Intel succeeded in regaining the gaming crown this week, because with the new Alder Lake CPU series, initially represented by the Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K and Core i5-12600K, Intel offers the fastest gaming CPU from AMD. Not only that, the all-new platform also brings features like DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.
The two tests for this week’s Intel Alder Lake launch have attracted the most interest from readers. The editors analyzed performance in apps in games down to the smallest detail in eight pages, and in additional testing, performance in games again was explicitly customized for comparisons between Windows 10 and 11 as well as DDR4 and DDR5.
Two very intense exams
As Intel relied on an all-new architecture with performance and efficiency cores in Alder Lake, there were several special tests this time around that highlighted performance and efficiency compared to the AMD Ryzen 5000 and 3000 as well as many previous Intel generations. Do P-cores really bring about a 19 percent increase in IPC? Are electronic cores really as fast as Skylake? How does DDR5 compare to DDR4? And can Alder Lake also be used with Windows 10 or does it have to be the new Windows 11?
Intel leads the way in games and single-core loads
In both exams, all of these questions are answered and many other details are highlighted. The bottom line is that Intel offers successful CPUs in many areas, which could take the crown in gaming and single-core loads. However, AMD is allowed to retain the lofty head-decoration of multi-core loads in applications, which is hard to expect otherwise given the 16-core and 32-series Ryzen 9 5950X.
Recommendation for Core i7-12700K
The Editors’ buy recommendation is the Core i7-12700K, because this CPU comes without the sometimes ridiculously high consumption of the Core i9-12900K. With eight P-cores, the processor scores high in gaming, which is also maintained under a single-core load. The missing four cores only become noticeable in massively parallel applications. From the editors’ point of view, the Core i5-12600K is also a good processor, but the bottom line is that it is too expensive for what is offered.
Microsoft rolls back Windows 11
Windows 11 remains a hot topic and has made its way to the top of the charts in the daily news. This week we discussed the return of drag and drop and file dragging to widgets – both of which Microsoft removed from the operating system after Windows 10 and earlier versions still master both functions. But this Christmas, Microsoft wants to return to the Windows Insider Dev Channel and integrate these functions again. It is not yet known if customers will have to wait for the 22H2 feature update or if there will be a back port for 21H2 with a smaller update.
New Audi A8 and games from Netflix
The Windows 11 message follows a report on the revised Audi A8, which can now be ordered with LED matrix headlights with DMD technology, which delivers 1.3 million light pixels per headlight and is thus practically part of the special street projection assistance systems. Behind Audi is Netflix with the global availability of its own games, five of which will be offered exclusively for Android initially.
AMD and Nvidia hold events
Next week begins with the fall release of the Nvidia GTC, which will open its virtual doors on Monday, but the first keynote speech by CEO Jensen Huang won’t take place until Tuesday. In terms of timing, the first virtual event for AMD’s data center will tentatively take place on Monday. The editorial team will have online interview reports for both events as soon as possible. Forza Horizon 5 is set to launch on Tuesday, with the PC version currently being vetted by editors for early testing.
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