Intel Core i5-12400 Alder Lake CPU Review Ft. MSI B660M Mortar WiFi Motherboard – Undoubtedly The New Budget King!

Intel finally unleashed a sub-10nm (officially the Intel 7 process, which is comparable to TSMC 7nm) desktop CPU with its 12th Gen Alder Lake processors in later 2021, bringing an end to the blue team's multi-year slippage at 14nm.

The company has largely been stagnant in the consumer desktop space. The main reason for this stagnation has been Intel's reliance on its 14nm process node and Skylake architecture which has served the desktop space since 2015 up till 2020 (10th Generation Comet Lake) while Intel's 10nm process dilemmas and yields couldn't keep up with Skylake in mainstream desktop space. To build up its 10nm inventory for a mass consumer launch, Intel did release an intermediate platform, the Z590, and the respective 11th Gen Rocket Lake lineup with a new architecture but limited to just 8 cores due to power scaling and inefficiency on the 14nm process node.

The Alder Lake architecture also featured a plethora of innovative changes including a hybrid architecture with big.SMALL design features p and e-cores as well as a new hardware scheduling technology that will go live in Windows 11.

One of the issues and an ongoing one is the competitive threat from AMD's Ryzen processors which aren't only tackling Intel in terms of pure core count but also in terms of IPC which has exceeded Skylake levels and also pricing in which AMD has simply made Intel's once iconic Core i5 and Core i7 lineups disappear from the game. Despite the newer architecture, the Rocket Lake CPUs proved not to be competitive in the multi-threaded space and Ryzen 5000 CPUs even offered better gaming performance in several AAA titles.

There's another key department where Intel still holds the lead over AMD which is due to the process maturation of the 14nm node over the years. In terms of clock speeds, Intel has taken the battle to AMD which makes sense in a way since while their remerged rival can beat them in terms of price, cores, they can surely flex their muscles in terms of clock speeds, however, AMD has been knocking the socks off Intel with its impressive gen-over-gen IPC gains which invalidate the clock speed gains that intel has been so proud of. Those clock speeds also come at a big disadvantage on the existing 14nm node and that's power consumption. Intel Desktop CPUs are no longer the king in terms of efficiency.

Intel 12th Gen vs AMD Ryzen 5000 Desktop CPU Prices:

Intel CPU	Cores / Threads	Clocks (Max)	Price (MSRP)	Prices (Newegg) - 01/11/2021	Prices (Newegg) - 01/11/2021	Price (MSRP)	Clocks (Max)	Cores / Threads	AMD CPU
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$749.99 US	$799 US	4.7 GHz (105W)	16/32	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Intel Core i9-12900K	16/24	5.2 GHz (241W)	$589 US (K) $564 US (KF)	$649.99 K $629.99 KF	$559.99 US	$549 US	4.6 GHz (105W)	12/24	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Intel Core i7-12700K	12/20	5.0 GHz (190W)	$409 US (K) $384 US (F)	$449.99 K $419.99 KF	$394.99 US	$449 US	4.7 GHz (105W)	8/16	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Intel Core i5-12600K	10/16	4.9 GHz (150W)	$289 US (K) $264 US (KF)	$319.99 K $299.99 KF	$309.99 US	$299 US	4.6 GHz (65W)	6/12	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

To address these shortcomings, Intel decided to launch a second architecture overhaul, and oh boy! It's a big one. Enter Alder Lake, a brand new approach to x86 consumer processors which feature two key cores technology and come with a brand new platform that is outfitted with the next-generation features such as DDR5 and PCIe 5.0. The Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake lineup will include the top to bottom i9, i7, i5, and i3 chips.

Main features of Intel's Alder Lake Desktop CPUs include:

• Intel 7 Process Technology
• Performance hybrid architecture, combing P-Cores and E-Cores
• Intel Thread Director
• Core architecture featuring performance improvements
• Up To 19% IPC increase
• Up To 16 Cores (8 P-Cores + 8 E-Cores) and 24 threads
• Increased L2 cache and L3 shared Intel Smart Cache
• DDR5 Support (Up To 4800 MT/s)
• Processor PCIe 5.0 (up to 16 lanes)
• Chiplet PCIe 4.0 (up to 12 lanes)
• Integrated WiFi 16E Support
• Up To 8 DMI 4.0 lanes
•  Core and memory overclocking enhancements
• Enhanced Intel UHD graphics driven by Xe architecture

While the K-series Alder Lake lineup has proved a worthy competitor against AMD's Ryzen lineup, the real deal is coming out now in the form of the Non-K series which will feature far attractive prices and competitive performance in both hybrid/non-hybrid packages.

Their main competitor is still the AMD Ryzen 5000 lineup based on the Zen 3 architecture that was introduced back in Q4 2020 and based on the Zen 3 core architecture and since AMD still has not updated its Ryzen family, it will be used for comparison. For this review, I'll be putting the Core i5-12400 and the MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi motherboard to the test, both of which were provided by MSI as a part of their reviewers kit.

Intel's Alder Lake-S desktop CPU platform will feature support on LGA 1700 socket which made is a brand new socket design. The Alder Rocket Lake-S processors will be launching alongside the 600-series motherboards and won't be compatible with existing LGA 1200 socket motherboards such as Z590 and Z490. In addition to the flagship Z690 motherboards, B660 motherboards will support memory overclocking which has been highly anticipated by budget PC builders.

Intel B660 Platform Features:

The 11th gen desktop platform has a range of new features that mainly include:

• Support for LGA 1700 Intel Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron Processors
• TDP Support Up To 125W
• DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 Support For Alder Lake Desktop Processors
• Support For Intel Wireless-AX (CNVi)
• Up To 16 PCIe Gen 5.0 Lanes (Discrete GPU via CPU Only)
• Up To 6 PCIe Gen 4.0 Lanes
• Up To 8 PCIe Gen 3.0 Lanes
• 4x SATA III ports (6 Gbps)
• 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps
• 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 10 Gbps
• 6 USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 5 Gbps
• 12 USB 2.0
• PCIe 4.0 x4 DMI Gen 4.0 (CPU-PCH Interconnect)
• IRST 17 for PCIe storage RAID on CPU & PCH Support
• Hardware-Level PCIe Gen 4 Integration from various board vendors
• Optane Memory Ready
• Thunderbolt 4.0
• Integrated Intel 2.5G Base-T Ethernet
• Integrated Intel WiFi 6E Support

Another interesting thing to talk about the Z690 PCH is its process node and dimensions. The Z690 PCH is based on the 14nm node and measures at 98mm2 which is slightly larger than the Z590 PCH featured on LGA 1200 socket motherboards.

The H610 will be the entry-level option for shoppers, allowing for simplistic I/O, and removing the NVMe slots attached to the processor. Interestingly, Intel will allow memory overclocking on the H670 and B660 series chipsets, but only if the provided CPU supports it. Each new variation will still support the newest PCIe 5.0 x16 (PEG) directly from the processor and allow for motherboard manufacturers to decide whether to implement the technology into their designs. Currently, there is a small community of Z690 motherboards that only utilize PCIe 4.0 and not the newest tech.

The Intel CPU attached downstream for the PCIe has a lot of variation on the product lines. The Z690, for example, sets out 12 Gen 4 lanes side-by-side with 16 Gen 6 lanes. The H670 has 12 Gen 3 and 4 lanes evenly. The Intel B660 offers 6 Gen 4 lanes alongside 8 Gen 3 lanes. The H610 is the "odd man out" by lacking Gen 4 downstream and only utilizing 8 Gen 3 lanes. Furthermore, the H670 and B660 chipsets offer dual 20Gbps of USB 3.2 G 2x2 ports, and the H610 does not. All three new chipsets will showcase dual 10 Gbps Gen 2x1 ports and up to four 5 Gbps Gen 1x1 ports.

Intel Desktop Platform Chipset Comparison

Chipset Name	Arrow Lake-S (ARL-S) PCH / 800 Series (Z890)	Raptor Lake-S (RPL-S) PCH / 700 Series (Z790)	Alder Lake-S (ADL-S) PCH / 600 Series (Z690)	Rocket Lake-S (RKL-S) PCH / 500 Series (Z590)	Comet Lake-S (CML-S) PCH / 400 Series (Z490)	Coffee Lake S (CFL-S) PCH / 300 Series (Z390/H370, B360, Q370, H310)	Coffee Lake S (KBL-R) PCH / Z370 Platform
Process Node	7nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	22nm
Processor	24C, 20C, 14C, 12C, TBD)	24,16C,12C,10C,6C,4C	16C,12C,10C,6C,4C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	10C, 8C, 6C, 4C, 2C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C, 4C, 2C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C, 4C (6 Consumer SKUs at Launch)
Memory	Up To DDR5-6400 (Native)	Up To DDR5-5600 (Native) Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR5-4800 (Native) Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2933 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2666 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2666 (Native)
Media, Display & Audio	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	DP 1.2 & HDMI 2.0, HBR3 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) 12-bit AV1/HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP With USB Audio offload SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP
I/O & Connectivity	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0 (Maple Ridge)	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2 Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi / BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 3.0 (Titan Ridge) w/ DP 1.4	Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi / BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 3.0 (Titan Ridge) w/ DP 1.4	Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Thunderbolt 3.0 (Alpine Ridge)
Storage	PCIe 5.0 (CPU Lanes), 8x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 5.0 (CPU Lanes), 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 5.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 4.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0
Max PCH PCIe Lanes	Up To 24 (Gen 4)	Up To 20 (Gen 4) Up To 8 (Gen 3)	Up To 12 (Gen 4) Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)
Max CPU PCIe Lanes	Up To 20 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 20 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)
Max USB Ports	Up To 5 (USB 3.2 Gen 2z2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 5 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 4 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 3 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.2) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.0) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)
Security	Intel TET Intel Boot Guard	N/A	N/A	N/A	Intel SGX 1.0	Intel SGX 1.0	Intel SGX 1.0
Power Management	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C8 Support
Launch	2024	2022	2021	2021	2019	2018	2017

Meet The LGA 1700 Socket - 12th Generation CPU Support

As mentioned earlier, LGA 1200's reign is finally over and the LGA 1700 socket is here now. The new socket adds more pins to the socket and changes the dimensions entirely. The new LGA 1700 socket offers 500 more pin connections to the CPU, allowing for more communication channels with the board itself and accommodating electrical pin configurations that are required to support 12th Gen CPUs.

So as for the socket details, Intel is going with an asymmetrical design which poses since the Alder Lake CPUs are no longer square-shaped. The Alder Lake desktop CPUs will come in a 37.5x45.0mm package and will be supported by the 'V0' socket which we know as LGA 1700. The new socket also changes the mounting positions to a 78x78mm grid rather than a 75x75mm grid. The Z-height has also changed to 6.529mm compared to 7.31mm on the previous LGA 12**/115* sockets.

Specifications
Intel LGA1700 Socket details
IHS to MB Height (Z-Stack, validated range):	6.529 – 7,532 mm
Thermal Solution Hole Pattern:	78 x 78 mm
Socket Seating Plane Height:	2.7 mm
Maximum Thermal Solution Center of Gravity Height from IHS:	25.4 mm
Static Total Compressive Minimum:	534N (120 lbf), Beginning of Life 356 N (80 lbf)
End of life maximum:	1068 N (240 lbf)
Socket Loading:	80-240 lbf
Dynamic Compressive Maximum:	489.5 N (110 lbf)
Maximum Thermal Solution Mass:	950 gm
Important Note:	A Keep In Zone is introduced for LGA17xx-18xx thermal solutions. Two volumes are provided. The Asymmetric volume provides the maximum available design space. The Symmetric volume provides for designs to be rotatable on the board. The thermal solution under load should fit within the volume

What's interesting is that the Alder Lake CPUs use an asymmetrical design and while we don't know how the dies will be positioned under the IHS, we do know from AMD Threadripper that CPUs that carry such design require full IHS coverage and that may be the tricky part when it comes to cooling the brand new Alder Lake CPUs. So far, we know that Alder Lake will be a monolithic yet hybrid CPU design so it remains to be seen how cooling is handled for these 12th Generation chips.

Cooler Compatibility With LGA 1700 Socket

To make their existing coolers compatible with Intel's Alder Lake lineup, many cooling brands have released LGA 1700 upgrade kits which feature mounting hardware for the new socket. But the Intel Alder Lake platform isn't just featuring a brand new mounting design but the CPU dimensions itself have changed too.

The LGA 1700 (V0) socket not only has an asymmetrical design but also comes with a lower Z-stack height. This means that proper mounting pressure is needed to make full contact with the Intel Alder Lake IHS. Certain cooler manufacturers have already been using larger cold plates for Ryzen and Threadripper CPUs to make proper contact with the IHS but these are mostly higher-end and new cooling designs. Those who are still running older AIOs with round cold plates could have trouble maintaining the required pressure distribution which could lead to inadequate cooling performance.

Cooling will play a major role in determining the performance of Intel's Alder Lake CPUs, especially the unlocked lineup, which as per the leaked benchmarks, runs really hot. Users will have to utilize the best of the best cooling hardware to maintain an adequate temperature & more so if they are planning on overclocking the chips.

We know from the official announcement that Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPUs will be available in two main die configurations. These include an 8+8 (C0) die which will be featured on high-end unlocked and non-K SKUs and a 6+0 (H0) die that will be used for non-K SKUs. All of the dies are based on the 10nm ESF process node (Intel 7) and feature a smaller die size compared to 14nm SKUs.

Intel Alder Lake CPU Dies, Hot Spots & Best Cooling Configurations

The Intel Alder Lake C0 die has a surface area of 215.25mm2 while the H0 die has a surface area of 162.75mm2. This means that as the area shrinks and transistor density increases, heat dissipation will become a major challenge. The CPUs will use a Tin TIM material between the die and IHS along with a soldered design. Just for comparison, the 14nm Rocket Lake CPUs with 8 cores & 16 threads had a surface area of 276mm2.

Since both Alder Lake dies have a different core configuration, their hot spots are also different. As shown in the thermal imagery by MSI, the C0 (8+8) die has its hot spot close towards the center but the H0 (6+0) die has its hot spot slightly towards the left side. So it will be important to use the right cooling configuration based on the SKU you are getting.

For this purpose, MSI has shown some best cooling configurations to use with the Intel Alder Lake CPUs. For starters, it is suggested that copper-based heatsinks are used instead of aluminum ones. The positioning will also play an important role as you are advised to have the heat pipes running parallel to the die and not perpendicular. The parallel configuration will ensure that the heat pipes are making direct contact over the hot spots and not making inefficient contact.

The Intel Alder Lake-S Desktop CPU lineup will include the 12th Gen Core processors. Intel kicked off its lineup with the introductory 'K' and 'KF' chips which are now followed with more mainstream variants.

The architecture has seen several optimizations and key refinements that have led to an increase from 8 cores and 16 threads to 16 cores and 24 threads. The new 10nm ESF (Intel 7) process retains Intel's clock leadership, pushing the chips up to 5.2 GHz.

Intel’s Alder Lake will be built using the company’s new E and P cores, you can read the architectural deep dive over here, and represent a significant evolution in the company’s power efficiency targets. It will be built on the Intel 7 process and scale from 9 watts to 125 watts. DDR5 and PCIe gen5 will be supported (first to market) and feature new technologies like the Intel Thread Director.

Alder Lake will be fully scalable from Desktop (LGA1700) to ultra-mobile. Interestingly, however, while the platform has 8 P-cores and 8 E-cores, only the P-cores will support hyperthreading making for a total of 24 threads available. The integrated GPU will have 96 EUs of Xe architecture (good but nothing to write home about) but the thing that impressed us the most was the fact that Intel is claiming a 19% IPC uplift over Rocketlake – which should handily beat AMD parts if true.

Alder Lake will feature up to 30 MB of noninclusive LL Cache and support DDR5-4800, LP5-5200 along with DDR4-3200, and LP4x-4266. It will also support two times the PCIe bandwidth thanks to its support of PCIe 5 and will be able to provide up to 16 lanes of PCIe Gen5 with up to 64 GB/s. The new design is fully modular and built like lego and should be completely scalable and flexible. The compute fabric interconnect has a bandwidth of 1000 GB/s while the IO fabric has a BW of 64 GB/s. The memory subsystem supports up to 204 GB/s but more importantly can scale memory frequency (and power) according to the need of the SoC

Intel Non-K Alder Lake-S Core i9 CPUs

As expected, the Core i9 and Core i7 variants will retain the same core configuration as their 'K' series siblings. The main differences will come in the form of clock speeds and TDPs. Starting with the Core i9-12900(F), we are getting the same 16 core & 24 thread configuration with 30 MB of L3 cache. The clock speeds have been dialed back to 2.40 GHz base clock for the P-Cores and 1.80 GHz base clock for the E-Cores. The max boost clock will be pushed back by 100 MHz to 5.1 GHz. That has to be done to accommodate the lower 65W TDP versus the 125W (241 MTP) on the unlocked SKU.

Intel Non-K Alder Lake-S Core i7 CPUs

The Intel Core i7-12700(F) will also feature 12 cores, 20 threads, and 25 MB of L3 cache. The clock speeds are dialed back to a 2.10 GHz base for the P-Cores, a 1.60 GHz base for the E-Cores, and a max boost clock of 4.90 GHz on a 65W TDP. Next up, we have the Core i5 variants which see the most significant changes in the form of a non-hybrid design.

Intel Non-K Alder Lake-S Core i5 CPUs

The Intel Core i5-12600 and Core i5-12400, both will feature a 6 core and 12 thread design and will comprise only of Golden Cove (P-Cores). Both chips will feature 18 MB of L3 cache & clocks will be rated at 3.30 GHz and 3.00 GHz base & 4.8 GHz and 4.6 GHz boost, respectively. Both chips will come with 65W TDP and it will be very interesting to see how these chips fare against AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X as they are aiming at the same segment. There's also the Core i5-12500 which has been sandwiched between the two i5's and features the same core configuration but 2.5 GHz base & 4.4 GHz boost clocks.

Intel Non-K Alder Lake-S Core i3 CPUs

Lastly, we have the Core i3 lineup which includes the Intel Core i3-12300 and i3-12100. Both CPUs come with 4 cores and 8 threads (4 Golden Cove cores). The clocks are maintained at 4.4 GHz and 4.3 GHz boost for the chips respectively. They also pack 12 MB of L3 cache and every chip below the i5-12600 features the UHD730 graphics while the higher-end chips feature the UHD770 iGPU.

Intel Non-K Alder Lake-S Pentium/Celeron CPUs

There will also be a single Pentium and Celeron chip for now within the Alder Lake family. The Intel Pentium G7400 will feature 2 Golden Cove cores with 4 threads, a base clock of 3.7 GHz while the Celeron G6900 will feature the same config running at a lower clock speed of 3.4 GHz. The Pentium chip will rock 6 MB of cache while the Celeron will carry 4 MB of cache. Both feature UHD 771 iGPU and a base TDP of 46W.

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPU Specs

CPU Name	P-Core Count	E-Core Count	Total Core / Thread	P-Core Base / Boost (Max)	P-Core Boost (All-Core)	E-Core Base / Boost	E-Core Boost (All-Core)	L3 Cache	TDP (PL1)	TDP (PL2)	Expected (MSRP) Price
Core i9-12900KS	8	8	16 / 24	3.4 / 5.5 GHz	5.2 GHz	2.4 / 3.9 GHz	3.7 GHz	30 MB	150W	260W	$739 US
Core i9-12900K	8	8	16 / 24	3.2 / 5.2 GHz	5.0 GHz	2.4 / 3.9 GHz	3.7 GHz	30 MB	125W	241W	$599 US
Core i9-12900	8	8	16 / 24	2.4 / 5.1 GHz	TBA	1.8 / 3.8 GHz	TBA	30 MB	65W	202W	$489 US $464 US (F)
Core i9-12900T	8	8	16 / 24	1.4 / 4.9 GHz	TBA	1.0 / 3.6 GHz	TBA	30 MB	35W	106W	$489 US
Core i7-12700K	8	4	12 / 20	3.6 / 5.0 GHz	4.7 GHz	2.7 / 3.8 GHz	3.6 GHz	25 MB	125W	190W	$419 US
Core i7-12700	8	4	12 / 20	2.1 / 4.9 GHz	TBA	1.6 / 3.6 GHz	TBA	25 MB	65W	180W	$339 US $314 US (F)
Core i7-12700T	8	4	12 / 20	1.4 / 4.7 GHz	TBA	1.0 / 3.4 GHz	TBA	25 MB	35W	99W	$339 US
Core i5-12600K	6	4	10 / 16	3.7 / 4.9 GHz	4.5 GHz	2.8 / 3.6 GHz	3.4 GHz	20 MB	125W	150W	$299 US
Core i5-12600	6	0	6 / 12	3.3 / 4.8 GHz	4.4 GHz	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	117W	$223 US
Core i5-12600T	6	0	6 / 12	2.1 / 4.6 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	74W	$223 US
Core i5-12490P	6	0	6 / 12	3.0 / 4.6 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	20 MB	65W	74W	~$250 US
Core i5-12500	6	0	6 / 12	3.0 / 4.6 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	117W	$202 US
Core i5-12500T	6	0	6 / 12	2.0 / 4.4 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	35W	74W	$202 US
Core i5-12400	6	0	6 / 12	2.5 / 4.4 GHz	4.0 GHz	N/A	N/A	18 MB	65W	117W	$192 US $167 US (F)
Core i5-12400T	6	0	6 / 12	1.8 / 4.2 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	18 MB	35W	74W	$192 US
Core i3-12300	4	0	4 / 8	3.5 / 4.4 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	60W	89W	$143 US
Core i3-12300T	4	0	4 / 8	2.3 / 4.2 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	35W	69W	$143 US
Core i3-12100	4	0	4 / 8	3.3 / 4.3 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	60W 58W (F)	89W	$122 US $97 US (F)
Core i3-12100T	4	0	4 / 8	2.2 / 4.1 GHz	TBA	N/A	N/A	12 MB	35W	69W	$122 US
Intel Pentium Gold G7400	2	0	2 / 4	3.7 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	6 MB	46W	N/A	$64 US
Intel Pentium Gold G7400T	2	0	2 / 4	3.1 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	6 MB	35W	N/A	$64 US
Intel Celeron G6900	2	0	2 / 2	3.4 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 MB	46W	N/A	$42 US
Intel Celeron G6900T	2	0	2 / 2	2.8 GHz	N/A	N/A	N/A	4 MB	35W	N/A	$42 US

Moving over to the MSI 600 series lineup, the board manufacturer is preparing at least 25 new B660 motherboards. The MSI lineup will feature a range of families. These include MAG or the Massive Arsenal Gaming which focuses on the mainstream and budget segment while the PRO series is designed with entry-level users in mind.

With B660, MSI has a range of highly acclaimed motherboard series such as Tomahawk, Mortar, and Bazooka. We will be taking a closer look at the Mortar WiFi, and more specifically, the DDR5 WiFi variant of the board.

The MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi motherboard is a very powerful board in its class. Rocking a 12-phase VRM delivery with dual 8-pin connectors.

MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi Motherboard Features:

• Supports 12th Gen Intel Core / Pentium Celeron processors for LGA 1700 socket
• Supports DDR5 Memory, up to 6666+(OC) MHz
• Lightning Fast Game experience: PCIe 5.0 slots, Lightning Gen 4 x4 M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
• Enhanced Power Design: Direct 18+1+1 phases power, dual 8-pin CPU power connectors, Core Boost, Memory Boost
• Premium Thermal Solution: Enlarged heatsink with heat-pipe, MOSFET thermal pads rated for 7W/MK, additional choke thermal pads, and M.2 Shield Frozr are built for high-performance system and non-stop gaming experience
• MYSTIC LIGHT: 16.8 million colors / fancy lighting effects controlled in one click. MYSTIC LIGHT SYNC supports RGB, RAINBOW(ARGB), Corsair LED strips, and Ambient devices.
• 2.5G LAN with LAN Manager and Intel Wi-Fi 6E Solution: Upgraded network solution for professional and multimedia use. Delivers a secure, stable, and fast network connection
• AUDIO BOOST 5: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for the most immersive gaming experience
• High-Quality PCB: 8-layer PCB made by 2oz thickened copper and server grade-level material
• Pre-installed I/O Shield: Better EMI protection and more convenience for installation

The MAG B660M Mortar WiFi also features support for four DDR5 Rams with speeds of up to 6200+ MHz (OC) and a capacity of up to 128 GB. The board features 6 SATA III ports and a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 front-panel header. Before we talk about I/O and expansion on this motherboard, let's look at the design itself.

MSI's MAG B660M Mortar WiFi design's inclined towards the gaming segment. The Micro-ATX motherboard features several heatsinks and a brushed metallic silver color theme which looks great. The heatsink includes 7W/MK thermal pads to dissipate heat effectively and an extended design for better cooling performance.

Now coming to the expansion slots, the MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi motherboard features three PCIe slots (1 x Gen 4 x16 / 1 x Gen 3 x4 / 1x Gen 3 x1), and dual M.2 slots (2x Gen4x4), all of which are cooled by the M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks.

For I/O, you get 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (2 Type-C) ports, 4 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI + DP ports,  2.5G (Intel I225V) Ethernet LAN ports, Intel WiFi 6E (BT 5.2) functionality, & Audio Boost HD. The MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi is going to be priced at an official MSRP of $259.99 US which makes it one of the more affordable options than Z690 boards.

The MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFicomes are in the standard cardboard package. The front is themed in a very unique grey and black color theme. The front side also lists down support for Intel's 12th generation Core processors. The motherboard clearly lists down support for Windows 11 & TPM 2.0.

The backside of the package lists down the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the Extended Heatsink design, 2.5G LAN, DDR5 support, Lightning 20G USB ports, WiFi 6E, M.2 Shield Frozr, Memory Boost, and the overall look that this motherboard has to offer.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. It is very easy to access although the accessories are a bit scattered and things could get messy sorting out the various additions.

There are several accessories included in the package such as a Wi-Fi antenna module, four SATA III cables, screws for the M.2 storage devices, a cleaning brush, a driver disk with drivers and software, a manual for the board, and even a few stickers. Following is the full list of accessories in the package.

• Quick Installation Guide
• User Manual
• WiFi Antenna
• Cleaning Brush
• Screwdrivers
• MAG Stickers
• Reward Program / Shout Out Flyer
• Cable Stickers
• Product Catalog
• Registration Card
• M.2 Screw / Standoff Set
• 2 x SATA Cables

The motherboard is housed within the cardboard package and has anti-static wrapping to protect it from any built-up electrical resistance that can affect the board.

Out of the box, the MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi looks like a solid motherboard with a nice mATX form factor layout.

The MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi is themed in black and silver colors. This is a $250 US+ board and is on the expensive side within the B660 category. The motherboard comes in the Micro-ATX form factor and is jam-packed with features.

The board uses the LGA 1700 socket to support Intel Core processors. The socket is compatible only with Intel's 12th Generation core family. The socket has a protective cover on top of it that points out the exclusivity with Alder Lake 12th Gen CPUs & refrains users from running an older 11th and 10th generation CPUs as they won't fit in the socket at all and forcing them in the socket is only going to cause permanent damage to your motherboard.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 128 GB dual-channel memory. These slots are rated to support XMP profiles up to 6200 MHz (OC Plus). The DIMM slots feature metallic shielding around them for extra durability. Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage.

The MSI MAG B660M Mortar WIFI packs a 12 phase power delivery configuration that makes use of the Renesas RAA229131 (75A) MOSFET. The motherboard also makes use of a 6 layer PCB with a 2oz copper design.

As you can see, the VRMs are getting ample cooling from two massive aluminum-based heatsinks.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. The Intel 12th Gen Unlocked CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum turbo power rated at 241W for the Core i9-12900K.

Getting a closer look at the VRM heatsinks reveals an aluminum fin design underneath the baseplate for the topmost heatsink. Each heatsink has 7w/Mk thermal pads located underneath for efficient transfer of heat.

The MSI MAG logo is laser-etched on both heatsinks and provides a nice aesthetic for the motherboard.

Expansion slots include three PCI Express (1 Gen 4 x16, 1 Gen 3 x1, 1 Gen 3 x4), and 2 M.2 slots. The M.2 slots are rated to support NVMe PCIe gen4 x4 and Intel Optane series memory.

MSI is using a metallic cover on the sides of the expansion slots which provides protection to some extent. It adds more retention and shearing resistance by reinforcing the slots with metal plates. Aside from adding more protection, they do look really sweet.

The dual M.2 slots are cooled off by the thermal pad and aluminum baseplate cooling. This is part of MSI's M.2 Shield Frozr cooling technology and ensures stable operation for M.2 storage devices. The thermal adhesive has a plastic cover over them which needs to be removed before using them with the storage devices.

The Z690 PCH is housed beneath a large heatsink with the Mortar logo on top of it. The design on the heatsink cover is just for aesthetic.

Storage options include six SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support six different storage devices at once. There are also dual USB 3.2 (1x Gen 2 / 1x Gen 1) front panel connectors of which one is right-angled. Many fan headers and jumpers can be found beneath the storage ports.

MSI is using its Audio Boost 5 HD system for audio which is a combination of hardware, software audio solutions. 7.1 CH HD audio with the latest Realtek ALC4080 audio codec.

A bunch of other connectors for chassis power, RGB, and fan headers can be spotted next to them.

The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.

• 1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
• 2x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
• 6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 5x M.2 slots (M-Key)
• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps Type-C connector
• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps connector (supports additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps ports)
• 2x USB 2.0 Type-A connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports)
• 1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
• 1x 4-pin water-pump fan connector
• 6x 4-pin system fan connectors
• 1x Front panel audio connector
• 2x System panel connectors
• 1x Chassis Intrusion connector
• 1x Clear CMOS jumper
• 1x TPM module connector
• 1x TBT connector (supports RTD3)
• 1x Tuning Controller connector

MSI is using Intel's Wi-Fi 6E AX210 to power wireless connectivity such as 802.11ax WiFi (2.4G WiFi) and Bluetooth 5.2. In terms of Ethernet, there are single Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports which include an I225V 2.5G Networking chip.

The I/O plate comes with an I/O cover with the same silver color scheme as the board itself. Following is the full list of I/O ports on the MSI MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI motherboard:

• USB 2.0
• DisplayPort
• 2.5G LAN
• Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
• Audio Connectors
• HDMI
• USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps Type-C
• Optical S/PDIF Out

For testing, I used the Intel Core i5-12400 6 Core Alder Lake Non-K CPU on the MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi motherboard, both of which were sent by MSI.

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPU Test Platform:

Processors	Intel Core i5-12400 Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i5-12600K Intel Core i9-11900K Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i5-10600K Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-9900KS Intel Core i9-9900K Intel Core i7-8700K Intel Core i5-8600K AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 7 5800X AMD Ryzen 9 3950X AMD Ryzen 9 3900X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 5 3600X AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Motherboard	MSI B660M Mortar WiFi DDR5 (i5-12400) Z690 AORUS Master (Intel 12th Gen) ASRock X570S PG Riptide (Ryzen 9 5950X) MSI MEG Z590 ACE (Intel 11th Gen) ASUS ROG Maximus XII HERO WIFI (Intel 10th Gen) MSI X299 Creator (Intel 10th Gen X Series) Z390 AORUS Master (Intel 8th/9th Gen) MSI MEG X570 Unify (AMD Ryzen 3000 / Ryzen 5000) ASRock X470 Taichi Ultimate (AMD Ryzen 2000)
Power Supply	ASUS ROG THOR 1200W
Solid State Drive	Samsung SSD 980 PRO M.2 (1 TB)
Memory	G.SKILL Trident Z5 32 GB (2 x 16GB) CL36 6000 Mbps (DDR5 Platforms) G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16 GB (2 x 8GB) CL17 4000 Mbps (DDR4 Platforms)
Video Cards	MSI GeForce RTX 3090 SUPRIM X
Cooling Solutions	Corsair H115i (With LGA 1700 Mounting Kit)
OS	Windows 11 64-bit (Only Intel 12th Gen CPUs) Windows 10 64-bit

Our test rig includes the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB SSD that boots up our main OS while a 2 TB Seagate HDD is used for the storage of games and applications. In addition to these, we are running an MSI GeForce RTX 3090 SUPRIM X graphics card, an ASUS ROG Thor 1200W power supply. For this specific review, we used the G.Skill's latest Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 memory kit running at CL36 timings. We also got an LGA 1700 mounting kit for the Corsair H115i to use as a cooling solution for our test setup. The cooling solution choices are very limited so far due to the availability of mounting kits but things are expected to get better by the end of November.

3DMark Time Spy CPU Performance

3DMark Time Spy is a widely popular video card benchmark test for Windows that is designed to measure your PC’s gaming performance. While the overall benchmark is great, the utility also provides a good indication of the CPU performance.

Blender

Blender is the free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video editing and game creation.

Cinebench R15

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Iron Man 3, Oblivion, Life of Pi or Prometheus, and many more.

Cinebench R20

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.

Cinebench R23

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.

CPU-Z

CPUz is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system such as the Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels, Mainboard, and chipset, Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD), and Real-time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.

Geekbench 5

Geekbench 5, the latest major upgrade to Primate Labs’ easy-to-use cross-platform benchmark, is now available for download. Geekbench 5 allows you to measure your system’s power more accurately than ever before.

HandBrake

HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 10. It includes several tests that combine individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing, and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 10 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use.

POV-Ray

The POV-Ray package includes detailed instructions on using the ray-tracer and creating scenes. Many stunning scenes are included with POV-Ray so you can start creating images immediately when you get the package.

SuperPI

Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare “world record” pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.

WinRAR

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can backup your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP, and other files downloaded from the Internet, and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

X264 HD Encode Benchmark

This benchmark measures the encoding performance of the processor. It offers a standardized benchmark for the clip as well as the encoder used is uniform.

y-Cruncher Compute Benchmark

y-cruncher is a program that can compute Pi and other constants to trillions of digits. It is the first of its kind that is multi-threaded and scalable to multi-core systems. Ever since its launch in 2009, it has become a common benchmarking and stress-testing application for overclockers and hardware enthusiasts. Do note that the single-thread test makes uses of AVX-512 instructions while the multi-htread test relies on memory & SMT performance as well.

Battlefield V

Battlefield V brings back the action of the World War 2 shooter genre. Using the latest Frostbite tech, the game does a good job of looking gorgeous in all ways possible. From the open-world environments to the intense and gun-blazing action, this multiplayer and single-player FPS title is one of the best-looking Battlefields to date. The game was tested at max settings at 1440p.

DOOM Eternal

DOOM Eternal brings hell to earth with the Vulkan-powered idTech 7.  We test this game using the Ultra Nightmare Preset and follow our in-game benchmarking to stay as consistent as possible.

GTA V

GTA V is one handsomely optimized title for the PC audience. It's scalable across various PC configurations and delivers an impressive frame rate. Rockstar did an amazing job with the PC build of GTA V and it comes with a large array of settings that can be configured by PC gamers. We tested the title at 1440P with everything set to Ultra and 4x MSAA.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus continues the journey of Artyom through the nuclear wasteland of Russia and its surroundings. This time, you are set over the Metro, going through various regions and different environments. The game is one of the premier titles to feature NVIDIA’s RTX technology and does well in showcasing the ray-tracing effects in all corners. The game was tested at Ultra setting with RTX settings turned off at 1440p.

Shadow of The Tomb Raider

Sequel to The Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of The Tomb Raider is visually enhanced with an updated Foundation Engine that delivers realistic facial animations and the most gorgeous environments ever seen in a Tomb Raider Game. The game is a technical marvel and really shows the power of its graphics engine in the latest title.

Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Civilization VI is the pinnacle of the series. It's featured huge, sweeping changes, and nothing was left out. Everything has found a purpose, they all work together in tandem but also have a reason to stand alone. It uses a more fleshed-out engine that now supports DirectX 12 capabilities. We tested the game with every setting maxed out (4x MSAA, 4096x4096 shadow textures) at 1440P in DirectX 12.

Watch Dogs Legion

Watch Dogs: Legion is a 2020 action-adventure game published by Ubisoft and developed by its Toronto studio. It is the third installment in the Watch Dogs series and the sequel to 2016's Watch Dogs 2. Set within a fictionalized representation of a futuristic, dystopian London, the game's story follows the hacker syndicate DedSec as they seek to clear their names after being framed for a series of terrorist bombings

Ashes of The Singularity (4K)

Stardock's Ashes of the Singularity RTS title is a new take on the historical genre. The game incorporates several things that many pc gamers have been curious about and anxious to try for themselves such as Explicit Multi-Adapter Support and full Asynchronous Compute under DirectX 12 API. We tested the game at 4K with 4x MSAA on Crazy Settings under DirectX 12.

The Intel Alder Lake CPUs feature the brand new hybrid architecture approach composed of Golden Cove and Gracemont cores. The chip also relies on a brand new 10nm Enhanced SuperFin process node which delivers up to 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-12400 CPU. The faster clocks should lead to more power consumption but Intel is also touting increased efficiency per watt thanks to the overall performance increases we get this generation.

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In terms of packaging, Intel Alder Lake CPUs ship with a Solder TIM interface and higher-quality gold-plating under the IHS. The thermal testing was carried out with the Corsair H1150i AIO liquid cooler:

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While the hybrid Intel 12th Generation lineup brought a brand new slate to the table, the Non-K Core i5 lineup aims to bring the best price to performance value in the CPU marketplace. While we've seen several advantages of the hybrid approach in our Core i9-12900K & Core i5-12600K review, the Golden Cove-only design is surprisingly powerful on its own as this review shows.

Intel Core i5-12400 - Not Hybrid? No Problem!

The main point of having Alder Lake CPUs was to offer a hybrid design but that isn't the case with the Core i5-12400. The hybrid design makes multi-threading performance faster and efficient but with the Core i5-12400, a few trade-offs had to be made. This for me is a mixed bag since offering efficiency cores on the 12400 would have made sense for budget builders who could've received a higher performance without worrying about efficiency. With that said, the Core i5-12400 isn't any less efficient even with an all P-Core design. Based on the power and performance figures, it is the better option over AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X which offers 6 Zen 3 cores and the 12400 really shows an Intel IPC advantage here.

Mainstream & Entry-Level Motherboards For All

Another issue that plagued the launch of Intel's unlocked Alder Lake CPU lineup was the platform cost and availability of a crucial component, the DDR5 memory. While the entry-level H670, B660 & H610 motherboards will come in DDR5 flavors, each motherboard is getting a DDR4 iteration too which means that not only are the motherboards cheaper but going DDR4 is likely the best route for the mainstream and budget gaming segment.

The H670 and B660 platforms do feature XMP 3.0 support but then again, the cost-to-performance ratio of running DDR5 memory over DDR4 isn't that attractive. So I'd suggest getting any DDR4 motherboard and pairing it up with the Non-K Alder Lake CPUs for the best performance and cost.

The MSI B660M Mortar WiFi motherboard we received for testing is a great all-rounder board that has enough IO and features you'd expect. The version we received was DDR5 and as said above, you can definitely save up some costs going with the DDR4 variant of the same board which is also available. The 12 phase VRM was enough to handle the Core i5-12400 and having sub-60C temps for the VRMs is also a plus. What I really liked about this board is all USB 3.2 ports on the back are rated Gen 2 (20 Gbps) and a solid WiFi/LAN option is the topping on the cake.

This Is One of The Coolest & Least Power Hungry Chip In Our Test Suite Currently

In terms of power and thermals, the Core i5-12400 runs surprisingly cool with sub-45C temps under load, and the power consumption during gaming and benchmarking is also lower than AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X. This is a huge feat for Intel after many years where they have a chip that is not only faster than AMD's offering but also cooler and more energy efficient. Now, this chip is also based on the same architecture as the Core i9-12900K and Core i5-12600K which consume higher power and the reason for that is Intel's own power limits which have been set to extract every last ounce of juice out of them. In power scaling tests, we have noticed that the 12900K can be tuned to consume much lower power and retain 95% of its performance.

You can also see a glimpse of the power load management kicking in when playing games where the 12900K was consuming lower power than the 5950X and offering better performance. The same is the case with the Core i5-12400 though as far as overclocking is concerned, that is a no-show on the B660 platform but we will be taking it on around for some BCLK tuning with on the Z690 platform to see just how much more can be squeezed out of this little chip using a higher-end board.

PCIe Gen 5.0 - Pretty Much Useless

Another key feature of the new 600-series platform is the addition of PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes. It looks like Intel wanted to be the first to each new IO and memory standard with Alder Lake but this one is quite useless. Yes, we know that new graphics cards are at some point going to come out & will feature support for PCIe Gen 5.0 hardware but existing graphics cards aren't even saturating the Gen 4 lanes entirely and we get another 2x bandwidth increase with Gen 5.

Sure it offers future-proofing but I mean it would've been more beneficial as a consumer if those lanes were shared with one of the M.2 slots so next year when the new Gen 5 SSDs arrived, users could upgrade to make somewhat use of the new standard. But Intel decided to share all lanes to the PCIe slots & which to me is unnecessary and we will see if next-gen graphics cards are going to see any real-world benefit from it.

Step Aside 5600X, the Core i5-12400 Is The Real Deal Now!

The Intel Core i5-12600K showed the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X whose boss but now the little Core i5-12400 is doing it again and at $130 US less ($167 US vs $299 US). For consumers, the new B660 & H610 platform along with DDR4 options means that they can build more mainstream and budget builds. The Core i5-12400 runs cooler and consumes lower power, it rivals and even surpasses the Core i9-11900K in gaming performance while beating the Zen 3 in multi-threaded workloads. While those who were expecting a hybrid architecture on the entry-level lineup would be disappointed but aside from that, the Core i5-12400 is almost the perfect chip for the sub $200 segment.

Final Verdict - The Intel Core i5-12400 is faster than the 11900K in gaming, faster than the 5600X in multi-threading, runs really cool, and consumes lower power than comparative Zen 3 parts. The $167 US F-variant is one of the best chips that consumers could buy and pair it up with either a B660 or H610 (DDR4) motherboard. It really shows that Intel has jumped back in the mainstream segment with a strong CPU that would really shake things up for AMD's Ryzen team.

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