Alder Lake Explained

Alder Lake
Produced-Start:[1]
Soldby:Intel
Designfirm:Intel
Manuf1:Intel
Code:80715
L2cache:1.25 MB per P-core
2 MB per E-core cluster
L3cache:Up to 30 MB, shared
Size-From:Intel 7 (previously known as 10ESF)
Arch:x86
Instructions:x86-64
Extensions:AES-NI, CLMUL, RDRAND, SHA, TXT, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, AVX-VNNI, VT-x, VT-d
Cores:Up to 8 P-cores
Cores1:Up to 8 E-cores
Gpu:Intel Xe-based integrated graphics
Sock1:Desktop
Sock2:Mobile
Pcode1:ADL
Brand1:Intel Core
Brand2:Pentium
Brand3:Celeron
Successor:Raptor Lake
Support Status:Supported
Brand4:Intel Processor
Dmi-Slowest:16
Variant1:Sapphire Rapids (server/workstation)

Alder Lake is Intel's codename for the 12th generation of Intel Core processors based on a hybrid architecture utilizing Golden Cove performance cores and Gracemont efficient cores.[2] [3] It is fabricated using Intel's Intel 7 process, previously referred to as Intel 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin (10ESF).[4] [5] [6] The 10ESF has a 10%-15% boost in performance over the 10SF used in the mobile Tiger Lake processors. Intel officially announced 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs on October 27, 2021,[7] mobile CPUs and non-K series desktop CPUs on January 4, 2022,[8] Alder Lake-P and -U series on February 23, 2022,[9] and Alder Lake-HX series on May 10, 2022.[10]

History

It was announced in January 2022 that Intel Alder Lake would use a hybrid architecture combining performance and efficiency cores, similar to ARM big.LITTLE. This was the second Intel's hybrid architecture, after the mobile-only Lakefield released in June 2020. While the desktop Alder Lake processors were already on the market by January 2022, the mobile processors were not, although release was expected early that year. Starting cost were USD $289 for the Core i5-12600K. Gracemont was the name given to the efficiency cores, while Golden Cove cores were set for tasks such as gaming and video processing.[11] First laptop tests were performed later that month, with PCMag positively reviewing the Core i9-12900HK, stating the H series represented "Intel's enthusiast line," with "the same hybrid designs" also in the P-series and U-series chips to come out later that year.[12]

In April 2022, press reported on "hints" that Intel was working on Alder Lake-X.[13] [14] Intel officially announced the HX processor series on May 10, 2022, including Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9 models, when Intel announced "seven new mobile processors for the 12th Gen Intel Core mobile family at its Intel Vision event.[15] With the lineup based on Intel's desktop Alder Lake chips,[16] it was named the Alder Lake-HX series, or 12th-gen Core HX, with the Core i9-12950HX as the flagship and Intel's first 16-core chip designed for laptops.[17]

Features

CPU

GPU

I/O

Dies

For the Alder Lake generation, Intel produced 4 different dies.[23] [27] Each die has a different number of P-cores (P) and E-cores (E) and GPU Execution Units.

SegmentCPU configurationGPUWidthLengthDie size
Alder Lake-S
(desktop)
8P + 8E (performance)32 EU10.5 mm20.5 mm215.25 mm2
6P + 0E (budget)10.19 mm15.47 mm157.74 mm2[28]
Alder Lake-P
(mobile)
6P + 8E96 EU10.62 mm20.45 mm217.18 mm2
Alder Lake-U
(ultra mobile)
2P + 8E

Software support

Alder Lake requires special support from the operating system due to its relatively unusual-for-x86 hybrid nature. For software unable to be upgraded, a UEFI-provided compatibility mode may be used to disable the E cores; it is enabled by the user turning on scroll lock.

CPUID incoherence

The P and E cores of early versions of Alder Lake CPUs reported different CPUID models. This has caused issues with digital rights management systems that perceive the P and E cores as being separate computers, and falsely enforce license restrictions preventing a particular piece of software from being executed on more than one device at a time. Intel published a list of PC games it identified as having this compatibility issue, and stated that it was working with publishers to develop patches. Some of the games were identified by Intel as only having this bug on Windows 10, and functioning correctly on Windows 11 (with some of them dependent on Windows 11 patches scheduled to be released in November 2021).[29] [30] ExamSoft similarly stated that its monitoring software for educational assessments (such as the bar examination) was similarly incompatible with Alder Lake CPUs due to checks detecting virtual machines.[31]

This problem has been fixed in a microcode update. The P and E cores now return the same CPUID when both are enabled. A different CPUID is reported when E cores are disabled and only P cores are enabled. The AVX-512 instruction set extension is implemented in the P cores but disabled due to incompatibility with the E cores.[32] Hackers have shown that it is possible to enable the AVX-512 instructions on the P cores when the E cores are disabled and an old microcode version is used.[33]

There are minor differences between the behavior of the two cores with regard to an undefined overflow flag in certain bitwise operations.[34]

Scheduler support

Alder Lake's CPU topology has performance implications, especially for gaming environments where the developers are not used to NUMA setups. Microsoft added support for Intel Thread Director (ITD) in Windows 11.[35] A wide variety of inputs, including whether a process' window is in the foreground, feeds into the ITD.[36] The ITD can function to a lesser extent with the OS providing less or no cooperation.[37] Support in Linux is merged in kernel 5.18[38] but this alone is not sufficient until the kernel gets hints from userspace in order to schedule tasks to run on certain types of cores. Windows 10 version 21H2 and later Windows 10 has support for Intel Thread Director, but such support is limited.[39]

Blu-Ray DRM support

The CPU family no longer features Intel SGX which is a requirement for playing UltraHD Blu-Ray discs.[40]

List of 12th generation Alder Lake processors

Desktop processors (Alder Lake-S)

Processor
branding! rowspan="4"
ModelCores
(threads)
Clock rate (GHz)GPUSmart
cache
TDPPrice
(USD)
BaseTurbo BoostModelMax.
freq.
(GHz)
2.03.0
BaseTurbo
Core i912900KS8 (16)8 (8)3.42.55.24.05.35.5UHD 7701.5530 MB150 W241 W$739
12900K3.22.45.13.95.2125 W$589
12900KF$564
129002.41.85.03.85.1UHD 7701.5565 W202 W$489
12900F$464
12900T1.41.04.83.64.9UHD 7701.5535 W106 W$489
Core i712700K4 (4)3.62.74.93.85.01.5025 MB125 W190 W$409
12700KF$384
127002.11.64.83.64.9UHD 7701.5065 W180 W$339
12700F$314
12700T1.41.04.63.44.7UHD 7701.5035 W99 W$339
Core i512600K6 (12)3.72.84.93.61.4520 MB125 W150 W$289
12600KF$264
126003.34.8UHD 7701.4518 MB65 W117 W$223
12600T2.14.635 W74 W
125003.065 W117 W$202
12500T2.04.435 W74 W
12490F[44] 3.04.620 MB65 W117 WChina
exclusive
124002.54.4UHD 7301.4518 MB$192
12400F$167
12400T1.84.2UHD 7301.4535 W74 W$192
Core i3123004 (8)3.54.412 MB60 W89 W$143
12300T2.34.235 W69 W
121003.34.31.4060 W89 W$122
12100F58 W$97
12100T2.24.1UHD 7301.4035 W69 W$122
Pentium GoldG74002 (4)3.7UHD 7101.356 MB46 W$64
G7400T3.135 W
CeleronG69002 (2)3.41.34 MB46 W$42
G6900T2.835 W

Mobile processors

Alder Lake-HX

These CPUs feature 35 W minimum assured, 45 W base and 157 W maximum turbo power consumption.

Processor
branding! rowspan="2"
ModelCores
(threads)
Base clock (GHz)Turbo Boost (GHz)GPU Max.clock rate(GHz)Smart
cache
Price
(USD)
Core i98 (16)8 (8)2.31.75.03.61.5530MB$590
12900HX$668
Core i72.11.54.83.41.4525 MB$428
12800HX2.0$502
12650HX6 (12)4.73.324 MB$472
Core i54 (8)2.51.84.61.3518 MB$284
12450HX4 (4)2.44.43.11.3012 MB$312

Alder Lake-H

These CPUs feature 35 W minimum assured, 45 W base and 95 W (Core i5) or 115 W (Core i7/i9) maximum turbo power consumption.

Processor
branding! rowspan="2"
ModelCores
(threads)
Base clock (GHz)Turbo Boost (GHz)Iris Xe GraphicsSmart
cache
Price
(USD)
EUsBoost clock
(GHz)
Core i912900HK6 (12)8 (8)2.51.85.03.8961.4524MB$697
$617
Core i72.44.83.71.4$457
12700H2.31.74.73.5$502
12650H4 (4)64
Core i54 (8)8 (8)2.72.04.53.38018 MB$311
12500H2.51.81.3$342
12450H4 (4)2.01.54.4481.212 MB

Alder Lake-P

These CPUs feature 20 W minimum assured, 28 W base and 64 W maximum turbo power consumption.

Processor
branding! rowspan="2"
ModelCores
(threads)
Base clock (GHz)Turbo Boost (GHz)Iris Xe GraphicsSmart
cache
Price
(USD)
EUsBoost clock
(GHz)
Core i76 (12)8 (8)1.81.34.83.6961.4524MB$482
4 (8)2.21.63.51.4018MB$438
1260P2.11.54.73.4$480
Core i51.71.24.43.38012MB$320
1240P1.30$353
Core i31220P2 (4)1.51.1641.10$309

Alder Lake-U

Processor
branding! rowspan="2"
ModelCores
(threads)
Base clock (GHz)Turbo Boost (GHz)Iris Xe GraphicsSmart
cache
TDPPrice
(USD)
EUsBoost clock
(GHz)
BaseTurbo
Core i71265U2 (4)8 (8)1.81.34.83.6961.2512 MB15 W55 W$426
1260U1.10.84.73.50.99 W29 W
1255U1.71.21.2515 W55 W
1250U1.10.80.99 W29 W
Core i51245U1.61.24.43.3801.215 W55 W$309
1240U1.10.80.99 W29 W
1235U (withIPU)1.30.91.215 W55 W
1230U1.00.70.99 W29 W
Core i31215U (withIPU)4 (4)1.20.9641.110 MB15 W55 W$281
1210U1.00.70.859 W29 W
Pentium8505 (withIPU)1 (2)1.20.9480.98 MB15 W55 W$161
85001.00.70.79 W29 W
Celeron73051 (1)1.10.90.915 W55 W$107
73001.00.70.79 W29 W

Alder Lake-N

These CPUs feature only E-cores and have 6MB of Smart Cache.

Processor
branding! rowspan="2"
ModelCores
(threads)
Base clock(GHz)Turbo Boost(GHz)UHD GraphicsTDPEmbeddedoptionsPrice(USD)
EUsBoost clock
(GHz)
DownBase
Core i3N3058 (8)1.8[45] 3.8321.259 W15 WYes$309.00
N3007 WNo
Intel ProcessorN2004 (4)3.70.756 WYes$193.00
N1000.83.424No$55.00
N972.03.61.212 WYes$128.00
N951.7[46] 3.41615 W
N502 (2)1.03.4160.756 W$128.00
Atomx7425E4 (4)1.5241.012 W$58.00
x7213E2 (2)1.73.21610 W$47.00
x7211E1.06 W$39.00

Processors for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and embedded systems (Alder Lake-PS)

Most of these processors are identical to the corresponding Alder Lake-H and Alder Lake-U processors (without the L suffix) listed above.

High-power

These CPUs feature 35 W minimum assured, 45 W base and 65 W maximum assured power consumption.

Processor
branding
ModelCores
(threads)
Base
clock rate
(GHz)
Turbo
Boost
3.0
(GHz)
Iris Xe GraphicsSmart
cache
Price
(USD)
EUsMax.
clock rate
(GHz)
@45 W@35 W[47]
Core i712800HL6 (12)8 (8)2.41.61.84.83.7961.424 MB$457
12700HL2.31.74.73.5$430
Core i512600HL4 (8)2.71.72.04.53.38018 MB$311
12500HL2.51.81.3$279
Core i312300HL4 (4)2.01.11.54.4481.212 MB

Low-power

These CPUs feature 12 W minimum assured, 15 W base and 28 W maximum assured power consumption.

Processor
branding
ModelCores
(threads)
Base
clock rate
(GHz)
Turbo
Boost
3.0
(GHz)
GraphicsSmart
cache
Price
(USD)
BrandEUsMax.
clock rate
(GHz)
@28 W@15 W@12 W
Core i71265UL2 (4)8 (8)2.61.81.11.34.83.6Iris Xe961.2512 MB$426
1255UL1.71.24.73.5$399
Core i51245UL2.51.61.04.43.3 GHz801.2$309
1235UL1.31.1$277
Core i31215UL4 (4)1.20.80.9UHD641.110 MB$285
Celeron7305L1 (1)1.1488 MB$107

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Intel 12th Gen Core Alder Lake for Desktops: Top SKUs Only, Coming November 4th . Ian . Cutress . www.anandtech.com.
  2. Web site: Cutress . Ian . August 14, 2020 . Intel Alder Lake: Confirmed x86 Hybrid with Golden Cove and Gracemont for 2021 . AnandTech . February 15, 2021.
  3. Web site: Dexter . Alan . April 6, 2021 . Intel Alder Lake CPUs: What are they, when will they launch, and how fast will they be?. PC Gamer . en-US . April 7, 2021.
  4. Web site: CES 2021: Intel Announces Four New Processor Families . Intel Newsroom . en-US . January 11, 2021 . February 15, 2021.
  5. News: Gartenberg . Chaim . July 26, 2021 . Intel has a new architecture roadmap and a plan to retake its chipmaking crown in 2025 . The Verge . July 28, 2021.
  6. News: Subramaniam . Vaidyanathan . July 27, 2021 . Intel details new process innovations and node names, Alder Lake 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin is now Intel 7; Intel 20A is the 2 nm process for 2024 . Notebook Check . July 28, 2021.
  7. Web site: Intel Unveils 12th Gen Intel Core, Launches World's Best Gaming Processor, i9-12900K . Intel . October 27, 2021 . September 17, 2022.
  8. Web site: CES: Intel Engineers Fastest Mobile Processor Ever with 12th Gen Intel Core Mobile . Intel . January 4, 2022 . September 17, 2022.
  9. Web site: Intel Expands Mobile Leadership, Brings Enthusiast Performance to . Intel Newsroom . September 17, 2022.
  10. Web site: 12th Gen Intel Core HX Processors Launch as World's Best Mobile Workstation Platform . Intel Newsroom . May 10, 2022 . May 14, 2022.
  11. Web site: Loeffler . John . January 28, 2022 . Intel Alder Lake: everything we know so far . TechRadar . May 13, 2022.
  12. Web site: Westover . Brian . January 25, 2022 . First Tests: Intel's 12th Gen 'Alder Lake' Core i9 Is the Laptop CPU to Beat . PC Magazine . May 13, 2022.
  13. Web site: Szewczyk . Chris . April 11, 2022 . There are hints that Intel will return to the HEDT market with Alder Lake-X . PC Gamer . May 13, 2022.
  14. Web site: Liu . Zhiye . April 16, 2022 . Intel Alder Lake-HX Leak: 16 Cores, 5 GHz Boost Clock . Tom's Hardware . May 13, 2022.
  15. Web site: Takahashi . Dean . 10 May 2022 . Intel unveils 7 new 12th Gen Intel Core HX mobile processors . GamesBeat . May 14, 2022.
  16. Web site: Duckett . Chris . May 10, 2022 . Intel releases Alder Lake HX chips for mobile workstations and gamers . ZDNet . May 14, 2022.
  17. Web site: Hachman . March . May 10, 2022 . Intel propels laptops to 16 cores with ferocious new Core HX laptop CPUs . PC World . May 14, 2022.
  18. Yavarzadeh . Hosein . Taram . Mohammadkazem . Narayan . Shravan . Stefan . Deian . Tullsen . Dean . 2023 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP) . Half&Half: Demystifying Intel's Directional Branch Predictors for Fast, Secure Partitioned Execution . May 2023 . IEEE . 1220–1237 . 10.1109/SP46215.2023.10179415 . 978-1-6654-9336-9. 259255212 .
  19. Web site: Cutress . Ian . Frumusanu . Andrei . November 4, 2021 . The Intel 12th Gen Core i9-12900K Review: Hybrid Performance Brings Hybrid Complexity . AnandTech . en . November 4, 2021.
  20. Web site: Alcorn . Paul . August 19, 2021 . Intel Architecture Day 2021: Alder Lake Chips, Golden Cove and Gracemont Cores. Tom's Hardware . en-US . August 21, 2021.
  21. Web site: Alcorn . Paul . March 2, 2022 . Intel Nukes Alder Lake's AVX-512 Support, Now Fuses It Off in Silicon . Tom's Hardware . en-US . March 7, 2022.
  22. Web site: zingaburga . May 11, 2022 . Enabling AVX-512 on Alder Lake . GitHub.
  23. Web site: Cutress . Ian . Frumusanu . Andrei . August 21, 2021 . Intel Architecture Day 2021: Alder Lake, Golden Cove, and Gracemont Detailed . AnandTech . October 30, 2021.
  24. Web site: Intel® Architecture Instruction Set Extensions and Future Features: Programming Reference . Intel . September 2023 . October 26, 2023.
  25. Web site: Subramaniam . Vaidyanathan . May 5, 2020 . Intel 12th gen Alder Lake-S will use a larger LGA 1700 socket that may last for three generations . Notebook Check . September 17, 2022.
  26. Web site: Larabel . Michael . June 11, 2021 . Intel Alder Lake Thunderbolt/USB4 Support For Linux 5.14 . Phoronix . en-US . January 3, 2022.
  27. Web site: MSI confirms there are two die variants of Alder Lake-S desktop CPUs. 2021-10-30. VideoCardz.com. en-US.
  28. Web site: Intel@intel7(10nmESF)@AlderLake@ADL-S(6P+0E)@i5-12400F@SRL5Z___DSCx11_poly@5xDIC. Fritzchens Fritz @ Flickr.com. October 2, 2022 . en-US.
  29. Web site: Orland . Kyle . November 5, 2021 . Faulty DRM breaks dozens of games on Intel's Alder Lake CPUs. Ars Technica . en-US . November 5, 2021.
  30. Web site: Kan . Michael . November 5, 2021 . Intel: These 50+ PC Games Are Incompatible with 'Alder Lake' CPUs Due to DRM . PC Magazine . en-US . November 6, 2021.
  31. Web site: Roth . Emma . July 13, 2022 . Intel's 12th Gen CPU can't handle the Bar exam . The Verge . en-US . July 14, 2022.
  32. Web site: How to detect P/E-Core in Intel Alder Lake CPU? . Stackoverflow . 15 May 2022.
  33. Web site: Zingaburga . May 1, 2020 . Enabling AVX-512 on Alder Lake . GitHub . May 15, 2022.
  34. Web site: Game Dev Guide for Alder Lake Performance Hybrid Architecture . Intel . en-US . September 17, 2022.
  35. Web site: Hruska . Joel . August 14, 2020 . Intel Makes it Official: Hybrid CPU Cores Arrive With Alder Lake . ExtremeTech . en-US . February 15, 2021.
  36. Web site: Cutress . Ian . Intel 12th Gen Core Alder Lake for Desktops: Top SKUs Only, Coming November 4th . www.anandtech.com.
  37. Web site: Scheduler Alder Lake není všemocný, Intel počítá s optimalizacemi vývojářů . diit.cz . cs . November 7, 2021.
  38. Web site: Larabel . Michael . February 6, 2022 . Intel HFI To Premiere In Linux 5.18 For Improving Hybrid CPU Performance/Efficiency . Phoronix . en . February 11, 2022.
  39. Web site: Is Windows® 10 Task Scheduler Optimized for 12th Generation... . 2024-07-28 . Intel . en.
  40. Web site: Tyson . Mark . January 15, 2022 . Alder Lake Systems Can't Play UHD Blu-rays . Tom's Hardware . en-US . 2022-01-21.
  41. Web site: Products formerly Alder Lake . Intel.
  42. Web site: Bonshor . Gavin . March 9, 2022 . The Intel W680 Chipset Overview: Alder Lake Workstations Get ECC Memory and Overclocking Support . AnandTech . 2022-04-14.
  43. Web site: 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900KS Launches as World's Fastest Desktop Processor . Intel . en-US . March 28, 2022 . March 28, 2022.
  44. Web site: 28 February 2022 . Intel Core i5-12490F is China exclusive 6-core Alder Lake desktop CPU with 20MB L3 cache . live . http://web.archive.org/web/20220228000000/https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-i5-12490f-is-china-exclusive-6-core-alder-lake-desktop-cpu-with-20mb-l3-cache . 28 February 2022 . 28 February 2022 . VideoCardz. Alt URL
  45. Web site: Intel Core i3 N300 series spotted, no Performance cores here . 2023-02-26 . VideoCardz.com . en-US.
  46. Web site: Kaz . 2022-12-15 . E-Coreのみ搭載、Alder Lake-Nのベンチマーク出現。Celeronの後継モデル . 2023-02-26 . ギャズログ Gaz:Log . ja.
  47. Web site: Alder Lake PS: Overview and Technical Documentation . 2022-11-01 . Intel.