Intel Core i5-12450HX vs Intel Core i7-12650HX vs Intel Core i5-12600HX

Intel Core i5-12450HX

The Intel Core i5-12450HX is a fast mid-range mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture (Alder Lake-S chip). It was announced in mid 2022 and offers 4 of the 8 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 4 of the 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 12 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2.4 to 4.4 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.8 to 3.1 GHz on the efficiency cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare with the Core i7-6920HQ). All cores can use up to 12 MB L3 cache. The CPU offers only limited overclocking capabilities and no support for vPro or ECC main memory.

Performance

Due to the similar specs, the performance of the 12450HX should be similar to the Core i5-12450H (45 W TDP). Thanks to the higher TDP, the sustained performance could be better (if the cooling of the laptop is sufficient). 

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800 and DDR4-3200. The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficient cores for the best performance. For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via AVX2). Quick Sync in version 8 is the same as in the Rocket Lake CPUs and supports MPEG-2, AVC, VC-1 decode, JPEG, VP8 decode, VP9, HEVC, and AV1 decode in hardware. The CPU supports 48 PCIe lanes consisting of 16 Gen5 (x16 or 2x8), 20 Gen4 and 12 Gen3.

The integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers only 16 of the 32 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.3 GHz.

The CPU is rated at 55 W base power (157 W PL2). The SoC is manufactured on a 10nm process at Intel, which is known as Intel 7.

Intel Core i7-12650HX

The Intel Core i7-12650HX is a high-end mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in mid 2022 and offers 6 of the 8 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 20 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2.0 to 4.7 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.5 to 3.3 GHz on the efficiency cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare with the Core i7-6920HQ). All cores can use up to 25 MB L3 cache. The CPU offers an open multiplicator and therefore the possibility to overclock the CPU cores. Compared to the similar i7-12850HX, the 12800HX does not offer vPro or ECC memory support.

Performance

Due to the similar specs, the performance of the 12650HX should be similar to the Core i7-12700H (14 cores, max 4,7 GHz, 45 W TDP). Thanks to the higher TDP, the sustained performance could be better (if the cooling of the laptop is sufficient). 

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800 and DDR4-3200. The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficient cores for the best performance. For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via AVX2). Quick Sync in version 8 is the same as in the Rocket Lake CPUs and supports MPEG-2, AVC, VC-1 decode, JPEG, VP8 decode, VP9, HEVC, and AV1 decode in hardware. The CPU supports 48 PCIe lanes consisting of 16 Gen5 (x16 or 2x8), 20 Gen4 and 12 Gen3.

The integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 32 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.45 GHz.

The CPU is rated at 55 W base power (157 W PL2). The SoC is manufactured on a 10nm process at Intel, which is known as Intel 7.

Intel Core i5-12600HX

The Intel Core i5-12600HX is a upper mid-range mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake-S chip. It was announced in mid 2022 and offers 4 of the 8 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 16 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2.5 to 4.6 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.8 to 3.3 GHz on the efficiency cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare with the Core i7-6920HQ). All cores can use up to 18 MB L3 cache. The CPU supports vPro and ECC memory and is therefore a successor to the mobile Xeon CPUs.

Performance

While we have not tested a single system built around the 12600HX as of August 2023, we have tested several systems featuring the i5-12500H, a CPU with similar specs (4 P-cores mated to 8 E-cores, all running at pretty much the same clock speeds as what the 12600HX has). Based on that, expect the 12600HX to be very close to the Ryzen 9 6900HS, Ryzen 9 6900HX and also the Core i7-12650H, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned.

Your mileage may vary depending on how competent the cooling solution of your laptop is and how high the CPU power limits are.

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800 and DDR4-3200. The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficient cores for the best performance. For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via AVX2). Quick Sync in version 8 is the same as in the Rocket Lake CPUs and supports MPEG-2, AVC, VC-1 decode, JPEG, VP8 decode, VP9, HEVC, and AV1 decode in hardware. The CPU supports 48 PCIe lanes consisting of 16 Gen5 (x16 or 2x8), 20 Gen4 and 12 Gen3.

The integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 32 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.35 GHz.

The CPU is rated at 55 W base power (157 W PL2). The SoC is manufactured on a 10nm process at Intel, which is known as Intel 7.