The K-series SKUs, such as the Core i9-12900K and Core i5-12600K lead Intel's 12th Generation Alder Lake army to the battle. Although the non-K series are slated for a later release, Canadian retailer DirectDial (courtesy of momomo_us) has given us a first look at the pricing for the more budget-friendly chips.
The Core i7-12700F is the 65W variant of the Core i7-12700K. From the model name alone, we can confirm that the Core i7-12700F comes with a locked multiplier and without integrated graphics. Due to the strict TDP limit, the Core i7-12700F runs with lower clock speeds as opposed to the Core i7-12700K. The fine details are unknown at this point, but the rumor is that the Core i7-12700F could have a 4.8 GHz P-core boost clock, only 100 MHz less than the K counterpart.
DirectDial listed the Core i7-12700F with a $365 price tag so it'll be a strong competitor for AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X that now retails for $386.66. For reference, the Core i7-12700K is faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X so it'll be interesting to see if the Core i7-12700F can still maintain the lead with a lower TDP.
Alder Lake Non-K Series Specifications and Pricing*
| Processor | Pricing | Cores / Threads | Boost Clock (GHz) | L3 Cache (MB) | PBP / MTP | Part Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 7 5800X | $386.66 | 8 / 16 | 4.7 | 32 | 105W | 100-100000063WOF |
| Core i7-12700F | $365 | 8P + 4E / 20 | 4.8 | 25 | 65W / ? | BX8071512700F |
| Ryzen 5 5600X | $309 | 6 / 12 | 4.6 | 32 | 65W | 100-100000065BOX |
| Core i5-12400F | $200 | 6P / 12 | 4.4 | 18 | 65W / ? | BX8071512400F |
| Core i5-12400 | $230 | 6P / 12 | 4.4 | 18 | 65W / ? | BX8071512400 |
| Ryzen 3 5300G | N/A (possibly ~$150) | 4 / 8 | 4.2 | 8 | 65 | 100-000000253 |
| Core i3-12100F | $119 | 4P / 8 | ? | 12 | 65W / ? | BX8071512100F |
*Specifications are unconfirmed.
The Core i5-12400F and Core i5-12400 may debut under the $250 mark. The Canadian store had the two chips up for $200 and $230, respectively. Regardless of the model, the 65W Alder Lake processor reportedly wields six Golden Cove cores and will not employ any Gracemont cores. Gamers who plan to pair the hexa-core chip with a discrete graphics card will probably pick the Core i5-12400F and potentially save up to $30, which appears to be the value for the integrated graphics.
Early Core i5-12400F benchmarks have revealed that the Alder Lake processor trades blows with the Ryzen 5 5600X, which currently sells for $309. We'll need to see more benchmarks to declare a winner. If DirectDial's pricing is accurate, the Core i5-12400F may be the Ryzen 5 5600X killer after all.
For this generation, AMD hasn't launched any quad-core Ryzen 5000 processors, leaving the Core i3-12100F in a strange place. The Ryzen 3 5300G could be a rival for the Core i3-12100F, but the Zen 3 APU is exclusive to OEMs. Furthermore, the Ryzen 3 5300G comes with integrated Vega graphics, making it more comparable to the Core i3-12300 or Core i3-12100. Being an OEM chip, you'll only find the Ryzen 3 5300G inside prebuilt PCs or on e-commerce platforms, such as eBay.
During the Alder Lake announcement, Intel stated that the chip´maker has started shipping up to 28 different Alder Lake SKUs to its OEM partners. These Alder Lake-powered systems are scheduled to come out in early 2022, lending some credence to the rumors that Alder Lake non-K parts might debut in January.
