12th Generation Intel Core mobile processors for laptops

12^th Generation Intel Core mobile processors for laptops

The launch of 12^th Generation Intel^® Core™ mobile processors in mid-2022 brought Intel's revolutionary performance hybrid architecture to laptops for the first time. It also introduced the company's first HX Series mobile CPUs — offering desktop-class performance for on-the-go creators and gamers.

Why is a hybrid processor architecture so valuable? It gives your laptop separate, specialized Performance and Efficient cores. Each task goes to the core that's best for the job, helping everything go more quickly.

The new HX Series mobile processors, meanwhile, mark a dramatic expansion of the Intel mobile CPU lineup. They're bigger and faster than the company's earlier laptop chips, with up to 16 cores and 24 threads to handle demanding workloads.

Along with the advanced hybrid architecture and release of the new HX Series, 12^th Gen Intel Core processors offer numerous other advancements:

• Support for speedy DDR5 memory
• Thunderbolt™ 4 connectivity
• Intel^® WiFi 6/6E (Gig+)

You'll find 12^th Gen Intel Core mobile processors on leading Lenovo laptops, including ThinkPad business systems and Legion gaming laptops. Keep reading to learn more.

Intel Performance & Efficient Cores—Now for Laptops

The innovative performance hybrid architecture in 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ mobile processors was initially only available in desktop CPUs. Each chip is designed so that demanding tasks can go to one type of specialized core while simpler requests go to different cores optimized for such work:

• Performance cores (P-cores): P-cores are built to handle single-threaded and lightly-threaded requests that are best kept within a single core (versus being shared across many).
• Efficient cores (E-cores): E-cores are built to handle requests that are easily split into multiple threads for faster processing across multiple cores, even at high volume.

This hybrid architecture is ideal for modern multi-taskers, allocating more CPU power to your most important work while handling background tasks elsewhere. But what, exactly, keeps the right tasks going to the proper cores every time?

Intel^® Thread Director 5.0¹ goes beyond standard OS task schedulers by monitoring and analyzing real-time performance. It sends each application thread to the best available core at each moment in time, wringing maximum performance from each watt of energy used — a big advance for battery-dependent laptop users.

A New Intel Processor for Laptops: HX Series

There have always been different Intel^® Core™ mobile processor series, each designed to work optimally in different laptops. U Series is ideal for extremely thin models, P Series delivers extra performance for lightweight mobile workstations, while H Series powers advanced mobile workstations and gaming laptops.

And with the release of 12^th Gen Core processors for laptops, Intel introduced a more powerful set of mobile CPUs called HX Series. HX Series processors offer what Intel calls "desktop level performance" — so they're perfect for power users and competitive gamers who until now have relied on towers and other bulky PCs.

Just how good are HX Series processors? In its 12^th Gen announcement, Intel declared its HX Series chips deliver 64% greater performance on multi-threaded workloads² compared to earlier comparable Intel chips. That's a big leap.

HX Series chips span Intel's Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9 families, and they're unlocked, right out of the box. In fact, Intel says HX Series is the PC industry's first family of CPUs in which every model is unlocked and overclockable.

12^th Gen Intel Core Mobile Processors — Additional Features

Of course, the advances in 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ mobile processors reach beyond the introduction of HX Series. All of Intel's 12^th Gen Core CPUs are attracting attention:

• 12^th Gen H Series chips in high-end laptop workstations go up to 14 cores—add discrete graphics for pro-level video work or gaming.
• 12^th Gen U Series CPUs, ideal in the thinnest laptops, go up to 10 cores, making them ideal for on-the-go productivity (or fun).
• 12^th Gen P Series processors deliver the best of both worlds, for performance and mobility in light laptop workstations.

Plus, these processors have features that extend beyond the innovative hybrid architecture. Highlights include:

• Cores & threads: Get up to 16 cores (8 P-core and 8 E-core) and 24 threads for performance when you need it.
• Bandwidth: You can access 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes—the latest available at time of launch—for speedy large-file transfers.
• Memory support: There's support for both DDR5 and DDR4 memory, plus Error Correction Code (ECC) capability
• High-speed WiFi: Available with Intel^® WiFi 6/6E (Gig+),³ providing more high-speed channels and lower latency

Connectivity: Enjoy simple, reliable connections with discrete Intel^® Thunderbolt™ 4 universal cable connectivity.

12^th Gen Intel Core Mobile Processors — Specifications

When Intel announced its new 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ mobile processors, it unveiled an impressive collection of chips for all types of laptops. Offerings will change over time, but the initial selection is shown in Tables 1 (HX-Series, Table 2 (H-Series), Table 3 (P-Series) and Table 4 (U-Series).

Table 1: 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ HX-Series mobile processor specifications (late 2022)⁴

Feature	Intel® Core™ i9	Intel® Core™ i7	Intel® Core™ i5
Total Processor Cores	16	Up to 16	Up to 12
Number of P-Cores	8	Up to 8	4
Number of E-Cores	8	8	Up to 8
P-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	5.00	Up to 4.80	Up to 4.60
P-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	2.30	Up to 2.10	Up to 2.50
E-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	3.60	Up to 3.40	Up to 3.30
E-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	1.70	1.50	1.80
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology	Yes
Total Threads	24	Up to 20	Up to 16
Intel® Thread Director	Yes
Intel® Smart Cache Size [MB]	30	Up to 25	Up to 18
Memory	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max Number of Memory Channels	2	2	2
Max Number of PCI Express Lanes	20	20	20

Table 2: 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ H-Series mobile processor specifications (late 2022)⁴

Feature	Intel® Core™ i9	Intel® Core™ i7	Intel® Core™ i5
Total Processor Cores	14	Up to 14	Up to 12
Number of P-Cores	6	6	4
Number of E-Cores	8	Up to 8	Up to 8
P-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	5.00	Up to 4.80	Up to 4.50
P-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	2.50	Up to 2.40	Up to 2.70
E-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	3.80	Up to 3.70	Up to 3.30
E-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	1.80	Up to 1.80	Up to 2.00
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology	Yes
Total Threads	20	Up to 20	Up to 16
Intel® Thread Director	Yes
Intel® Smart Cache Size [MB]	24	24	Up to 18
Memory	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max Number of Memory Channels	2	2	2
Max Number of PCI Express Lanes	28	28	28

Table 3: 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ P-Series mobile processor specifications (late 2022)⁴

Feature	Intel® Core™ i7	Intel® Core™ i5	Intel® Core™ i3
Total Processor Cores	Up to 14	12	10
Number of P-Cores	Up to 6	4	2
Number of E-Cores	8	8	8
P-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	Up to 4.80	4.40	4.40
P-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	Up to 2.20	1.70	1.50
E-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	Up to 3.60	3.30	3.30
E-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	Up to 1.60	1.20	1.10
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology	Yes
Total Threads	Up to 20	16	12
Intel® Thread Director	Yes
Intel® Smart Cache Size [MB]	Up to 24	12	12
Memory	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max Number of Memory Channels	2	2	2
Max Number of PCI Express Lanes	20	20	20

Table 4: 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ U-Series mobile processor specifications (late 2022)⁴

Feature	Intel® Core™ i7	Intel® Core™ i5	Intel® Core™ i3
Total Processor Cores	10	10	6
Number of P-Cores	2	2	2
Number of E-Cores	8	8	4
P-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	Up to 4.80	4.40	4.40
P-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	Up to 1.80	Up to 1.60	Up to 1.20
E-Core Max Frequency [GHz]	Up to 3.60	3.30	3.30
E-Core Base Frequency [GHz]	Up to 1.30	Up to 1.20	Up to 0.90
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology	Yes
Total Threads	12	12	8
Intel® Thread Director	Yes
Intel® Smart Cache Size [MB]	12	12	10
Memory	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max Number of Memory Channels	2	2	2
Max Number of PCI Express Lanes	Up to 20	Up to 20	Up to 20

It's clear that with the addition of specialized Performance and Efficient cores, 12^th Generation Intel Core mobile processors are a step up from earlier-generation laptop CPUs. There's more power when you need it—even an entirely new chip family, the HX Series. Whether you're looking for a ThinkPad system for business, a Legion gaming rig, or another of our fine Lenovo laptops, a 12^th Gen Intel Core-powered system will be hard to beat.

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