are making towards that opportunity."

In the third quarter, the company generated $9.9 billion in cash from operations and paid dividends of $1.4 billion. Intel CFO George Davis announced plans to retire from Intel in May 2022. He will continue to serve in his current role while Intel conducts a search for a new CFO and until his successor is appointed. Third-quarter revenue was led by strong recovery in the Enterprise portion of DCG and in IOTG, which saw higher demand amid recovery from the economic impacts of COVID-19. The Client Computing Group (CCG) was down due to lower notebook volumes due to industry-wide component shortages, and on lower adjacent revenue, partially offset by higher average selling prices (ASPs) and strength in desktop.

Intel has had a little streak of quirky, over-the-top retail packages for its flagship desktop processors since the 9th Generation Core i9-9900K, which carries on into the 12th Gen with that of the Core i9-12900K. Overclocking.com posted a set of unboxing images. It's important to note here, that these are images of the retail i9-12900K, and not some special package sent to reviewers.

The package involves a hard paperboard hollow cube with two open sides. You undo a set of pull-tabs that are probably held together by factory seal, to pull out a pair of plastic stands holding what looks like a stack of silicon wafers in place. This decorative plastic canister is painted in gold-chrome and disperses colors like a fabricated wafer does. You open the two halves of this "wafer" to find your processor inside, with some Styrofoam cushioning. A separate compartment in the paperboard housing contains the documentation and a case-badge.

Another day, another Intel Alder Lake leak, although this time it seems to be the same Core i9-12900K retail CPU that is being tested in China. Some additional details have been provided on its ability to overclock and although it's perfectly possible to overclock these upcoming CPUs from Intel, it's going to be hard to cool them, even for very small gains in clock speeds.

An all core P-core overclock, with the E-cores at default requires quite the Voltage bump as well, since according to the leaked information, going from 4.9 GHz and a power draw of 233 Watts, with a CPU Voltage of 1.275 V to 5.2 GHz, sees a jump of almost 100 Watts. The CPU Voltage also has to be bumped to 1.38 V in the sample used. However, pushing the CPU to 5.3 GHz requires 1.44 V and pushes the CPU power to a massive 400 W, which is high-end GPU territory. That said, we're hearing that not all CPUs need this high Voltage to hit 5.2 GHz, although we also understand that 5.3 GHz is not a speed that will be easily attained. Apparently the best way to get the most performance out of these news CPUs will be to tune the turbo settings, rather than to try and overclock them.

Here are some of the clearest shots of retail (non-ES) production versions of the upcoming Intel Core i9-12900K and i5-12600K "Alder Lake-S" desktop processors. Posted to the web by "DDAA117" on Chinese social media Zhihu, the pictures reveal the long and slender packages, with their S-spec codes: SRL4H for the i9-12900K and SRL4T for the i5-12600K. Based on what we know from older reports, the i9-12900K maxes out the "Alder Lake-S" silicon, featuring all 8 P-cores, and 8 E-cores. The i5-12600K, on the other hand, features 6 P-cores and 4 E-cores. Other areas of segmentation between the two include clock speeds, and possibly boost algorithms. The chips will be open to pre-orders from October 27, and generally available from November 4.

With only about two weeks until Intel's official launch of its Alder Lake CPUs and the Z690 chipset, it would appear that the leaks are getting kicked up a notch and the latest leak is a rather intriguing one to say the least. Gigabytes Z690 Aorus Xtreme is a rather unusual looking motherboard, in as much as you can make a motherboard that look unusual, least not with regards to the slot placement, but also for the peculiar cover over the DRAM slots.

It's not quite clear what the function of the memory cover is beyond aesthetics, if any, but it seems unlikely that it has an integrated LCD screen, although not unthinkable. Pretty much the entire board is covered in either metal or plastic, which makes this look like a real chore to build, at least if you're planning on using M.2 SSDs. The standout feature here is that the board features a pair of PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, although as per current consumer boards, the bandwidth would be shared between the slots if the second one is used, so both slots end up as x8 slots. There's also a third PCIe x16 slot, but no indication of the bandwidth available to it.

Although we can't confirm it, the screenshot below is said to be of a retail version of the Intel Alder Lake Core i9-12900K that has been overclocked to 5.2 GHz on all P-cores, with the E-cores at stock clocks. It is said to be drawing a massive 330 Watts at these clock speeds, which is rather a lot for a consumer level CPU.

Sadly details such as the motherboard used and RAM clocks are absent. The E-cores are said to be locked at a maximum clock of 3.7 GHz, so there appears to be no overclocking potential in them. Yes, Intel does manage to edge out AMD's Ryzen 9 5950X at these clock speeds in the multithreaded test, which is no mean feat considering we're looking at eight threads less here, but Intel does so at over twice the power draw.Update: Updated due to a slight misunderstanding, the E-cores were apparently enabled, but running at stock clock.

After the long reign of the most popular water block on the market, the EK-Quantum Velocity, it's time to push the boundaries yet again and step into the future. Enter the next generation EK Quantum Line water block - the EK-Quantum Velocity². The water block showcases the EK-Matrix7 initiative, a standard where increments of 7 mm manage the height of products and the distance between ports. This product uses a socket-specific cooling engine to ensure the best performance and optimal flow with low restrictions on every platform. Three years after the original Velocity water block launch, EK is officially launching the Velocity² 1700, which is engineered for the Intel LGA 1700 socket and Alder Lake series desktop processors. Other Velocity² CPU water blocks will also follow shortly, tuned specifically for each CPU socket and IHS geometry on the market.

This new water block kept the name "Velocity" because it retained the ability to be responsive and agile in the world of liquid cooling. Embedded in the Velocity² is a next-generation EK CPU water block cooling engine that is socket-specific. A combination of mounting pressure and cold plate geometry, tailored for the IHS and die layout of Intel LGA 1700 socket processors, is used to achieve low hydraulic flow restriction and high performance. Thе lathe-turned cold plate is made with precision to cover the IHS effectively and put optimal pressure on the die area.

ARCTIC, one of the leading manufacturers of low-noise PC coolers and components, has added the powerful Liquid Freezer II 280 and Liquid Freezer 420 RGB and A-RGB models to its award-winning AIO range. The multi-compatible water coolers are also equipped for Intel's new Alder Lake CPUs with LGA1700 sockets. With the efficient PWM-controlled pump, featuring a VRM fan for additional cooling in the socket area, as well as the proven 140 mm P-fans, achieving high static pressure with very low noise, the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II series clearly sets itself apart from other AIOs and offers plenty of overclocking flexibility.

A maintenance-free water circuit and the integrated cable management, which hides the PWM and RGB cables in the hose sleeves, plus a six-year manufacturer's warranty underline the high quality and complete the attractive price-performance ratio of the Liquid Freezer II range. The color-capable, effective LED lighting of the fans makes these high-performance coolers the ideal choice for gaming PCs. Optionally, the Liquid Freezer II 280 RGB and Liquid Freezer 420 RGB are also available in a bundle with Arctic's software-controlled RGB controller.

FinalWire Ltd. today announced the immediate availability of AIDA64 Extreme 6.50 software, a streamlined diagnostic and benchmarking tool for home users; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Engineer 6.50 software, a professional diagnostic and benchmarking solution for corporate IT technicians and engineers; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Business 6.50 software, an essential network management solution for small and medium scale enterprises; and the immediate availability of AIDA64 Network Audit 6.50 software, a dedicated network audit toolset to collect and manage corporate network inventories.

The new AIDA64 update introduces support for Windows 11 and AMD 4700S processor, monitoring of sensor values on VoCore LCD displays, and supports the latest AMD and Intel CPU platforms as well as the new graphics and GPGPU computing technologies by both AMD and nVIDIA.

DOWNLOAD: FinalWire AIDA64 Extreme v6.50

Intel 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" desktop processors will be available from November 4, 2021, according to a leaked Intel channel document by Wccftech. It confirms that Intel will only debut unlocked "K" and "KF" SKUs and companion Z690 chipset in November, with the first wave being limited to the Core i9-12900K, i9-12900KF, i7-12700K, i7-12700KF, i5-12600K, and i5-12600KF. Pre-orders of these parts, along with product announcements, are set to go live on October 27. Reviews of these processors will be published on the same day as retail availability, on November 4. There's no word on when the "locked" non-K SKUs and more affordable chipsets, such as the B660, H670, and H610, come out, but older reports suggest an early-2022 launch for those. Given that memory isn't tied with these dates, DDR5 memory modules should be available any day now.

Users of Intel's upcoming 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" processors will potentially run into compatibility issues with some of the older games that use older versions of popular DRM middleware such as Denuvo, an Intel document targeted at developers, cautions. This is mainly due to the hybrid CPU core nature of "Alder Lake," which could confuse the middleware. Solutions such as Denuvo perform stringent hardware checks to ensure only a valid user in a given environment, with a set of hardware, gets to play the game. Our article on Denuvo performance impact has more details on how the solution works.

"If your existing or upcoming game uses a DRM middleware, you might want to contact the middleware provider and confirm that it supports hybrid architectures in general, and the upcoming Intel ADL platform in particular. Due to the nature of modern DRM algorithms, it might use CPU detection, and should be aware of the upcoming hybrid platforms. Intel is working with leading DRM providers such as Denuvo to make sure their solutions support new platforms," reads the Intel Developer Guide. While this should be no probem for some of the newer (less than 3 years old) games that use Denuvo, which are still under support lifecycle from their developers, some of the older ones may require updates.

If the amount of upcoming Z690 was anything to go by, one could presume that the motherboard makers are backing Intel's upcoming platform to the max, as a leaked list of what should be close to every Z690 that will hit the market, counts a total of 98 boards. The list covers ASRock, ASUS, Biostar, NZXT, Gigabyte and MSI, but not EVGA and some other smaller players.

ASUS is apparently planning no less than 30 different models/SKUs, since some are clearly DDR4/DDR5 SKUs of the same model or SKUs with or without Wi-Fi, but even so, that's a massive launch lineup. Gigabyte isn't far behind with 27, followed by MSI at 24 and ASRock at 14, if we didn't count wrong. There isn't much news in terms of details of each of the boards here though, but it's clear that the high-end SKUs are mostly DDR5, while the mid-range and standard models are mostly using DDR4. The only slight surprise here is that only ASRock has more DDR4 than DDR5 models, with ASUS having exactly half of each, but Gigabyte and MSI are going with a preference for DDR5. ASRock, ASUS and Gigabyte appear to have liquid cooled SKUs, but it's not clear if MSI will offer such a SKU of its Godlike board.

Corsair's upcoming AIO coolers have recently been teased by the company in addition to renders of the devices being leaked by VideoCardz. The new coolers will all feature a circular LCD panel that can display information such as the pump speed or CPU temperature. They will also feature native support for Intel's Alder Lake processors and the LGA1700 socket, with images showing the cooler mounted on an ASUS PRIME Z690 motherboard running Corsair Vengeance DDR5 memory. The radiator comes in dual and triple fan configurations with ARGB lighting however we cannot tell if the included fans are an existing model or a new design. The pump features a single braided cable which presumably provides the USB and fan connections for the motherboard, Corsair is expected to announce further details on the new coolers next week.

Ahead of the rumored late-October debut of Intel's 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" processors, motherboard makers started teasing their compatible Socket LGA 1700 products. Older reports suggest that in 2021, Intel will only release unlocked "K" and "KF" SKUs, and motherboard partners will only launch boards based on the top Intel Z690 chipset. The lineup is expected to be joined by more affordable non-K SKUs in Q1-2022, along with lower chipset models such as the B660 and H670.

The MEG Z690 ACE appears to introduce a new design scheme with die-cast metal mesh rear I/O shrouds, and a gold+black trim. The I/O shroud design is interesting as it lets the VRM heatsink underneath breathe better. The silver-white MPG motherboard is possibly the MPG Z690 Force. MSI is probably trying to get this to rival the ROG Strix-A SKU by ASUS. The third teaser, of a brushed gunmetal shroud, is likely the MAG Z690 Tomahawk. Like most other brands, MSI appears to have an extensive lineup of Socket LGA 1700 motherboards with DDR4 memory slots, although boards with DDR4 are restricted to the MAG and entry-level PRO series. The mid-tier MPG and enthusiast-segment MEG series boards only come with DDR5.

The CapFrameX GPU benchmarking tool from ComputerBase has recently been updated to fully support Intel's 12th Generation hybrid desktop processors including the flagship Core i9-12900K. The latest beta will now correctly read and display the telemetry from the high-performance (Golden Cove) and high-efficiency (Grace Mont) cores using the processors CPUID and its EAX register. The software can also list information about the integrated Xe-LP graphics if it is enabled in addition to the usual suite of load, voltage, power consumption, and temperature readings from the CPU. The changelog and a link to download the latest 1.6.6 beta can be found below.

Acer today announced the expansion of its Predator gaming portfolio with new Predator Orion 7000 series desktops, featuring powerful performance in a stunning design, and two smart 4K gaming projectors. Further enhancing the gaming experience is the Predator gaming desk, which offers two practical surface options and a convenient storage rack.

"Predator Orion 7000-series desktops are premium, powerful rigs for serious players who demand incredible performance from even the most demanding titles," said Jeff Lee, General Manager, Stationary Computing, IT Product Business, Acer Inc. "In order to offer that next-level performance, we're excited to be among the first companies bringing the new 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs to our product portfolio."