An official slide of the Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake CPU was leaked by Videocardz, which confirms the line of next-generation desktops and mobility that offers up to 20% increased single-thread performance. Intel’s 12th Generation Alder Lake CPUs are expected to ship in the second half of 2021, replacing Intel’s 11th Generation Rocket Lake Desktop and Tiger Lake Mobility chips.
Intel 12th generation Alder Lake CPUs offer up to 20% single-threaded and twice the increase in multi-threaded performance
In its official slide, Intel calls Lake Alder a ‘revolutionary CPU architecture. The company says its 12th generation processors will offer a 20% performance increase in single-threaded and a 2X increase in multi-threaded tasks. Intel Alder Lake CPUs will be the first CPUs manufactured on the new SuperFin 10nm Enhanced process node which is a refined and more optimized version of the SuperFin 10nm process node used to manufacture current Tiger Lake CPUs.
12th Generation Intel Alder Lake CPUs for Desktop and Mobility are expected to offer up to 20% increased single-thread performance and twice as high as existing processors. (Image credits: VIdeocardz)
It is not explicitly stated with which processor family Intel is comparing its performance increase, but a recent rumor stated that Alder Lake CPUs will offer a 20% IPC increase over Tiger Lake, so Intel is likely talking about Tiger Lake with Willow Cove here, which makes sense instead of making comparisons with Rocket Lake with Cypress Cove or older Haswell-based offers.
The following are some of the updates you should expect from Intel’s 2021 architecture line:
Intel Golden Cove (Core) architecture:
- Improve single-thread performance (IPC)
- Improve artificial intelligence (AI) performance
- Improve network / 5G performance
- Enhanced security features
Intel Gracemont Architecture (Atom):
- Improve single-thread performance (IPC)
- Improve frequency (clock speeds)
- Improve vector performance
Intel highlights some of the key features of its Alder Lake CPUs on the slide as well, such as the use of a hybrid core design that would include Golden Cove cores (Willow Cove’s successor) and also Gracemont cores, which are the next generation of Atom architecture. Golden Cove cores will serve as large cores on the CPU and will feature support for simultaneous multi-threading, while Atom cores will remain in a non-SMT design. Some new features for the cores themselves will include hardware-guided programming, design optimizations and energy-aware core parking.
When it comes to I / O, the Alder Lake Intel 12th Generation CPU lineup will support PCIe Gen 5 and PCIe Gen 4, Intel WiFi 6E (Gig +) and Thunderbolt 4 support. For memory, Alder Lake CPUs will come with a wide range of options, from DDR5 / DDR4 for the desktop platform and LPDDR5 / LPDDR4 for the mobility platform. Moving forward, Intel will also add LPDDR5X support to its Alder Lake processor line, known as Raptor Lake, which you can find more details here.
The Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPU platform – 600 series chipset including the flagship Z690
When it comes to the desktop platform, Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPUs will be supported on the new 600 series platform, which would include Z690 motherboards. The motherboard will carry the LGA 1700 socket, which was designed around Alder Lake and future generation CPUs. It also appears that only flagship Z690 motherboards will be able to support DDR5 memory at native speeds up to 4800 MHz, while cheaper motherboards based on conventional, low-cost chipsets (H670, B650, H610) will maintain their support DDR4-3200.
The Intel 600 series platform, including Z690 motherboards with an LGA 1700 socket, will support Alder Lake Desktop CPUs. (Image credits: Videocardz)
In addition, Intel Alder Lake CPUs will have 16 PCIe Gen 5.0 and 4 PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes. The chipset will offer Gen 4 and Gen 3 clues, although the exact number of clues is unknown. As for the other features of the 600 series chipset motherboards, you can see them below:
- EDP / 4DDI display features (DP, HDMI)
- 2-channel memory support (up to DDR5-4800 / up to DDR4-3200)
- x16 PCIe 5.0 / x4 PCIe 4.0 Lanes (CPU)
- Support for PCIe Express 4.0 and PCIe Express 3.0 (600 series chipset)
- SATA 3.0
- WiFi 6E integrated
- Discrete Thunderbolt 4 (compatible with USB 4)
- USB3 (20G) / USB3 (10G) / USB3 (5G) / USB 2.0
- Intel LAN PHY
- Intel Optane H20 memory (successor H10)
The package size for the chips is 45.0 x 37.5 mm, while the existing LGA 1200 package is 37.5 x 37.5 mm. We also know that Intel Alder Lake CPUs will come with a maximum core configuration of 16 cores and 24 threads (8 cores / 16 threads based on Golden Cove and 8 cores / 8 threads based on Gracemont). Expect more information from Intel at its upcoming events, which are scheduled for March 23.
Intel Desktop CPU Generation Comparison:
| Intel CPU family | Processor Processor | Processor cores (max) | TDPs | Platform Chipset | Platform | Memory support | PCIe support | Throw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Bridge (2nd generation) | 32 nm | 4/8 | 35-95W | 6-Series | LGA 1155 | DDR3 | PCIe Gen 2.0 | 2011 |
| Ivy Bridge (3rd generation) | 22 nm | 4/8 | 35-77W | 7-Series | LGA 1155 | DDR3 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2012 |
| Haswell (4th generation) | 22 nm | 4/8 | 35-84W | 8-Series | LGA 1150 | DDR3 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2013-2014 |
| Broadwell (5th generation) | 14 nm | 4/8 | 65-65W | 9-Series | LGA 1150 | DDR3 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2015 |
| Skylake (6th generation) | 14 nm | 4/8 | 35-91W | 100-Series | LGA 1151 | DDR4 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2015 |
| Lake Kaby (7th generation) | 14 nm | 4/8 | 35-91W | 200 Series | LGA 1151 | DDR4 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2017 |
| Coffee Lake (8th generation) | 14 nm | 6/12 | 35-95W | 300-Series | LGA 1151 | DDR4 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2017 |
| Coffee Lake (9th generation) | 14 nm | 8/16 | 35-95W | 300-Series | LGA 1151 | DDR4 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2018 |
| Comet Lake (10th generation) | 14 nm | 10/20 | 35-125W | 400-Series | LGA 1200 | DDR4 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | 2020 |
| Rocket Lake (11th generation) | 14 nm | 8/16 | TBA | 500-Series | LGA 1200 | DDR4 | PCIe Gen 4.0 | 2021 |
| Lago Alder (12th generation) | 10nm | 16/24? | TBA | 600 Series? | LGA 1700 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0? | 2021 |
| Meteoro Lake (13th generation) | 7nm? | TBA | TBA | 700 series? | LGA 1700 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0? | 2022? |
| Lunar Lake (14th generation) | TBA | TBA | TBA | 800 series? | TBA | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0? | 2023? |