Intel Core i7-12700H vs Intel Core i7-12700 vs Intel Core i9-12900

Intel Core i7-12700H

The Intel Core i7-12700H is a high-end mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 6 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 8 efficiency 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 2.3 to 4.7 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.7 - 3.5 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare to the Core i7-6920HQ). All cores can use up to 24 MB L3 cache. Compared to the 12900H, the 12700H is lower clocked and offers only "Essentials" vPro features.

Performance

The average 12700H in our database wins a very important battle by being ever-so-slightly faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX in multi-thread benchmarks while, perhaps even more importantly, nearly matching multi-thread benchmark scores of the more costly Core i9-12900H to be a great bang for the buck overall.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 101 W, the Legion 5 15IAH7H 82RB is among the fastest laptops built around the 12700H that we know of. It can be nearly 60% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

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 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.4 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i7 series chip has a "minimum assured" power consumption of 35 W, with 45 W being its Base power consumption. The CPU's highest Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption sits at 115 W.

The i7-12700H is built with Intel's 4th generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for average, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

Intel Core i7-12700

The Intel Core i7-12700F is a fast eight-core desktop processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, which was introduced in November 2021. The processor offers a base clock of 3.3 GHz and reaches up to 4.9 GHz in Turbo. In the same way, the Intel Core i7-12700K the Core i7-12700F is based on a hybrid architecture of 8P and 4E cores. The innovations of the Alder Lake-S processor compared to Rocket Lake, together with the smaller 10 nm manufacturing process, are clearly noticeable. The Intel Core i7-12700 does not offer a free multiplier, which means that overclocking is not possible.

Performance

Compared to the Intel Core i7-11700 , performance has been increased with a better IPC. The additional e-cores are also clearly noticeable in multi-threaded applications. Overall, this provides a noticeable performance boost, which also has an effect on all application areas. The 4 E-Cores provide the P-Cores with significantly more power. If all requirements are met, Intel Turbo Boost 3.0can increase the clock rate of the P-Cores to up to 4.9 GHz. The E-cores also offer a turbo and clock up to 3.6 GHz.

Graphics unit

The Intel Core i7-12700 is a processor with an integrated graphics unit. However, with the Intel UHD Graphics 770 there is only a simple iGPU which is only suitable for office use.

Power consumption

The TDP of the Intel Core i7-12700 is 65 watts, with the option to consume up to 180 watts in Turbo mode. If all restrictions are deactivated in the BIOS, the PL2 value can be achieved permanently. However, a high-quality and powerful cooling unit should be used for this.

Intel Core i9-12900

The Intel Core i9-12900 is a high end CPU for desktops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was first announced in November 2021 and offers 8 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores. The performance cores (P-cores) support HyperThreading, leading to 24 Threads that can be processed at once. The performance cores can clock with up to 5.1 GHz, the efficiency cores can clock with up to 3.8 GHz. All cores can use 30 MB Smart Cache. The integrated memory controller supports up to 128 GB DDR5 with 4800 MT/s (dual channel).

The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficiency cores for the best performance.

For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (most likely only using 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 integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and called Intel UHD Graphics 770. It clocks between 300 and 1.55 GHz.

The CPU is rated at 65 W base power and 202 Watt maximum Turbo power. It is manufactured in 10nm, called Intel 7, process at Intel.