The shortage of hardware components affects any part of our computer and this also includes the CPUs that we are going to mount for our PC as is the case of the Intel Core 12, of which Pat Gelsinger’s company unfortunately has manufactured ours. few units in order to clean the stock of your previous generation CPUs. That is why if you are impatient we have reviewed the different hardware stores in Spain so you can know where to buy your processor with Alder Lake-S architecture.
Where to buy your Intel Core 12?
We have reviewed different stores specialized in computing to know not only those stores where we can find each of the six initial models of the Intel Core 12, but also where you can find them for a lower price. At the end of the day, the product is the same and what interests us is to be able to buy our new CPU for the lowest possible price to invest in other parts of our PC.
Intel Core i5-12600K / i5-12600KF
We start with the most modest Intel Core 12 today, but not for that reason its technical specifications are low-end, but on the contrary.
- 6 cores high perfomance, P-Cores, with a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz and capable of placing up to two of its nuclei at 4.9 GHz through Boost. Each of the cores has the ability to run 2 threads through HyperThreading.
- 4 cores highly energy efficient, E-Cores, its base clock speed is 2.8 GHz and can attach up to 2 of its cores to 3.6 GHz through Boost.
- 29.5 MB cache, 9.5 MB for L2 and 20 MB for L3.
- 125W TDP in PL1 mode, it can be placed in PL2 mode and therefore at 150 W to increase clock speed and processor performance.
Of course, what interests us is to know where we can find the different models at the best price. Well, the i5-12600K can be found at Coolmod for € 299 and as a second cheapest option you have it available in Versus Gamers for € 308.39. Instead, the place to find the cheapest i5-12600KF is at XtremMedia where is it by € 309.9, but if you find that stocks are not available then the best option is XtremMedia for € 312.8.
Intel Core i7-12700K / i7-12700KF
In the current mid-range of the Intel Core 12 there are both the i7-12700K and its KF variant, whose technical specifications are the following:
- 8 cores high performance with 16 threads of execution, P-Cores, with a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz with a Boost speed of 5 GHz in two cores.
- 4 cores E-Core running at a base speed of 2.7 GHz and a Boost to 3.8 GHz.
- 37 MB cache, 12 MB for L2 and 25 MB for L3.
- 125W TDP in PL1 mode, and 190 W in PL2 mode.
As for where we can find them available at the cheapest price, the i7-12700K model can be obtained by € 419.95 in Coolmod and as an alternative we can buy this Intel Core 12 for € 426.7 at XtremMedia. If instead we are interested in the model without integrated graphics, your first option € 414.95 in Coolmod and by 426.09 € in Versus Gamers.
Intel Core i9-12900K / i5-12900KF
The most powerful CPUs of the moment are the i9-12900K and that is why they are the Intel Core 12 to buy by the most enthusiasts who want to make the most powerful PC possible at the moment.
- 8 cores P-Cores, with a base clock speed of 3.2 GHz and capable of placing up to two of its nuclei at 5.2 GHz through Boost and a total of 16 threads of execution.
- 8 cores E-Core, its base clock speed is 2.4 GHz and you can attach up to 2 of your cores to 3.9 GHz through Boost. These add up 8 threads of execution to get to 24 in total across the entire CPU.
- 44 MB cache, 14 MB for L2 and 30 MB for L3.
- 125W TDP in PL1 mode and 241W in PL2 mode
And where can we get them cheaper? In Coolmod we have the i9-12900K for € 659.95 and as a second option we have PCComponentes where we can get it by € 665.9. In case you are interested in the i9-12900KF then your best option is Versus Gamers for € 637.93 and as an alternative option you have Xtremmedia for € 647.7
Buy Intel Core 12K or KF?
At the level of technical specifications, both models are the same except for a small detail, the KF models do not have the integrated GPU and, therefore, you will need to buy a separate graphics card. Although it is true that many of you are going to put a powerful NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon in order to play, we recommend the K models for the following reasons:
- If you don’t have money for the graphics card you want, what you can do is temporarily take advantage of the iGPU of your Intel Core 12 model K, while saving for the GPU you want.
- The price difference between both versions is low enough so that the integrated graphics does not cause an extra cost that we can derive in the purchase of another component or peripheral.
- Trimming the GPU is not an advantage in terms of overclocking or power consumption, just both versions of each CPU have the exact same specifications.
Our recommendation is simple: when buying your Intel Core 12 for your PC, look first for the K models and if you don’t find it available, go for the KF model. And yes, we know that many of you already have a graphics card for gaming on your PC, but just in case it is always good to have an integrated graphics card.