An engineering sample of Intel’s most anticipated 12th Gen processor design, codenamed Alder Lake, has appeared on Igor’s Lab, and it teases some intriguing specs that most of us already hoped for. Based on this appearance and Intel’s previous readings, this processor indeed will be a brand new architecture with a completely different solution with a 16-core and 24-thread model.
And if all of these turn out to be authentic with an effective execution from Intel, there is a slight possibility that it might turn out to be a threat to AMD. Before further query, let’s look back on what went wrong with the 11th Gen Intel CPU.
Where Intel Went Wrong with 11th Gen?
First of all, the generational improvement between 10th Gen and 11th Gen Intel is very poor with a usual difference of only 1 to 5 %, according to an answer posted by Irné Barnard over on Quora. In terms of price to performance ratio, the 10th gen is better compared to the 11th gen.
Secondly, Intel’s 11th gen series of processors don’t even come close to what Ryzen currently offers for both the laptop and desktop segments. Lastly, Intel didn’t hold onto its claims as they promised an increase of 19% IPC, which turned out to be a total disappointment as well. With all these letdowns, enthusiasts are placing high stakes on the upcoming 12th gen as a last ray of hope to compete against AMD Ryzen CPUs.
A New Architecture?
Intel has already announced that the Alder Lake Processor series will be blessed with a 10-nanometer architectural design which they have labeled as 10nm SuperFin. They are claiming that this processor will be able to sustain faster transistors and upgraded MIM capacitors that are superior compared to the current x85 architecture design. At this point, these claims mean nothing if they can’t be delivered.
Earlier at this year’s CES conference, an Intel executive stated that Alder Lake would feature a hybrid design with better efficiency for handling background tasks. Furthermore, Intel is expected to rely on Atom-based design also, going by the name Gracemont for the efficiency cores. As for the performance cores, all hopes have been placed on the Golden Cove core for handling CPU-intensive tasks.
All of this tends to lead it up to 20% Single Thread and 2X Multi Thread Performance on the latest Alder Lake processor, as per the leaked slides that Videocardz have got their hands on.
Other Changes
Additionally, a well-put-together chart by VideoCardz suggests that Alder Lake will be the first consumer-grade processor to support all the next-gen interfaces that will include PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 RAM. As the processor is a wholly new architecture, a motherboard with LGA 1700 is a must. We are expecting to see high-end Z690 motherboards to support these interfaces upon the release of Alder Lake.
Pricing and Availability
Intel themselves have announced that their 12th Gen Alder Lake will be up for grabs in late 2021. But according to Digital Trends, the mobile variants will arrive first and thus push back the desktop variants in late 2022.
From a competitive perspective, Intel needs to adopt pricing that is similar to AMD’s Zen-based processors. If we look at AMD’s high-end processors, such as the Ryzen 9 5950X, it is currently on retail for about 799 Dollars. So with this assumption, we are expecting a similar price range for the 16-Core Alder Lake.
Final Thoughts
That is pretty much it of our breakdown of Intel’s upcoming 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor. Everything aside, Intel has to play their card right with the 12th Gen Alder Lake processor if they have the intention to compete in the mainstream CPU market. The teases so far look promising, and with proper execution, Intel might still have a chance to stay in the competition with AMD’s Ryzen series.
