A mysterious new Intel i7 chip just showed up in tests

A mysterious new Intel Core i7-12650HX processor just showed up in a benchmark, further confirming the existence of the CPU. Intel has yet to reveal the processor or mention it at all, but based on benchmarks, the reveal of the HX-series is likely going to happen.

Thanks to the benchmark, we know more about the specifications of this new Intel Alder Lake offering.

The processor showed up in a new entry on UserBenchmark. The model in question comes with 14 cores and 20 threads, and being an Alder Lake CPU, it’s based on a hybrid architecture. There’s no confirmation as to the exact mix of cores used in this processor, but we’re most likely looking at six Golden Cove (performance) and eight Gracemont (efficiency) cores. The base clock speed was rated at 2.3GHz with a 4.05GHz turbo mode.

The platform that showed up in the benchmark came with 40GB of DDR5-4800 RAM, as well as a Samsung SSD 970 Evo Plus, but it had no discrete graphics card. As a result, it was rated really highly as a desktop, but deemed completely unsuitable for gaming. In all likelihood, a high-end CPU like this would be paired with one of the best graphics cards in order to be marketed toward gamers.

Although Intel Alder Lake processors are only really just starting to appear in laptops, the lineup is quite robust, but also potentially confusing to customers. Aside from the (still only rumored) HX lineup, Intel has released H-series processors with up to 14 cores and 20 threads. The difference between the H processors and their HX counterparts is that the Intel Core i9-12980HX would reportedly cap out at 16 cores and 24 threads, maximizing the potential of the Intel Alder Lake lineup.

Compared to Intel Alder Lake-H processors, the Core i7-12650HX doesn’t feature very high clock speeds. However, the performance improvement over H-series CPUs could also stem from the fact that this chip may feature the full Alder Lake-S silicon, complete with a 55-watt processor base power. The Core i7-12650HX is not the most powerful chip in the rumored lineup — Intel is likely to release a Core i9 version that will utilize the full capabilities presented by the die.

This processor could find its home in future Intel gaming laptops and small form-factor desktops, and as Intel has big hopes for the Alder Lake mobility lineup, it could prove to be quite impressive. It’s difficult to guess when it will appear on the consumer market, especially considering that Intel Alder Lake processors have already started popping up in laptops with a similar target audience. We’ll have to wait to hear from Intel to find out what its plans are for the Intel Core i7-12650HX and the CPUs that will likely follow it.