Tag: Intel

H670 has most of the I/O that the Z690 chipset offers but you cannot overclock the CPU. So you should not pair it with an unlocked K-series CPU. Memory overclocking is supported as long as the CPU supports it as well. The H670 chipset comes with 2x 20Gbps USB3 ports, 4x 10Gbps USB3 ports, 8x 5Gbps USB3 ports, 14x USB2 ports, and 8x SATA 6 Gbps ports. In this article, we are going to go over some of the best H670 motherboards that you can buy right now for the Intel 12th Generation CPUs.

If you are interested in learning about the difference between the different 600 series chipsets then you can check out our article; Z690 Vs H670 Vs B660 Vs H610 Chipsets: What Is The Difference?

Note that H670 options are relatively limited right now. While different motherboard manufacturers have revealed their H670 motherboards, they are not listed right now. We will add them once they are listed on retail sites such as Amazon and Newegg.

Best H670 Motherboards For Intel 12th Generation CPUs

ASUS TUF Gaming H670-PRO WiFi D4

The ASUS TUF Gaming H670-PRO WiFi D4 comes in a stealthy all-black design with plenty of armor around the VRMs and chipset. The armor extends and integrates with the I/O shield which makes it easy to install. This is an ATX motherboard that supports PCIe 5.0 and the top PCIe slot is reinforced for better GPU support.

The motherboard has a 14+1 DrMOS power design and a single 8-pin power connector provides power to the CPU. This is fine as the motherboard does not support CPU overclocking. The chipset does support memory overclocking as long as the CPU supports it.

There is some RGB lighting on the sides but this is an Asus motherboard so you get RGB headers for lighting customization. There are 4 M.2 slots that are Gen4 but only 3 of them have a heatsink.

Other features include Wi-Fi 6, rear USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C, front panel header for USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, Thunderbolt 4 support, and Intel2.5Gb Ethernet.

ASUS Prime H670-PLUS D4

The ASUS Prime H670-PLUS D4 is a pretty basic motherboard so you do not get a lot of armor on the board and there is no RGB lighting either. There is a heatsink on the VRMs and the chipset. The motherboard supports PCIe 4.0 and the top PCIe slot is reinforced for better graphics card support.

There are three M.2 Gen4 slots but only one of them comes with a heatsink. Furthermore, there is another M.2 slot that you can use to install a Wi-Fi card. Other than that, there are 4 SATA ports for your HDDs and SATA SSDs. There are 4 DIMM slots that support up to 128GB of RAM running up to 5000MHz.

Other than that, the motherboard supports Thunderbolt 4, comes with DP1.4, HDMI 2.1, USB Type-C, and 2.5Gb Ethernet. While it might not look blingy, it does have all the basic features that you would need.

ASRock H670M-ITX/AX

The ASRock H670M-ITX/AX is an ITX motherboard that is ideal for small form factor PCs. You get a stock cooler with your locked CPU and it does not produce as much heat as an unlocked one, so building a small gaming PC is a great option.

This is a mid-range motherboard, so while there is some armor, it is not over the top. The motherboard has an 8 Phase Dr.MOS Power Design and two DIMM slots that support DDR4 RAM speeds up to 5000MHz. It has a single PCIe 5.0 x16 that is reinforced for better GPU support. So you can upgrade to a PCIe 5.0 supported graphics card when they are available.

There are a pair of M.2 Gen4 slots for your high-speed SSDs. They also come with their heatsinks. Other features include USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen2, Front Type-C, 2.5G LAN, WiFi 6E, BT5, DP1.4, HDMI 2.1, and a BIOS Flash button.

These are some of the best H670 motherboards that you can buy right now for the Intel 12th Generation CPUs. You can also check out our article on where you can buy the non-K Intel 12th generation Alder Lake CPUs.

Intel Non-K 12th Generation Alder Lake CPUs have been released and you can buy them now. The difference between the K CPUs and the non-K ones is that the non-K variants cannot be overclocked. Furthermore, the lower-tier variants do not come with E cores. Unlike the K series CPUs, the non-K variants come with the new Intel stock coolers out of the box. In this article, we go over where you can buy the Intel Non-K 12th Generation Alder Lake CPUs.

Where To Buy Intel Non-K 12th Generation Alder Lake CPUs

The following are links to where you can order Non-K 12th Generation Alder Lake CPUs:

Intel Core i5-12400

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a mid-range CPU that features 6 performance cores that have a base clock speed of 2.50 GHz and can boost to 4.40 GHz. The CPU also has 18 MB of Intel Smart Cache and a max TDP of 117W The CPU comes with Intel UHD Graphics 730.

You can order the CPU via the following links:

• Newegg
• Amazon USA
• Amazon UK
• Amazon Canada

Intel Core i5-12400F

The specs of the Intel Core i5-12400F are similar to the non-F version. The main difference is that the Intel Core i5-12400F does not have integrated graphics. That is why it is cheaper. You do need a dedicated a graphics card.

You can order the CPU via the following links:

• Newegg

Intel Core i7-12700F

The Intel Core i7-12700F has 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. The E cores have a base clock speed of 1.60 GHz and can boost to 3.60 GHz. The performance cores have a base clock speed of 2.10 GHz and can boost to 4.80 GHz. As this is an F variant, the CPU does not have integrated graphics.

You can order the CPU via the following links:

• Newegg

These are the links to the Intel Non-K 12th Generation Alder Lake CPUs. If you are interested in pairing them with a motherboard then you can check out our recommended B660 motherboards that you can buy right now.

The non-K Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake CPUs are here now and you can pair them with the cheaper B660 motherboards. In this article, we go over some of the best B660 motherboards that you can buy right now for Intel 12th Generation CPUs.

B660 is the mid-level option that has a narrow chipset bus and most of the I/O from the Z690 chipset. Memory overclocking is supported as long as the CPU supports it as well. The H670 chipset comes with 2x 20Gbps USB3 ports, 4x 10Gbps USB3 ports, 6x 5Gbps USB3 ports, 12x USB2 ports, and 4x SATA 6 Gbps ports. You can learn more in our article; Z690 Vs H670 Vs B660 Vs H610 Chipsets: What Is The Difference?

Best B660 Motherboards For Intel 12th Generation CPUs

The following are some of the best B660 motherboards that you can buy for non-K Intel 12th generation Alder Lake CPUs:

ASUS ROG Strix B660-A Gaming WiFi D4

The ASUS ROG Strix B660-A Gaming WiFi D4 comes in white armor which is great if you are interested in building a white gaming PC. It features 12+1 power stages with ProCool power connectors and plenty of cooling for the VRMs and chipset.

The motherboard features an Integrated I/O shield for easy installation and comes with 3 M.2 slots that have integrated heatsinks. It also has M.2 Q-Latch support for easy M.2 SSD installation. It supports PCI 5.0 and comes with Wi-Fi 6 out of the box. There are 4 DIMM slots that can support up to 128 GB of DDR4 RAM, which can be overclocked up to 5333 MHz.

The top PCIe slot is reinforced for better GPU support and this is the one that you should use for gaming. The motherboard has a BIOS FlashBack button and Q-LED. For display output, you get HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4. Furthermore, you also have a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port.

As this is an Asus motherboard, you still get RGB lighting and all those customization options that gamers love. Furthermore, the motherboard has one RGB header and three addressable Gen 2 headers.

ASUS ProArt B660-Creator D4

Asus markets this motherboard as one designed with creators in mind. The motherboard has a nice sleek design and theme and it should blend in well with the rest of your parts. There are 4 DIMM slots that can support up to 128 GB of DDR4 RAM. You also get support for PCI 5.0.

The top PCIe slot is reinforced for better GPU support. The motherboard comes with 3x M.2 slots and an additional M.2 slot which you can use to install a Wi-Fi card. The motherboard has M.2 Q-Latch support for easy M.2 SSD installation. Do note that out of the box, you only get heatsinks for two of those slots. It is also worth mentioning that two of the M2 slots support PCIe Gen4 while the third is only PCIe Gen3.

Connectivity options include 2.5Gb, 1Gb onboard Ethernet, and front-panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C ports with 60W fast charging support. For display output, you get HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4. The ASUS ProArt B660-Creator D4 also features a Q-LED for troubleshooting.

GIGABYTE B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4

The GIGABYTE B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4 is another mid-range motherboard that looks great. It has plenty of armor that covers the VRMs and chipset. The motherboard has a 16+1+1 Twin Hybrid Digital VRM Design. The VRM heatsinks extend into the integrated I/O shield and the M.2 heatsinks blend in with the chipset heatsink, giving the motherboard a nice cohesive look.

You do find some RGB lighting on the motherboard but it is not too blingy. The motherboard supports PCI 4.0 and comes with 3 PCIe Gen4 M.2 slots for your high-speed storage. You also get 4 SATA ports for your HDDs and 2.5-inch SSDs.

For connectivity and networking, you get USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C, Intel 2.5GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax, and BT5. For display output, you get HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4. The motherboard also has a Q-Flash Plus port that allows you to update the BIOS without having to install a CPU.

MSI MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4

The MSI MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 is a stealthy motherboard that comes in all black. It is a great option if you want a B660 motherboard that is under $200. The motherboard comes with plenty of armor and cooling for the VRMs and heatsink. It uses 8+8-pin power connectors to provide power to the CPU and other parts of the board.

The motherboard supports Gen4 PCI-E and M.2. There are three M.2 slots and all of them come with heatsinks, which is nice. Out of the box, you get EZ M.2 clips for easy storage installation. The top PCIe slot is reinforced for better GPU support. There is an integrated I/O shield for easy installation and the motherboard comes with Wi-Fi 6 out of the box. Other features include 2.5G LAN, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, DP, and HDMI.

ASUS Prime B660-PLUS D4

The ASUS Prime B660-PLUS D4 is a more budget-friendly B660 motherboard as compared to the motherboards above. That is pretty obvious seeing the lack of armor and integrated I/O shield. It does give you the basic features that you need such as PCIe 4.0 support and three gen4 M.2 slots. There is another M.2 slot that you can use to install a Wi-Fi card. Furthermore, you get 4 SATA ports for HDDs and 2.5-inch SATA SSDs.

The top PCIe slot is reinforced for better GPU support and there are heatsinks on the chipset and around the CPU socket. There is no RGB lighting on the motherboard as this is a budget option. This is a prime motherboard to consider if you are looking for one under $150.

GIGABYTE B660M DS3H AX DDR4

The B660M DS3H AX DDR4 is a budget-friendly option from Gigabyte. This is an mATX motherboard, so it is smaller than a regular ATX motherboard. This means that there are some features missing compared to the ATX options that we have on this list.

As this is a budget motherboard, the armor and cooling is limited but there are heatsinks around the CPU socket and on the chipset. The motherboard comes with a pair of Gen4 M.2 slots and the motherboard support PCI Gen4, not Gen5. There are 4 DIMM slots that can support up to 128GB of DDR4 memory.

Do note that only one of the M.2 slots has a heatsink and that there is a single PCIe slot due to the smaller form factor of the motherboard. There is no integrated I/O shield but you do get Wi-Fi out of the box. Furthermore, there are 4 SATA ports for your HDDs and SATA SSDs.

For video output, you get DP 1.4 and HDMI 2.0. The motherboard also has USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2.5GbE LAN, and Q-Flash Plus. If you are looking for a budget B660 motherboard that has Wi-Fi out of the box then this is one of the cheapest options right now.

ASRock B660M-HDV

The B660M-HDV is a pretty barebones motherboard and it costs less than $100. The motherboard comes with two M.2 slots and there is an additional M.2 slot for Wi-Fi. Do note that one of the M.2 slots is Gen4 while the other is Gen3.

The motherboard has a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot which you are going to use to install your graphics card. You do get all the basic features such as USB 3.2 Gen1, USB 2.0, Intel Gigabit LAN, HDMI, DisplayPort, and D-Sub.

These are some of the best B660 motherboards that you can buy right now. If you are interested in upgrading then also check out our recommended PCIe Gen 4.0 SSDs. You can also check out our article on where you can order Intel 12th generation Alder Lake non-K CPUs.

The Intel i5-12490F Alder Lake CPU has been spotted with 6 cores and 12 threads. The box comes in black according to the retail images. As this is an F SKU there is no integrated graphics part and you will need to rely on dedicated graphics for video output.

Intel i5-12490F Alder Lake CPU

According to the specifications, the Intel i5-12490F features a base clock speed of 3.0 GHz and can boost to 4.6 GHz. The CPU comes with 20MB of L3 cache and has a TDP of 117W. It supports DDR5 4800MHz and DDR4 3200MHz RAM. It also supports 20 PCIe lanes.

According to the retailer listing, the Intel i5-12490F is going to cost 1599 Yuan which converts to 250 USD. While this is an impressive price point the 12600KF might seem like a more enticing SKU to go with.

The Intel i5-12490F should come with the new stock cooler out of the box which will save you some money. It is worth mentioning that the Intel i5-12490F is most likely limited to the Chinese market and will not be available to the rest of the world unless you order an SKU from China.

Details are fairly limited regarding the SKU, so we should be able to learn more about the non-K Alder Lake SKUs as we get closer to launch. The 12400F has also been spotted. The CPU has a base clock speed of 2.5GHz and can boost to 4.4GHz. It features 18MB of L3 cache.

Let us know what you think about the Intel i5-12490F Alder Lake CPU and whether or not this is something that you might be interested in getting in 2022. If you are interested in building a new PC or upgrading your current build then you can check out the new RX 6500 XT GPUs that have been revealed by Gigabyte and MSI.

Intel has launched the new 12th generation Alder Lake CPUs and the new 600 series chipsets that support the new chips. Z690 series motherboards are available for the Z K-series 12th generation CPUs but what is the difference between the different 12th generation supporting chipsets. In this article, we are going to go over the differences between the Z690, H670, B660, and H610 chipsets.

Z690 Vs H670 Vs B660 Vs H610 Chipsets

If you are upgrading from the previous generation then you can check out our article covering the differences between the Z590 and Z690 chipsets. The following is what you need to know about the Z690, H670, B660, and H610 chipsets:

Z690

The Z690 chipset is the top-of-the-line variant that has all the bells and whistles. It is the only chipset that supports CPU overclocking as long as you have a K-series CPU. Intel Z690 chipset adds new PCIe 4.0 lanes. The new CPUs have a better PCIe Gen4 link to the chipset which doubles the bandwidth to 15.76 GB/s compared to 7.88 GB/s on X570 and 7.70 GB/s on Z590. The new chipset supports up to 24 Gen 4 lanes. This makes things better when it comes to the integrated Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5G Ethernet to co-exist with other features such as 10G Ethernet and 20G USB ports.

Intel Z690 is the first chipset to support DDR5 but DDR4 support is there as well. While the controller supports both, it is worth mentioning that you cannot run both at the same time. With DDR5 internal bottlenecks have been removed and the power management has been moved to the DIMMs rather than taking up space on the motherboard itself. You also get better-overclocking control. The new XMP 3.0 allows memory manufacturers to have 3 Vendor profiles. You also get 2 rewritable profiles. Voltage can be controller per module.

The Z690 chipset comes with 4x 20Gbps USB3 ports, 10x 10Gbps USB3 ports, 10x 5Gbps USB3 ports, 14x USB2 ports, and 8x SATA 6 Gbps ports. If you are interested in buying a Z690 motherboard then you can check out our recommended Z690 motherboards.

H670

H670 has most of the I/O that the Z690 chipset offers but you cannot overclock the CPU. So you should not pair it with a locked CPU. Memory overclocking is supported as long as the CPU supports it as well.

The H670 chipset comes with 2x 20Gbps USB3 ports, 4x 10Gbps USB3 ports, 8x 5Gbps USB3 ports, 14x USB2 ports, and 8x SATA 6 Gbps ports.

B660

B660 is the mid-level option that has a narrow chipset bus and most of the I/O from the Z690 chipset. Memory overclocking is supported as long as the CPU supports it as well. The H670 chipset comes with 2x 20Gbps USB3 ports, 4x 10Gbps USB3 ports, 6x 5Gbps USB3 ports, 12x USB2 ports, and 4x SATA 6 Gbps ports. You cannot overclock the CPU. So you should not pair it with a locked CPU.

If you are interested in buying one then you can check our recommended B660 motherboards that you can buy right now.

H610

H610 is the entry-level option with simple I/O and the NVMe slots are not attached to the processor. Unlike the above-mentioned chipsets, H610 does not support memory overclocking. You cannot overclock the CPU. So you should not pair it with an unlocked CPU.

The entry-level chipset comes does not come with any 20Gbps USB3 ports but it does feature 2x 10Gbps USB3 ports, 4x 5Gbps USB3 ports, 10x USB2 ports, and 4x SATA 6 Gbps ports.

This is the difference between the Z690, H670, B660, and H610 chipsets. You can also check out our recommended LGA 1700 coolers for Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs.

Intel Alder Lake K-series SKUs have been released and it is only a matter of time before the non-K desktop variants and mobile CPUs are released. We have spotted an Intel Alder Lake Mobile CPU with 10 cores and 20 threads.

Note that these are not official specifications and are subject to change. So take this information with a grain of salt. The new Alder Lake CPUs have a different architecture compared to previous Intel CPUs and the CPUs comprise of efficiency cores and power cores. The 10 cores of this CPU are most likely divided into 2 efficiency cores and 8 power cores.

The CPU has 4x 1.25 MB of L2 cache and 12 MB of L3(2×3+3+3=12) cache. According to the benchmarks, the CPU has a base clock speed of 806 MHz and can boost to 4.7 GHz. That is a massive difference and if I had to guess I would say that the efficiency cores are able to run at 806 MHz when they are not under load. The performance cores on the other hand can ramp up to 4.7 GHz.

It will be interesting to see what kind of performance boost these Intel Alder Lake Mobile CPUs are going to offer compared to previous generation Intel CPUs and competing AMD chips. The desktop chips have been praised, now we have to wait and see if the mobile chips can deliver similar performance benefits.

Let us know what you think about this Intel Alder Lake Mobile CPU with 10 cores and whether or not you would be interested in buying a laptop powered by one of these new CPUs.

The new Intel 12th generation CPUs use the LGA 1700 socket, so you need a different mounting kit for your existing CPU cooler. You do not have to get a new CPU cooler entirely. In this article, we go over the CPU coolers from be quiet! and Artic that are getting free LGA 1700 mounting kits.

Free LGA 1700 Mounting Kits For be quiet! And Artic CPU Coolers

If you have the following CPU coolers then you can get a free LHA 1700 mounting kit.

be quiet!

If you are an existing customer and have one of the following CPU coolers then you can get a free LGA 1700 mounting kit:

• Dark Rock Pro 4
• Dark Rock 4
• Dark Rock Slim
• Dark Rock TF 2
• Shadow Rock 3
• Shadow Rock Slim 2
• Shadow Rock LP
• Pure Rock 2
• Pure Rock
• Silent Loop 2
• Pure Loop

be quiet! has also confirmed that all future coolers are going to come with supporting mounting kits out of the box.

Artic

If you have a valid purchase receipt then you can get the LGA 1700 mounting kit for free for the following coolers:

• All Freezer 34 models
• Liquid Freezer II series
• Freezer 50
• Freezer i13 X and Freezer i13 X CO

Furthermore, if you have a Noctua cooler, you can buy the LGA 1700 mounting kit. The company has updated its offering and their new coolers come with LGA 1700 mounting kits.

These are the CPU coolers that can get you LGA mounting kits for free if you are an existing customer. If you are interested in learning more then you can check out our recommendations for the best Z690 motherboards that you can buy right now for Intel Alder Lake CPUs.