Touted as the upcoming Ryzen 5 5600X killer, Intel's Core i5-12400F (via momomo_us) is available for puchase on eBay for $322.88. If you rather have the integrated graphics, the Core i5-12400 is also up for sale at $364.77.
With Alder Lake, Intel decided to push the K-series processors first, saving the more pocket-friendly SKUs for a later date. During the announcement, the chipmaker confirmed that it was shipping up to 28 more Alder Lake SKUs to OEMs for prebuilt systems that are slated to debut early 2022. Intel didn't commit to a specific date, but many believe that the non-K processors could arrive as early as January.
Core i5-12400F, Core i5-12400 Specifications*
| Processor | Cores / Threads | Base Clock (GHz) | Boost Clock (GHz) | L3 Cache (MB) | PBP / MTP | Part Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i5-12400 | 6P / 12 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 18 | 65W / ? | CM8071504555317 |
| Core i5-12400F | 6P / 12 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 18 | 65W / ? | CM8071504555318 |
*Specifications are unconfirmed.
The Core i5-12400F and Core i5-12400 made their first appearance at a Canadian retailer a few days ago. If the information is accurate, these are hexa-core chips without the small Gracemont cores. That means they sport six Golden Cove cores with Hyper-Threading. The processors could feature a boost clock up to 4.4 GHz. Affari Temporanei stated a 2.5 GHz clock speed, which is likely the base frequency.
There are two specifications that we can be certain of. Intel has already revealed the inner workings of Alder Lake so we know the Core i5 models come equipped with 18MB of L3 cache. The model names tell us that the Core i5-12400F and Core i5-12400 have a 65W PBP (Processor Base Power). However, the MTP (Maximum Turbo Power) rating is unknown. For comparison, the Core i5-12600K sports a 150W MTP so we can state with certainty that the Core i5-12400F and Core i5-12400 will have lower MTP values.
Both the Core i5-12400F and Core i5-12400 have boasted strong performance in preliminary benchmarks. We'll have to put them through their paces, but from what we've seen so far, they are poised to be the new budget gaming kings.
