Skip to main content

Intel’s 12th-Gen 16-core Alder Lake-S can reach 4GHz speeds, according to leak

Though Intel already previewed its Alder Lake processors — the architecture behind the company’s upcoming 12th-gen silicon launching later this year — we are learning more about the CPU through a series of recent leaks and unofficial benchmarks. The latest leak suggests that Intel’s 16-core processor with 32 threads could top out with a clock speed of 4GHz, and that the processor will support DDR5-4800 memory.

The latest leak comes by way of Twitter user @momomo_us, who spotted the detailed listing for Alder Lake on the SiSoftware database. The database revealed that Alder Lake has a base clock speed of 1.8GHz, but the desktop processor can reach speeds of 4GHz with boost.

The benchmark listed this early sample of Alder Lake with “Good performance,” showing that it had beat 79.43% of other ranked processors. This is still a pre-release chip, so performance will likely continue to change until Intel finalizes the chip.

Additional specifications for this particular Alder Lake desktop configuration include 10x 1.25MB of L2 cache and 30MB of L3 cache. It appears that Intel had increased the amount of L3 cache by a third — or 10MB — when compared against the 10th-Gen Core i9-10900K. While it supports 32 threads, it appears that the SiSoftware database had mistakenly listed Alder Lake with 32 threads.

When Intel previewed its upcoming processor at CES, the company stated that Alder Lake will use a heterogenous mix of cores by combining high performance and high efficiency cores on a single processor. Alder Lake will be Intel’s first processor to be manufactured using the 10nm SuperFin process, and it is expected to launch in 2021 with support for PCI Gen5 and DDR5 memory. The chip is also expected to support the new Wi-Fi 6E standard.

Based on SiSilicon’s listing, we can deduce that the CPU will have 32 execution units, or EUs, and 256 shading units clocked at 1.5GHz, according to Videocardz. The database also showed an Alder Lake-S processor with a mobile graphics controller, so it’s unclear what Intel’s plans are for graphics support with this chipset.

Compared to prior leaks, it appears that the memory bandwidth has increased. The listing details memory bandwidth at 34.21 GBps.

Intel stated that the new processor family will come with faster transistors and improved MIM capacitors. On mobile, Alder Lake will succeed the current 11th-gen Tiger Lake processor.

Editors' Recommendations

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Intel Raptor Lake finally makes DDR5 memory worth it
Intel Raptor Lake chip shown in a rendered image.

The upcoming Intel Raptor Lake processors will support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, but it seems that the 13th generation of Intel CPUs might finally convince many users to switch to DDR5.

In a new benchmark, the Core i7-13700K was tested with DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. The latter truly made it shine, delivering a huge uplift in multicore performance.

Read more
Full details of Intel Meteor Lake leak out: Here’s what to expect
Intel Meteor Lake chip.

Intel Meteor Lake is the upcoming 14th generation of Intel processors, rumored to release in the second half of 2023. Although there's still a long time to go before these CPUs hit the market, various leaks are helping us piece together a clear image of what Intel has in store.

According to the latest round of leaks, Intel Meteor Lake might introduce a host of changes and upgrades. This includes adding a new core type, bringing the current hybrid design up to three different cores.

Read more
Intel Raptor Lake-S specs leak, but one key detail is missing
Intel Raptor Lake chip shown in a rendered image.

New details about Intel's upcoming 13th-generation Raptor Lake-S processors just emerged, giving us even more insight into the specifications and performance of these CPUs. The information was leaked as part of an Intel NAS Workshop presentation that took place in Shenzhen, China.

At first glance, everything looks great, with higher clock speeds and core counts. However, one key detail seems to have been passed over -- there is no mention of PCIe Gen 5.0 support for M.2 modules.

Read more