Intel has just launched a new Alder Lake processor in China, the Core i5-12490F. According to the first Geekbench tests, the latter is up to 15% more efficient than the Core i5-12400 in multithreaded. It is not yet known whether it will be available in Europe or at what price.
For a few days, rumors claim that a new Alder Lake processor will be launched on the market. Necessarily, one would have thought that the CES 2022 would have been the perfect opportunity for Intel to unveil the latter. In addition, one could imagine that it was the Core i9-12900KS, which recently made a name for itself by reaching a boost frequency of 5.5 GHz. In the end, it was none of that.
Indeed, it is on the Chinese site JD.com and other local resellers that we could see the Core i5-12490F. Quite surprising choice on the part of Intel, which has so far never communicated on it. Fortunately, Geekbench seized the processor and made it pass its battery of tests to find out what is in the belly. Promising results emerge: the CPU is 10% more powerful than Core i5-12400F in single thread, and up to 15% more efficient in multithreaded.
On the same topic: Intel Core Alder Lake test – what are the i5-12600K, i7-12700K and i9-12900KF worth in video games?
Intel launches more powerful processor without telling anyone
These performances did not come out of nowhere. If the Core i5-12490F is overall more powerful than its peer, it is because the latter benefits from a base frequency higher than 500 MHz, and a higher boost frequency of 200 MHz. Its L3 cache is also larger with 20 MB, against 18 MB for the Core i5-12400, which we were also able to test for ourselves.
As a result, the Core i5-12490F is closer to the Core i5-12500, showing the same clock rates, but still lacking an iGPU. That being said, it should be noted that this benchmark published by Geekbench does not seem unanimous. Our colleagues from Tom’s Hardware carried out their own test and obtained performance greater than 5%.
As always, therefore, the power of the processor depends on the hardware that accompanies it. Either way, the CPU might just be Intel’s best midrange option right now. Provided that it is also marketed in Europe, which is not certain at the moment, and moreover at a decent price.
