Intel® Thread Directorenables the two new core microarchitectures to work seamlessly together by guiding the operating system (OS) to place the right thread on the right core at the right time. Intel has worked with the ecosystem on extensive testing to optimize performance and compatibility, and as part of the company’s reinforced investments in the developer community, has published white papers for developers with guidance on how independent software vendors can optimize applications for performance hybrid platforms.

Gen Intel® Core™ processors support the next wave of discrete graphics cards and storage devices. These devices take advantage of increased throughput coming with PCIe 5.0 as well the higher speeds and bandwidth of DDR5 memory. It's been the case for years that more cores and threads don't necessarily lead to better performance and Alder Lake offers further proof through impressive results. As well as this new array of cores and threads, Intel also opened up support for DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 with Alder Lake, snatching the standards lead from AMD.

Intel® Deep Learning Boost (Intel® DL Boost)

In its current 11th Generation line of H-Series chips, dubbed "Tiger Lake-H," Intel offers only a Corei9-11900H, i9-11950H, and i9-11980HK (for big, powerful laptops that can accommodate them), while Core i7-based machines are more ubiquitous. You'll see Core i7 models flow out in the course of Intel's 11th Generation laptop-CPU launch than i9s, as has been the case in generations past.

Also, while the Core i7 is the better choice for gamers looking to maximize the performance of their next build on a budget, you also might want to consider options like the Core i5-11600K. With six cores and 12 threads, the Core i5-11600K can handle almost every PC game on shelves, and it costs a good deal less than current-model desktop chips in either the Core i7 or i9 lines. The difference will ultimately be most obvious in esports titles and with high-refresh-rate monitors that let you show 100fps, 200fps, or more onscreen. The Core i7 and the Core i9 lines of chips are only able to really stretch their legs on desktop systems, because of their high power draw and thermal output (compared to options in the Core i3 and i5 lines). Their serious power is better managed in desktop PC builds that can utilize custom cooling and larger power supplies. Processors that support 64-bit computing on Intel® architecture require an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. You can also connect your PC to multiple 4K monitors and other accessories, all with one reversible cable. The 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processor family—our most innovative platform yet—enables Thunderbolt™ 4, the simplest, fastest, most reliable port available 4.

Idle States

Finally, to close out our testing (we always leave the stress runs for last in case of disaster), our attempts to push the Intel Core i9-12900K to its thermal limits in a 10-minute run through Cinebench 23 in CoreTemp, we found the CPU posted a maximum temperature of 73 degrees C in our testing on a new Corsair iCue 360mm closed-loop liquid cooler.

The sheer boldness of that statement may not have caught everyone on the first pass, so let's reiterate: Intel's latest gaming processor, marketed by the company as the "World's Best Gaming Processor," may not play certain games. It's dependent on the digital rights management (DRM) system used by the game to protect its licenses.If you want the "world's best gaming processor" today—as in a desktop processor that just plays any PC game you want—you might want to wait and see how the DRM situation shakes out on Alder Lake. But the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X remains a cost-conscious, fuss-free option that kept its station in gaming in Windows 10. All models support: SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST), Intel 64, XD bit (an NX bit implementation), Intel VT-x, Intel VT-d, Hyper-threading, Turbo Boost 3.0, Thermal Velocity Boost, AES-NI, Smart Cache, Thread Director, DL Boost, GNA 3.0 Intel's new chip puts a teraflop in your desktop. Here's what that means". PopSci. June 1, 2017 . Retrieved June 2, 2017. We ran the Photoshop and Premiere Pro versions of these benchmarks, which showed some impressive results that shouldn't be shoved aside as mere marketing hoopla. (More on that in a minute.) New Day, New Power Definitions