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Intel Core i7-1260P vs Intel Core i5-12450H

Intel Core i7-1260P

► remove from comparison Intel i7-1260P

The Intel Core i7-1260P is an upper mid-range 28 W Alder Lake CPU designed for use in ultra-light laptops. It was announced in early 2022 and it features 4 performance cores as opposed to the 6 cores of the top-of-the-line i7-1280P (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) mated to 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores are Hyper-Threading-enabled for a total of 16 threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock speeds range from 2.1 GHz to 4.7 GHz for the performance cluster and 1.5 GHz to 3.4 GHz for the efficient cluster. The i7's shortcomings as compared to Intel Core i7-1270P include the marginally lower clock speeds and limited vPro feature set ("Essentials" tier only, not allowing for remote device management).

Architecture

The i7 is a continuation of Intel's efforts to use the ARM-developed big.LITTLE technology for its own benefit. A single "littile" Alder Lake core is supposed to be just as fast as a Skylake core (as found in the venerable Core i7-6700HQ among other options) which is six years old at this point. All of an Core i7-1260P's CPU cores enjoy access to 18 MB of L3 cache. The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to LPDDR5-5200, DDR5-4800, LPDDR4x-4267 or DDR4-3200; Intel recommends using no more than 64 GB, for reference. Just like the other 12th Gen Intel Core processors, Intel Core i7-1260P comes with Thread Director which is a new functionality designed to help Windows 11 decide which cores to use for what workload for best performance and efficiency possible. Hardware acceleration of AI algorithms is supported via GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via AVX2). PCI-Express 5.0 support has not found its way into Alder Lake P processors, so users will have to be content with PCI-Express 4.0 for the time being. Four PCI-Express 4 lanes allow for a read/write rate of up to 7.9 GB/s, provided a suitably fast NVMe SSD is used.

Please note this is not a user-replaceable CPU. It gets soldered permanently on to the motherboard (BGA1744 socket interface).

Performance

Multi-thread performance is most comparable to the Ryzen 7 5800U, Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U and also the Core i5-11260H. This makes the 1260P a great little CPU - one capable of punching above its weight.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 35 W, the Asus ExpertBook B5 Flip B5602FBN is among the fastest laptops featuring the 1260P that we know of. It can be about 2 times as fast in CPU-bound workloads as the slowest system built around the same chip in our database (as of August 2023).

Graphics

The built-in graphics adapter in the form of the 96 EU Iris Xe running at up to 1.4 GHz has seemingly seen no change from what was built into certain Tiger Lake-UP3 processors, like a i7-1165G7. Which is hardly a downside as this iGPU is loaded with modern features such as AV1 video decoding capability and SUHD 4320p monitor support. Up to 4 monitors can be used simultaneously with this graphics adapter. Its gaming performance is bound to be tied to how high the Power Limits and how good the cooling solution of a laptop are; expect something close to NVIDIA's MX350 or in other words, acceptable framerates in most games when playing at 1080p / Medium settings. Fast RAM is a prerequisite for decent performance as the Iris Xe has to make do with no dedicated video memory. Last but not the least, we discovered that the GPU utilization when playing YouTube UHD 2160p60 videos is higher than it was with Tiger Lake chips.

Power consumption

The i7's base power consumption (also known as the default TDP or Power Limit 1) is 28 W, with 64 W being its maximum Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption (also known as the PL2). Its "Minimum Assured" power consumption sits at 20 W. All in all, an active cooling solution is a must for a CPU like this one here.

The i7-1260P is manufactured on Intel's fourth-gen 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for decent, as of late 2022, energy efficiency. Despite that, many 7 nm U-class AMD Ryzen 5000 parts are less power-hungry while being as fast (or even faster, depending on the workload) as the i7.

Intel Core i5-12450H

► remove from comparison Intel i5-12450H

The Intel Core i5-12450H is a high-end mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 4 of the 6 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 4 of the 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture) leading to 8 cores in total (octa core CPU). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 12 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2 to 4.4 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.5 to 3.3 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 12 MB L3 cache. Compared to the 12500H, the 12450H offers less E-cores, lower clock rates, a slower iGPU and no vPro support.

Performance

The average 12450H in our extensive database is a bit of a disappointment, its multi-thread benchmark scores only just matching those of the Ryzen 7 5700U and the Core i7-10750H, both fairly old chips as of Q2 2023.

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

Features

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200, LPDDR5-5200, and LPDDR4x-4267. 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 only supports PCIe 4.0 (x8 for a GPU and two x4 for SSDs).

The integrated graphics adapter is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 48 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.2 GHz.

The CPU is rated at 45 W base power (95 W PL2) but most laptops will use a PL1 of around 60 Watt. The SoC is manufactured in a 10nm process at Intel, which is known as Intel 7.

ModelIntel Core i7-1260PIntel Core i5-12450H
SeriesIntel Alder Lake-PIntel Alder Lake-P
CodenameAlder Lake-PAlder Lake-H
Series: Alder Lake-P Alder Lake-H
Intel Core i7-1280P compare1.3 - 4.8 GHz14 / 20 cores24 MB L3
Intel Core i7-1270P compare1.6 - 4.8 GHz12 / 16 cores18 MB L3
Intel Core i7-1260P « 1.5 - 4.7 GHz12 / 16 cores18 MB L3
Intel Core i5-1250P compare1.2 - 4.4 GHz12 / 16 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i5-1240P compare1.2 - 4.4 GHz12 / 16 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i3-1220P compare1.1 - 4.4 GHz10 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i9-12900HK compare1.8 - 5 GHz14 / 20 cores24 MB L3
Intel Core i9-12900H compare1.8 - 5 GHz14 / 20 cores24 MB L3
Intel Core i7-12800H compare1.8 - 4.8 GHz14 / 20 cores24 MB L3
Intel Core i7-12650H compare1.7 - 4.7 GHz10 / 16 cores24 MB L3
Intel Core i5-12600H compare2 - 4.5 GHz12 / 16 cores18 MB L3
Intel Core i5-12500H compare1.8 - 4.5 GHz12 / 16 cores18 MB L3
Intel Core i5-12450H « 1.5 - 4.4 GHz8 / 12 cores12 MB L3
Clock1500 - 4700 MHz1500 - 4400 MHz
L1 Cache1.1 MB704 KB
L2 Cache10 MB8 MB
L3 Cache18 MB12 MB
Cores / Threads12 / 168 / 12
TDP28 Watt45 Watt
Technology10 nm10 nm
max. Temp.100 °C100 °C
SocketBGA1744BGA1744
FeaturesDDR4-3200/LPDDR4x-4266/DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-5200 RAM, PCIe 4, Thread Director, DL Boost, GNA, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, EIST, TM1, TM2, Hyper-Threading, Turbo, SST, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHADDR4-3200/LPDDR4x-4266/DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-5200 RAM, PCIe 4, Thr. Director, DL Boost, GNA, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, VMX, SMX, SMEP, SMAP, EIST, TM1, TM2, HT, Turbo, SST, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA
iGPUIntel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs ( - 1400 MHz)Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs ( - 1200 MHz)
Architecturex86x86
Announced
Manufacturerark.intel.comark.intel.com

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - i7-1260P
39.2 pt (54%)
Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - i5-12450H
37.5 pt (52%)
Cinebench 2024 - CB24 CPU Single Core
94 Points (65%)
min: 96.5     avg: 98.4     median: 98.5 (68%)     max: 100 Points
Cinebench 2024 - CB24 CPU Multi Core
435 Points (8%)
min: 422     avg: 503     median: 509.5 (9%)     max: 570 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
min: 6860     avg: 9551     median: 9711 (9%)     max: 12150 Points
min: 7662     avg: 8809     median: 8511 (8%)     max: 10610 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
min: 1433     avg: 1695     median: 1737.5 (74%)     max: 1812 Points
min: 1652     avg: 1666     median: 1663 (71%)     max: 1688 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)
min: 541     avg: 653     median: 670 (74%)     max: 698 Points
min: 634     avg: 641     median: 642 (71%)     max: 646 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)
min: 2634     avg: 3694     median: 3761.5 (9%)     max: 4748 Points
min: 2952     avg: 3415     median: 3270 (8%)     max: 4105 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 1081     avg: 1625     median: 1626 (10%)     max: 2034 Points
min: 1150     avg: 1330     median: 1321 (8%)     max: 1591 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 174.8     avg: 236.8     median: 243 (73%)     max: 260 Points
min: 227     avg: 236     median: 238 (72%)     max: 239 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 20.06     avg: 21.9     median: 22 (29%)     max: 23.6 Points
min: 14.61     avg: 15.7     median: 16.1 (21%)     max: 16.55 Points
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 2.93     avg: 3.1     median: 3.1 (77%)     max: 3.15 Points
min: 2.83     avg: 2.9     median: 2.9 (72%)     max: 2.91 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (32bit)
min: 8490     avg: 8737     median: 8793 (53%)     max: 8927 Points
min: 8166     avg: 8188     median: 8178 (49%)     max: 8221 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (32bit)
min: 33137     avg: 41867     median: 44516 (32%)     max: 47948 Points
min: 32260     avg: 34923     median: 35790 (26%)     max: 36720 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (64bit)
min: 53950     avg: 63721     median: 63721 (44%)     max: 73492 Points
min: 50207     avg: 55957     median: 55999 (39%)     max: 61665 Points
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (64bit)
min: 13568     avg: 14036     median: 14036 (17%)     max: 14504 Points
min: 13344     avg: 13357     median: 13352 (16%)     max: 13375 Points
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 1024m *
min: 235.874     avg: 262.5     median: 237.1 (3%)     max: 314.4 s
min: 431.842     avg: 440.2     median: 436 (5%)     max: 452.626 s
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 32m *
min: 3.641     avg: 6     median: 4.5 (1%)     max: 9.8 s
min: 6.893     avg: 7.5     median: 7.2 (1%)     max: 8.23 s
WinRAR - WinRAR 4.0
min: 6559     avg: 10179     median: 7200 (11%)     max: 16777 Points
min: 5658     avg: 5956     median: 6015 (10%)     max: 6195 Points
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Multli Thread 4 runs
min: 29214     avg: 39648     median: 41260.5 (24%)     max: 47064 MIPS
min: 31119     avg: 34052     median: 33584 (19%)     max: 38415 MIPS
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Single Thread 4 runs
min: 4668     avg: 5335     median: 5373 (64%)     max: 5791 MIPS
min: 4914     avg: 5157     median: 5144.5 (62%)     max: 5386 MIPS
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 2
min: 77.75     avg: 94.1     median: 94.1 (33%)     max: 110.5 fps
min: 75.9     avg: 79.1     median: 76 (27%)     max: 85.35 fps
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 1
min: 224     avg: 245     median: 245 (57%)     max: 266 fps
min: 257.5     avg: 269     median: 272.5 (63%)     max: 277 fps
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - HWBOT x265 4k Preset
min: 7.57     avg: 11     median: 11.5 (20%)     max: 13.6 fps
min: 8.78     avg: 10.4     median: 10.4 (18%)     max: 12.3 fps
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Serpent
min: 1     avg: 1.1     median: 1.1 (0%)     max: 1.1 GB/s
min: 0.703     avg: 0.8     median: 0.8 (0%)     max: 0.797 GB/s
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Twofish
min: 1.8     avg: 1.9     median: 1.9 (33%)     max: 1.9 GB/s
min: 1.2     avg: 1.3     median: 1.3 (22%)     max: 1.4 GB/s
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt AES
min: 10.4     avg: 11.2     median: 11.6 (30%)     max: 11.6 GB/s
min: 7     avg: 7.9     median: 8 (21%)     max: 8.6 GB/s
Blender - Blender 3.3 Classroom CPU *
min: 494     avg: 638     median: 623 (8%)     max: 861 Seconds
min: 573     avg: 673     median: 682 (9%)     max: 767 Seconds
Blender - Blender 2.79 BMW27 CPU *
min: 264     avg: 344.2     median: 328 (2%)     max: 463 Seconds
min: 335     avg: 387.2     median: 394 (3%)     max: 429 Seconds
R Benchmark 2.5 - R Benchmark 2.5 *
min: 0.4559     avg: 0.5     median: 0.5 (10%)     max: 0.569 sec
min: 0.4949     avg: 0.5     median: 0.5 (11%)     max: 0.527 sec
3DMark 06 - CPU - 3DMark 06 - CPU
min: 8954     avg: 12154     median: 12963.5 (28%)     max: 14103 Points
min: 9897     avg: 11192     median: 11439 (24%)     max: 11991 Points
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M *
min: 7.718     avg: 7.8     median: 7.8 (2%)     max: 7.842 s
min: 8.389     avg: 8.4     median: 8.4 (2%)     max: 8.452 s
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M *
min: 17.183     avg: 17.4     median: 17.4 (1%)     max: 17.587 s
min: 18.721     avg: 18.8     median: 18.7 (1%)     max: 18.876 s
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 32M *
min: 407.751     avg: 420.7     median: 424.8 (2%)     max: 429.697 s
min: 449.018     avg: 452.7     median: 451.4 (2%)     max: 457.561 s
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. CPU no Physx
min: 44438     avg: 56424     median: 62250 (55%)     max: 66354 Points
min: 42422     avg: 46421     median: 46182 (40%)     max: 50898 Points
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Physics
min: 6250     avg: 14081     median: 14251 (39%)     max: 18968 Points
min: 12896     avg: 15157     median: 15232.5 (41%)     max: 17594 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
min: 58070     avg: 71340     median: 72467.5 (59%)     max: 81448 Points
min: 79585     avg: 89333     median: 90156 (73%)     max: 97433 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme Physics
min: 61536     avg: 73824     median: 76374 (62%)     max: 81012 Points
min: 79896     avg: 89470     median: 90458.5 (73%)     max: 97065 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
min: 67100     avg: 76553     median: 78260 (66%)     max: 82492 Points
min: 87275     avg: 92212     median: 90815 (77%)     max: 99941 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics
min: 7812     avg: 12377     median: 12296 (31%)     max: 16042 Points
min: 10809     avg: 12625     median: 13289 (34%)     max: 13617 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Physics
min: 12122     avg: 18172     median: 18321 (33%)     max: 22877 Points
min: 17079     avg: 19659     median: 20041 (36%)     max: 22477 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Time Spy CPU
min: 3678     avg: 6925     median: 6852 (29%)     max: 10150 Points
min: 5938     avg: 6953     median: 6862.5 (29%)     max: 8287 Points
Geekbench 6.2 - Geekbench 6.2 Single-Core
2424 Points (74%)
min: 2155     avg: 2237     median: 2249.5 (68%)     max: 2293 Points
Geekbench 6.2 - Geekbench 6.2 Multi-Core
9532 Points (38%)
min: 7943     avg: 8386     median: 8223 (32%)     max: 9109 Points
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 1528     avg: 1704     median: 1719 (73%)     max: 1786 Points
min: 1581     avg: 1629     median: 1637.5 (69%)     max: 1665 Points
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 6499     avg: 8967     median: 9298 (17%)     max: 10570 Points
min: 6804     avg: 7436     median: 7212 (13%)     max: 8330 Points
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 1557     avg: 1655     median: 1668 (7%)     max: 1694 Points
min: 1509     avg: 1563     median: 1575 (7%)     max: 1594 Points
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 6440     avg: 9445     median: 9907 (31%)     max: 10411 Points
min: 6675     avg: 7214     median: 7120.5 (22%)     max: 7938 Points
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 6698     avg: 7261     median: 7531 (75%)     max: 7554 Points
min: 6930     avg: 7118     median: 7169.5 (72%)     max: 7203 Points
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 36974     avg: 38338     median: 38187 (43%)     max: 39852 Points
min: 26009     avg: 28043     median: 28052 (31%)     max: 30058 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
min: 531     avg: 555     median: 543 (1%)     max: 604 ms
min: 556     avg: 564     median: 563 (1%)     max: 576 ms
Sunspider - Sunspider 1.0 Total Score *
min: 92.2     avg: 102.6     median: 102.6 (1%)     max: 112.9 ms
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
min: 70338     avg: 81728     median: 83695 (75%)     max: 86881 Points
WebXPRT 4 - WebXPRT 4 Score
min: 224     avg: 244.7     median: 247 (71%)     max: 258 Points
min: 228     avg: 235     median: 238 (68%)     max: 239 Points
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
min: 250     avg: 280.9     median: 283 (59%)     max: 298 Points
min: 277     avg: 284.8     median: 285 (59%)     max: 292 Points
CrossMark - CrossMark Overall
min: 1482     avg: 1630     median: 1662 (64%)     max: 1811 Points
min: 1487     avg: 1549     median: 1542.5 (59%)     max: 1637 Points
Power Consumption - Prime95 Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 30     avg: 50.2     median: 52.5 (9%)     max: 68.4 Watt
min: 52.5     avg: 61.4     median: 60.2 (10%)     max: 72.5 Watt
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 10.7     avg: 58.5     median: 60.5 (11%)     max: 89.1 Watt
min: 57.3     avg: 65.1     median: 62 (11%)     max: 78.9 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 4.52     avg: 7.4     median: 7 (5%)     max: 12.2 Watt
min: 9.17     avg: 10.5     median: 10.8 (7%)     max: 11.3 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption 150cd 1min *
min: 4.38     avg: 6.8     median: 7 (8%)     max: 8.33 Watt
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Efficiency - external Monitor
min: 21.2     avg: 28.4     median: 26.4 (20%)     max: 50.3 Points per Watt
20.1 Points per Watt (15%)

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i7-1260P → 100% n=52

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i5-12450H → 93% n=52

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

Add one or more devices and compare

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show all (including archived), 2024, 2023
v1.26
log 25. 01:16:23

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#1 checking url part for id 14057 +0s ... 0s

#2 not redirecting to Ajax server +0s ... 0s

#3 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:40:15 +0200 +0.001s ... 0.001s

#4 composed specs +0.044s ... 0.045s

#5 did output specs +0s ... 0.045s

#6 getting avg benchmarks for device 14064 +0.021s ... 0.066s

#7 got single benchmarks 14064 +0.112s ... 0.178s

#8 getting avg benchmarks for device 14057 +0.018s ... 0.196s

#9 got single benchmarks 14057 +0.058s ... 0.253s

#10 got avg benchmarks for devices +0s ... 0.253s

#11 min, max, avg, median took s +0.417s ... 0.67s

#12 return log +0.035s ... 0.705s

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Benchmarks / Tech > Processor Comparison - Head 2 Head
Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)