New 12th generation Intel processors! Heck yeah! Time for an upgrade.
But just how much will I have to upgrade to make this work?
More than you may think. Let’s break it down. This is DIY in 5!
Hey everyone! Welcome to DIY in 5 - the show where we take various tech topics and make them
simple enough that you feel comfortable doing it yourself.
My name is Trisha Hershberger and today,
we are talking Intel’s brand new 12th generation Alder Lake CPUs.
What are they, why you might want to upgrade, and if you choose to do so,
what else will you have to upgrade in your PC to make it all sing?
If you find the tips in today’s video useful, please feel free to like this video, subscribe to this channel
and ring that bell so you don’t miss out on any future tech tips.
According to Intel, its 12th-gen processors are thinner, cooler, and more energy-efficient,
with redefined x86 architecture performance to elevate gaming, productivity, and creation.
The hybrid architecture supports the latest and greatest PC tech innovations like DDR5 and PCIe 5.0
and Intel UHD onboard graphics will now support 8K HDR and the ability to view 4 simultaneous 4k displays.
Plus, Intel claims the hybrid architecture makes its 12th Gen CPUs the best processor available for gaming performance.
Wow.
So just what is this new architecture?
Intel is now touting both Performance or P-cores for powerful, single core tasks and
Efficient or E-cores for background tasks and multi-tasking with Intel’s Thread Director
deciding which task is using which core and therefore optimizing performance per watt.
And for any overclocking enthusiasts out there, 12th Gen Intel Core processors will have advanced
tuning support via Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (or XTU).
Even more so than the performance and efficiency gains,
the real push to upgrade for many might come from the future-proofing and upgradeability,
things like DDR5 RAM, PCIe Gen 5, Thunderbolt 4 and WIFI 6e are all game changers in their own right.
So having a CPU that is ready for all that may just inspire you to take the plunge.
But upgrading to 12th Gen is not as simple as buying a newer, more expensive CPU and popping it in.
Alder Lake chips are rectangle instead of square and have a new socket - LGA 1700,
so you’ll need a new motherboard.
Currently, the only chipset available with an LGA1700 socket is Z690.
Companies like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock have Z690 options available, but not all of them are the same.
Motherboards will have either DDR4-compatible slots or DDR5-compatible slots,
but not both, so you may need to pick up some DDR5 RAM to go with your new motherboard.
DDR5 brings fast speeds up to 4800 MT/s, this allows for increased memory bandwidth speeds compared to previous generations
that use DDR4 3200 MT/s memory.
Once you’ve got the motherboard and RAM squared away, remember that the new processors are rectangular instead of square,
so your heatsink may require an upgrade too, or at least a compatibility kit from the manufacturer.
And finally, the oft forgotten but oh so important component, the PSU, should not be forgotten either.
Intel’s 12th Gen CPUs, like their predecessors, use a lot of power,
and even mores more so if you plan to overclock.
You’ll definitely want to get a power supply with at least two 8-pin CPU connectors
and higher wattage depending what other components you want in your build.
Keep in mind that with any new tech, there’s bound to be some patience and learning curve involved as
the rest of the tech world catches up with each other.
For example, certain games currently don’t play nice with Alder Lake’s hybrid architecture
and while a fix for this will probably come soon, there are some growing pains.
Have you upgraded already?
What was your upgrade process like?
Tell us in the comments.
My current build is an AMD build, but I’m definitely intrigued.
Alright everyone - take care and I’ll see ya next time with more DIY in 5!