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Intel Alder Lake destroys AMD in new gaming performance leaks

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If rumors are true, the release of Intel Alder Lake is about a month away, and that means more and more benchmarks begin to leak out. This time, the high-end Intel Core i9-12900K processor was put through several synthetic and in-game benchmarks, giving us our first look at how the processor will perform during gaming.

It passed the test with flying colors, most likely securing its position on any future list of the best processors for gaming.

Intel Core i9-12900K alongside an AMD Radeon RX 6600 graphics card.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the latest benchmarks comes from Enthusiast Citizen, a member of the Chinese social media platform Bilibili. The leaker tested Intel Core i9-12900K alongside the AMD Radeon RX 6600. Aside from the recently released Radeon GPU, the test platform featured DDR5-3886 memory, what looks like a basic CPU cooler, and an ASRock Z690 motherboard. There is no case included in this setup, so the processor gets a lot of airflow.

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The leaker ran synthetic tests using benchmark programs and then also tested the CPU in a few different games. The synthetic performance was measured using 3DMark Time Spy and Fire Strike. These tests went very well for Intel’s latest CPU, as the processor scored 17,915 points in 3DMark Time Spy and 41,477 points in Fire Strike Ultra.

Comparing it to processors of the current generation, both AMD and Intel, puts the new Core i9-12900K in a great light. The closest contender in 3DMark Time Spy is the Core i9-10900K, which scored 14,026 points, with Ryzen 9 5950X close behind at 13,780.

An engineer smiles as she holds up two processor chips.
The 12th Generation of Intel processors, Alder Lake, is set to release in the fall. (Image credit: Intel) Image used with permission by copyright holder

It seems that the new Alder Lake will also shine in gaming, although the lead over AMD is much smaller. Running Forza Horizon 4 at 1080p on Windows 11 produces 193 frames per second (fps). The leaker tested the same game on a Ryzen 9 5950X rig, resulting in 189 fps. This test was performed on Windows 10, which makes perfect sense, considering the fact that Windows 11 actually slows down the gaming performance of AMD processors right now.

The processor was also benchmarked in Rainbow Six Siege (252 fps at 1080p) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (112 fps at 1080p). These tests were only done on the Alder Lake system, so we have nothing to compare these results to right now.

With the specifications and the price range Intel Core i9-12900K is likely to end up in, it’s no wonder that it might turn out to be a true gaming beast. The CPU will come with 16 cores and 24 threads. Eight of its cores will be Performance cores with 16 threads, and the remaining eight are Efficiency cores with eight threads. It also will feature a 30MB L3 cache.

Intel Alder Lake is set to launch sometime in early November, although the exact date is still just a rumor. Alongside it, we will likely see the release of many new 600-series motherboards with the new LGA1700 socket, as well as DDR5 RAM.

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Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
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