Intel introduced hybrid architecture with P-core and E-core in 12th Gen Alder Lake. But the “non-K” Core i5-12600 and lower CPU will not feature the low-power E-cores, including Core i3. However, all Core i9s and Core i7s will have the same core configurations as their K variants (8P+8E) (8P+6E).
Alder Lake‘s hybrid design is a significant architectural change since Skylake. Intel tried but failed to perform earlier with the older 14nm process and newer Cypress Cove architecture hardware. We all know that the 11th gen Rocket Lake barely survived the market.
Intel Core i5-12600K is a 10-core and 16-thread CPU (6 P-cores and 4 E-cores). Intel Core i5-12600K gives around 20% lead over 5600X and 10% more performance in gaming.
No E-Cores on Non-K Core i5
The Core i5-12600, 12500, and Core i5-12400 will not feature the efficient E-core on them. These all will contain only 6 Core/12 thread powerful P-core. Chips are rated at 65W TDP and have an 18 MB L3 cache.
With the lack of E-core, the physical core count of “non-K” Core i5 CPUs and Ryzen 5600X will be the same. AMD doesn’t offer any newer generation CPU in the lower budget segment, which will compete with Core i5-12400 and lower.
It remains to be seen how the CPUs will perform compared to 5600X and Ryzen 5 5600G APU. Yes! Ryzen APUs are also in the market in a decent price range.
| CPU | P-Core | E-Core | Total Cores/Threads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core i5 – 12600K | 6 | 4 | 10/16 |
| Core i5 – 12600 | 6 | 0 | 6/12 |
| Core i5 – 12500 | 6 | 0 | 6/12 |
| Core i5 – 12400 | 6 | 0 | 6/12 |
Core i3 lacks Efficient Cores too
Intel Core i3 lineup CPUs are not untouched. They too will offer performance P-cores only. The Core i3-12300 and i3-12100 will have four cores and eight threads with 12 MB of L3 cache. It also lacks E-cores. However, the absence of E-cores is justified with the Core i3 lineup as the good P-cores can easily handle the tasks.
Intel preferred the hybrid core design for higher versions such as the Core i9, i7, and i5-12600K while planning to keep the lower segment entirely with P-cores. Obviously, this move will reduce chip waste and help in feature distribution with different SKUs.
| CPU | P-Core | E-Core | Total Cores/Threads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core i3-12300 | 4 | 0 | 4/8 |
| Core i3-12100 | 4 | 0 | 4/8 |
Price Matters
Price will play an important factor. Currently, only top-tier SKUs of Core i9, i7, i5 CPUs are available, that too with Z690 chipset motherboards. All other CPUs are scheduled to launch in the year 2022. Hoping that Intel will keep the price very aggressive to the competition. And let’s not forget about the upcoming AMD 3D V-cache Ryzen CPU either.
