[CES 2022] 12th Gen Intel Core laptop processor lineup now split into H-series, P-series and U-series
Well, 2021 was a rather confusing year. We had way too many desktop releases from Intel, with both the 11th and 12th Gen Intel Core series being announced in the span of six months, and we also have two 11th Gen Intel Core H series. We had the usual big mobile processors, as well as the middle-of-the-road Tiger Lake H35 series, which were upscaled versions of the mobile processors. Well, this time we are probably going to be a little less confused, with there being the H-series, P-series and U-series to more clearly denote their target markets.
12th Gen Intel Core H series laptop processors — broader scaling from 35W to 65W
So one of the main differences with the Tiger Lake H35 family was that the Tiger Lake H35 series was an upscaled version of the quad-core ultra-mobile Tiger Lake processors. So while the Tiger Lake H35 made its way to gaming machines like the TUF Dash F15, it only has four cores, which is a far cry from the eight cores that the true H series can offer. Well, we will be putting that behind us with the 12th Gen Intel Core H series processors.
The 12th Gen Intel Core H series laptop processors can be scaled from 35W to 65W, depending on the laptop vendor’s performance target. The base TDP is still at a nominal 45W, but you will essentially get into the same situation as you would face right now when shopping for a laptop with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics. You will have to dive deeper into the spec sheet, or hey, read the reviews on Pokde.net, to know the CPU TDP and GPU TGP limits implemented by the OEM.
How much faster?
So with that out of the way, what about the performance? Well, Intel is claiming that the Intel Core i9-12900HK is up to 28% faster in gaming versus the Core i9-11980HK, which was already an insanely fast mobile processor for gaming. In content creation, the Core i9-12900HK is up to 44% faster in the Adobe suite. Overall, the 12th Gen Intel Core processors will represent a pretty huge upgrade from the 11th Gen Intel Core processors, as well as the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX.
Along with that, the 12th Gen Intel Core processors will come with support for the Intel Killer WiFi 6E adapters, Thunderbolt 4 and Intel Deep Link which will provide for better power sharing between CPU and GPU, as well as accelerating AI capabilities by using the combined AI chops of the CPU and GPU.
Fewer PCIe 4.0 lanes?
With the desktop 12th Gen Intel Core Alder Lake processors, Intel made a huge step forward, with PCIe 5.0 support and DDR5 support. It seems that the mobile parts will not get the PCIe 5.0 support, instead supporting just PCIe 4.0. And it seems that Intel has taken a step backwards, with there only being a total of 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes, versus the 20 that the 11th Gen Intel Core H-series offered. Making things worse is that Intel is taking away two PCIe 4.0 x4 links for storage, leaving just a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface for graphics.
While I don’t think that PCIe 4.0 x8 is enough to bottleneck even flagship desktop graphics today, it will inevitably lead some to think that they might get some extra performance out of their graphics, if only they had a full PCIe 4.0 x16 link between their CPU and graphics. Oh well. On the other hand, the 12th Gen Intel Core H-series processors will also support the full slew of memory standards, with DDR4, LPDDR4, LPDDR5 and also DDR5 support so I guess OEMs will have better flexibility when it comes to configuring the memory for their offerings.
One very interesting thing is that the entire 12th Gen Intel Core mobile processor stack will offer mostly similar capabilities. No longer will there be a disparity between the U-series and H-series processors when it comes to RAM support and connectivity options, which is really good news, especially for U-series designs.
12th Gen Intel Core P-series and U-series processors
Now let’s get into the 12th Gen Intel Core P-series and U-series. After Intel dropped the U-series suffix from their lineup starting with the 10th Gen Intel Core Ice Lake processors, it seems that it is back. Intel went with a naming that better illustrated the Iris Plus and Iris Xe graphics for Ice Lake and Tiger Lake mobile processors, but we are back again to a slightly more simplified series naming.
Now, interestingly enough, the gap between the 12th Gen Intel Core H-series and P-series is actually surprisingly small. While the 12th Gen Intel Core P-series come with a lower TDP, they are still available with up to 14-core configurations. The difference in terms of graphics capabilities is also negligible this time around, as Intel slapped 96EU iGPUs into the 12th Gen Intel Core H-series as well, unlike with the 11th Gen Intel Core mobile processors.
There isn’t much else to discuss about the 12th Gen Intel Core P-series and U-series, as you get most of the same features that we talked about in the 12th Gen Intel Core H-series section of this article, but you should expect to see them in much more portable laptops. The 12th Gen Intel Core P-series will tout a TDP of 28W, while the Intel Core U-series will be available with both 15W and 9W TDP options.
3rd Edition Intel Evo
Next up, 3rd Edition Intel Evo. Intel Evo was introduced with the 11th Gen Intel Core processors, as an evolution of Intel Athena. For the 3rd Edition, Intel is still promising the same responsiveness, battery life, instant wake and fast charging that you expect from a modern laptop, but adding on “intelligent collaboration” as one of the criteria. What’s that?
Well, essentially all laptops that meet the 3rd Edition Intel Evo specs will have to be able to deliver a great experience in video conferencing apps, like what almost everyone is using. This requires the laptops to offer fast WiFi connectivity via Intel WiFi 6E and Intel Connectivity Performance Suite technologies, background noise suppression, FHD or better cameras and more. Some of these features are optional though, so you might still see Intel Evo laptops that do not meet every spec, just like the current crop where some OEMs offer higher resolution displays, which negates Intel Evo’s battery life requirement.
This year, we will also see the 12th Gen Intel Core H series joining Intel Evo. These will only be the 35W to 45W options, and will feature Intel Arc graphics with the aforementioned Intel Deep Link tech. Intel will also require OEMs to equip these laptops with creator-oriented displays, which means that Intel Evo-certified 12th Gen Intel Core H series laptop will most probably be marketed with premium wide color gamut displays, rather than high refresh rate gaming panels.
Along with that, there’s also a new Intel Evo Foldable spec, that will allow OEMs to certify the user experience of their mobile PCs with foldable displays. Obviously foldable displays are quite new to the industry so it might help those who are shopping for one to just look out for an Intel Evo-certified foldable display, just to be on the safer side of things.
12th Gen Intel Core Laptop Processor Specs
Cores / Threads | P-core / E-core Base Clock (GHz) | P-core/ E-core Max Turbo (GHz) | Cache | Graphics | Base Power | Max Turbo Power | Intel vPro | |
12th Gen Intel Core H-series | ||||||||
Intel Core i9-12900HK | 14C (6P + 8E) / 20T | 2.5 / 1.8 | 5.0 / 3.8 | 24MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.45GHz | 45W | 115W | Essentials |
Intel Core i9-12900H | 14C (6P + 8E) / 20T | 2.5 / 1.8 | 5.0 / 3.8 | 24MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.45GHz | 45W | 115W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i7-12800H | 14C (6P + 8E) / 20T | 2.4 / 1.8 | 4.8 / 3.7 | 24MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.4GHz | 45W | 115W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i7-12700H | 14C (6P + 8E) / 20T | 2.3 / 1.7 | 4.7 / 3.5 | 24MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.4GHz | 45W | 115W | Essentials |
Intel Core i7-12650H | 10C (6P + 4E) / 16T | 2.3 / 1.7 | 4.7 / 3.5 | 24MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 64EU @ 1.4GHz | 45W | 115W | N/A |
Intel Core i5-12600H | 12C (4P + 8E) / 16T | 2.7 / 2.0 | 4.5 / 3.3 | 18MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 1.4GHz | 45W | 95W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i5-12500H | 12C (4P + 8E) / 16T | 2.5 / 1.8 | 4.5 / 3.3 | 18MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 1.3GHz | 45W | 95W | Essentials |
Intel Core i5-12450H | 8C (4P + 4E) / 12T | 2.0 / 1.5 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel UHD Graphics, 48EU @ 1.2GHz | 45W | 95W | N/A |
12th Gen Intel Core P-series | ||||||||
Intel Core i7-1280P | 14C (6P + 8E) / 20T | 1.8 / 1.3 | 4.8 / 3.6 | 24MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.45GHz | 28W | 64W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i7-1270P | 12C (4P + 8E) / 16T | 2.2 / 1.6 | 4.8 / 3.5 | 18MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.4GHz | 28W | 64W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i7-1260P | 12C (4P + 8E) / 16T | 2.1 / 1.5 | 4.7 / 3.4 | 18MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.4GHz | 28W | 64W | Essentials |
Intel Core i5-1250P | 12C (4P + 8E) / 16T | 1.7 / 1.2 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 1.4GHz | 28W | 64W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i5-1240P | 12C (4P + 8E) / 16T | 1.7 / 1.2 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 1.3GHz | 28W | 64W | Essentials |
Intel Core i3-1220P | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.5 / 1.1 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 64EU @ 1.1GHz | 28W | 64W | N/A |
12th Gen Intel Core U-series (15W) | ||||||||
Intel Core i7-1265U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.8 / 1.3 | 4.8 / 3.6 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.25GHz | 15W | 55W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i7-1255U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.7 / 1.2 | 4.7 / 3.5 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.25GHz | 15W | 55W | Essentials |
Intel Core i5-1245U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.6 / 1.2 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 1.2GHz | 15W | 55W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i5-1235U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.3 / 0.9 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 1.2GHz | 15W | 55W | Essentials |
Intel Core i3-1215U | 6C (2P + 4E) / 8T | 1.2 / 0.9 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 10MB | Intel UHD Graphics, 64EU @ 1.1GHz | 15W | 55W | N/A |
Intel Pentium 8505 | 5C (1P + 4E) / 6T | 1.2 / 0.9 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 8MB | Intel UHD Graphics, 48EU @ 1.1GHz | 15W | 55W | N/A |
Intel Celeron 7305 | 5C (1P + 4E) / 6T | 1.1 / 0.9 | N/A | 8MB | Intel UHD Graphics, 48EU @ 1.1GHz | 15W | 55W | N/A |
12th Gen Intel Core U-series (9W) | ||||||||
Intel Core i7-1260U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.1 / 0.8 | 4.7 / 3.5 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 0.95GHz | 9W | 29W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i7-1250U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.1 / 0.8 | 4.7 / 3.5 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 0.95GHz | 9W | 29W | Essentials |
Intel Core i5-1240U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.1 / 0.8 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 0.90GHz | 9W | 29W | Enterprise |
Intel Core i5-1230U | 10C (2P + 8E) / 12T | 1.0 / 0.7 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 80EU @ 0.85GHz | 9W | 29W | Essentials |
Intel Core i3-1210U | 6C (2P + 4E) / 8T | 1.0 / 0.7 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 10MB | Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 64EU @ 0.95GHz | 9W | 29W | N/A |
Intel Pentium 8500 | 5C (1P + 4E) / 6T | 1.0 / 0.7 | 4.4 / 3.3 | 8MB | Intel UHD Graphics, 48EU @ 0.8GHz | 9W | 29W | N/A |
Intel Celeron 7300 | 5C (1P + 4E) / 6T | 1.0 / 0.7 | N/A | 8MB | Intel UHD Graphics, 48EU @ 0.8GHz | 9W | 29W | N/A |
And in case you were wondering what’s the difference between Intel vPro Essentials and Intel vPro Enterprise:
Laptops based on the 12th Gen Intel Core mobile processors will be coming starting next month, with the 12th Gen Intel Core H-series machines to debut in February 2022, while the other 12th Gen Intel Core U-series and P-series ultraportables will arrive within the quarter.
Pokdepinion: It’s definitely interesting to see Intel use the hybrid architecture across their mobile product stack, all the way down to the Intel Celeron offerings, when the desktop parts lose E-cores starting with the Core i5 options.