The more efficient Alder Lake processors with TDP/PL1 35–65 W are out. We are, of course, ready, and for a perfect overview we have complete tests of the Core i5-12400, i.e. the successor of the most popular models of the past generations. You can compare this processor in all aspects not only with them, but also with the Ryzen 5 5600X . It looks like this processor will sell like hot cakes.
Test setup
| Test configuration | |
| CPU cooler | Noctua NH-U14S@12 V |
| Thermal compound | Noctua NT-H2 |
| Motherboard * | MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 |
| Memory (RAM) | Patriot Blackout, 4× 8 GB, 3600 MHz/CL18 |
| Graphics card | MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio, Resizable BAR off |
| SSD | 2× Patriot Viper VPN100 (512 GB + 2 TB) |
| PSU | BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro 12 (1200 W) |
* We use the following BIOSes on motherboards. For MSI MEG Z590 Ace v1.14, for MSI MEG X570 Ace v1E and for MSI MEG Z490 Ace v17.
Note: Graphics drivers used at the time of testing: Nvidia GeForce 466.77 and OS Windows 10 build 19043.
Older CPUs are tested on the MSI MEG Z590 Ace, X570 Ace and Z490 Ace motherboards. With MSI MEG Z690 Unify, the memory used is DDR5 Kingston Fury Beast (2× 16 GB, 5200 MHz/CL40):
The comparison of the Core i5-12400 against the Ryzen 5 5600X was especially interesting, especially with the focus on gaming performance per euro. It really looks like Intel found a strong value option.