While Intel’s Core i9-12900K flagship Alder Lake chip still hasn’t been officially announced, one lucky customer has already got their hands on two CPUs.
Reddit user Seby9123 somehow managed to purchase a couple of Core i9-12900K processors. The processors were reportedly bought for $610 USD each before tax from Mindfactory, a retailer in Germany. Surprisingly, they shipped out to the customer. While unexpected, this isn’t the first time this has happened before the launch of an Intel product. In March of this year, Rocket Lake CPUs were also prematurely sold at a match the larger scale — once again via Mindfactory.
Several photos of the processor and packaging were posted, showing off the new box design. The box also included a gold wafer that holds the CPU. Neither the box nor user manual seem to include information about the i9-12900K’s specifications. However, the CPU can’t be used before the Z690 motherboards become available. So, we will still have to wait for benchmark results and detailed specs despite the CPU being shipped to customers.
Image credit: u/Seby9123.
AMD has got competition
The Intel Core i9-12900K is set to rival AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 5950X in terms of performance at a much more affordable price. While we don’t know much about its specifications, leaked benchmarks give the i9-12900K an edge over the Ryzen 9 5950X. If the i9-12900K does in fact have an MSRP of $610 USD, then it would easily become the obvious choice for high-end gaming rigs. Of course, Alder Lake CPUs will be selling like hotcakes. So, unfortunately, the retail price won’t really mean much once they’re sold out.
Intel is expected to reveal its Alder Lake CPUs very soon, with October 27 being the rumored announce date. The Alder Lake CPU lineup is also expected to launch and begin shipping on November 4.
[Cheers, Wccftech]
