BUILDING A NEW INTEL 12TH GEN CORE DIY MACHINE?
If you haven't yet hopped on to the AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors, the new
Intel 12th Gen Core K-SKU processors look to be formidable competitors and a worthy consideration. There are of course other factors like pricing and availability that could sway opinions in taking up one or the other in various markets, but before that becomes the focal point, we take a closer look at other practical aspects of Intel's new offering you might want to take note when trying to make the choice.
It goes without saying, the new processors require a new motherboard (and an updated chipset), but we'll get to that in a moment.
Intel's new processors have also made improvements in the processor packaging to assist the processor core to transfer heat out more efficiently. While the last two Core processor generations have made strides to have thinner processor dies and consequently increase the thickness of the integrated heat spreader, the difference is much more pronounced on the 12th Gen Core processors as the new Intel 7 process in conjunction with the change in die layout has resulted in a much thinner processor die. Additionally, Intel was also able to decrease the thickness of the solder thermal interface material (STIM) interfacing with the processor.
The result is that the thinner die and thinner STIM has allowed Intel to mount a much thicker integrated heat spreader, thus improving the thermal performance of the processor.