
Intel's 13th Generation Alder Lake processors may have faded from the spotlight, but the chips are far from being forgotten. Hardware leaker momomo_us has discovered that Intel has quietly launched the Core 5 120 and Core 5 120F (the latter being the iGPU-less variant of the former), which seem to be based on its Alder Lake silicon.
The Core 5 120 will undoubtedly confuse less-informed consumers (and plenty of fairly informed buyers, too). Its designation does not adhere to the nomenclature used for the latest Core Ultra 200S (codenamed Arrow Lake) or the preceding 14th Generation Raptor Lake processors. According to Intel, the Core 5 120 is officially part of the Core (Series 1) series. However, it seems to be an Alder Lake processor in disguise.
The Core 5 120 closely resembles the Core i5-12400, with both wielding a six-core, 12-thread configuration. The main difference is that the Core 5 120 offers a 100 MHz higher boost clock. Both processors also feature 7.5MB of L2 cache (1.5MB per P-core) and 18MB of L3 cache. Therefore, the Core 5 120 looks to be a rebranded Core i5-12400 with a slight boost clock speed upgrade.
Intel Core 5 120 Specifications
CPU | MSRP | Architecture | Cores / Threads (P+E) | P-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | E-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | L3 Cache (MB) | L2 Cache (MB) | PBP / MTP (W) | Memory | Stepping |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Core Ultra 5 225 | $236 - $246 | Arrow Lake | 10 / 10 (6+4) | 3.3 / 4.9 | 2.7 / 4.4 | 20 | 22 | 65 / 121 | DDR5-6400 | B0 |
Core i5-14400 | $221 - $231 | Raptor Lake | 10 / 16 (6+4) | 2.5 / 4.7 | 1.8 / 3.5 | 20 | 9.5 | 65 / 148 | DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 | B0 / C0 |
Core i5-13400 | $221 - $231 | Raptor Lake | 10 / 16 (6+4) | 2.5 / 4.6 | 1.8 / 3.3 | 20 | 9.5 | 65 / 148 | DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 | B0 / C0 |
Core 5 120 | ? | Raptor Lake | 6 / 12 (6+0) | 2.5 / 4.5 | N/A | 18 | 7.5 | 65 / 110 | DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 | ? |
Core i5-12400 | $211 - $221 | Alder Lake | 6 / 12 (6+0) | 2.5 / 4.4 | N/A | 18 | 7.5 | 65 / 117 | DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 | C0 / H0 |
Intel has consistently utilized different dies for its Core i5-1x400 SKUs, dating back to the Core i5-12400. You can distinguish one die from another by examining the stepping. For instance, the Core i5-12400 was produced using a combination of Alder Lake C0 and H0 steppings. This approach has been used across several generations.
Even the later-released Core i5-13400 and Core i5-14400 were available with the Raptor Lake B0 stepping or Alder Lake C0 stepping. Although the Core 5 120 product page is now live, Intel doesn't list the stepping of the die used inside the Core 5 120. So for now, it remains anyone's guess. It could be the H0 die since it's smaller and, as a result, it's cheaper to produce.
Using different dies within a processor primarily benefits the chipmaker, not the consumer. The specifications are the same, but there may be a slight variation in performance and thermals due to the nature of each die. Intel can combine various dies with different chips to boost profits, such as reusing an older die for a new product or repurposing a high-end die for a lower-end model.
Budget gamers have long favored the Core i5-1x400 series, so, understandably, Intel aims to remain competitive there. With the Core 5 120, Intel seems to essentially be throwing a fresh layer of paint over an old house, hoping to appeal to buyers. Additionally, Alder Lake dies are likely very inexpensive for Intel to produce now, so profits are likely good on those old dies.
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The Core 5 120 has formally launched. However, we don't know the pricing yet, as the chipmaker has not listed it on the product page, and we have yet to find the chip in a retail store.
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Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
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derekullo On the bright side, the 12th gen chips didn't self destruct!Reply
I'm still rocking an i9-12900k !!!
I was unaware DDR4 was still supported on the 14th gen chips.
I assumed the 12th gen was the only generation with both DDR4 and DDR5 support. -
Eximo Anything that has been made for LGA1700 so far has had DDR4 support. With any luck that will include Bartlett Lake, if launched. I want 12P cores, for nor particular reason.Reply -
rluker5
13,14th Gen don't self destruct, they need extended exposure to ordinary CPU killing voltage levels before they start to degrade. Some AMD chips are known to explode at 200mv less than the kind of voltages motherboard manufacturers shoot the raptors with unless you override the settings or update your bios.derekullo said:On the bright side, the 12th gen chips didn't self destruct!
I'm still rocking an i9-12900k !!!
I was unaware DDR4 was still supported on the 14th gen chips.
I assumed the 12th gen was the only generation with both DDR4 and DDR5 support.
Most of the extra voltage is due to crazy LLC settings. By crazy I mean an extra 200mv. -
helper800
This is not entirely true. Even undervolted CPUs from day one have suffered from degradation. Voltage is not the whole story when it comes to the 13th and 14th gen degradation issues.rluker5 said:13,14th Gen don't self destruct, they need extended exposure to ordinary CPU killing voltage levels before they start to degrade. Some AMD chips are known to explode at 200mv less than the kind of voltages motherboard manufacturers shoot the raptors with unless you override the settings or update your bios.
Most of the extra voltage is due to crazy LLC settings. By crazy I mean an extra 200mv. -
bit_user
Yeah, I was disappointed Raptor Lake didn't include a refresh of the H0 stepping (6P + 0E), until the degradation problems came to light. Then, I started to be quite happy I managed to dodge that bullet, when I opted for the i5-12600 anyway.derekullo said:On the bright side, the 12th gen chips didn't self destruct!
It would be incredibly weird if Intel released LGA1700 CPUs that didn't work in all the LGA1700 boards, including DDR4 and (if you think back really hard) the PCIe 4.0-only boards.Eximo said:Anything that has been made for LGA1700 so far has had DDR4 support. With any luck that will include Bartlett Lake, if launched.
The downside is that I expect the official DDR5 support will still be limited to DDR5-5600. -
closs.sebastien
I'm still on a i7-8700k...derekullo said:On the bright side, the 12th gen chips didn't self destruct!
I'm still rocking an i9-12900k !!!
I was unaware DDR4 was still supported on the 14th gen chips.
I assumed the 12th gen was the only generation with both DDR4 and DDR5 support. -
bit_user
Not true.rluker5 said:13,14th Gen don't self destruct, they need extended exposure to ordinary CPU killing voltage levels before they start to degrade.
CPUs were failing in servers, with zero overclocking and medium-duty workloads.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/game-publisher-claims-100-crash-rate-with-intel-cpus-alderon-games-says-company-sells-defective-13th-and-14th-gen-chips
Also, this:
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/dev-reports-that-intels-laptop-cpus-are-also-crashing-several-laptops-have-suffered-similar-crashes-in-testing
This had only a handful of known incidents, which stands in contrast to the widespread Raptor Lake issues.rluker5 said:Some AMD chips are known to explode at 200mv less than the kind of voltages motherboard manufacturers shoot the raptors with unless you override the settings or update your bios.
If you're talking about Raptor Lake, those would die even with bone-stock Intel-recommended settings.rluker5 said:Most of the extra voltage is due to crazy LLC settings. By crazy I mean an extra 200mv. -
HideOut
13th/14th dropped right into any 12th gen board slot (sometimes needing a BIOS update though) so yes, they all supported DDR4. Its the same chips but a 100mhz boost for the most partderekullo said:On the bright side, the 12th gen chips didn't self destruct!
I'm still rocking an i9-12900k !!!
I was unaware DDR4 was still supported on the 14th gen chips.
I assumed the 12th gen was the only generation with both DDR4 and DDR5 support. -
HideOut
Que the "Snake oil" commentn from Dr Lisa Su, PLEASEAdmin said:Intel has launched the Core 5 120 and Core 5 120F, two processors with silicon that seems to belong to the chipmaker's previous Alder / Raptor Lake lineup.
Intel quietly rolls out 'new' Core 5 CPUs that look suspiciously like 12th Gen chips — Core 5 120 and Core 5 120F enter the budget gaming market wi... : Read more -
bit_user
The 14th gen didn't introduce any new silicon, but some of the 13th gen models were indeed different actual chips than 12th. Check the stepping. If it's B0, then it's true Raptor Lake silicon. The other way you can tell is by specs like the cache sizes and officially-supported DDR5 speeds. Also, 12th gen only had 8 E cores, so any more than that is an obvious tell that it's genuine Raptor Lake and not just a rebadge.HideOut said:13th/14th dropped right into any 12th gen board slot (sometimes needing a BIOS update though) so yes, they all supported DDR4. Its the same chips but a 100mhz boost for the most part