Intel Launches New 12th Generation Chip

Intel claims that the 12th GENERQS is a massive performance improvement over the previous generation. (photo: twitter @intel)

JAKARTA - Intel announced seven new mobile processors this week. The group, known as the "HX" line, includes two Core i5, three Core i7, and two Core i9 options.

Those 12th Gen Intel mobile chips haven't disappointed so far. There have been significant performance improvements over the previous generation, although battery life continues to be an area where the company often lags behind Apple and AMD.

Four of the seven chips here have 16 cores and 24 threads (with eight performance cores and eight efficiency cores). Its flagship chip, the Core i9-12950HX, is the best. It runs at a base power of 55W, with a maximum turbo power of up to 157W. The performance and efficiency cores have maximum turbo frequencies of 5.0 GHz and 3.6 GHz, respectively, with base frequencies of 2.3 GHz and 1.7 GHz, respectively.

Intel claims that there is a massive performance improvement over the previous generation. Internal testing of the Core i9-12900HX (which looks like a 12950HX on paper but isn't vPro compliant) showing a 17 percent increase in single-thread performance over last year's Core i9-11980HK and 64 percent in multi-threaded tasks, as well as a remarkable improvement of 81 percent in 3D rendering performance.

Intel has also hinted at laptops that will be powered by this chip. These include powerful devices like the MSI GT77 Titan (which will include the 12900HX), Gigabyte's Aorus 17X, and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE. Even the 12900HX will also appear in Lenovo's upcoming Legion 7i. But there are also some ultraportable consumer devices on the slide, including the Asus Expertbook B6.

In the specs, raw power is Intel's priority here. For a lot of laptops for example, the Titan, that makes a lot of sense. Gaming laptops are generally not known for their incredible battery life.

This chip will be a very power-hungry chip. And while the minuscule lifespan won't be a deal breaker for everyone shopping in the MSI Titan category, it does make such laptops look even less appealing than desktops.