China Exclusive Intel Core I5 12490F Gets Major Price Drop Now Selling For Around 205 Us More Cache Higher Clocks Than 199 Core I5 12400

Intel Core i5-12490F Offers Higher Clocks & Increased CPU Cache For Just $8 US More Compared To The Core i5-12400

The Intel Core i5-12490P is a special Alder Lake chip that’s been designed and sold exclusively to China. It features the C0 die which is the same used by all hybrid chips except the 12490P comes without hybrid cores. It packs 6 Golden Cove cores and 12 threads. The CPU being an F variant is excluded from iGPU support so the Xe-LP graphics that you’d otherwise find on the non-F chips is not there. In terms of clock speeds, the chip retains the same clocks as the Core i5-12500 at a 3.0 GHz base and 4.6 GHz boost and is faster than the Core i5-12400. One major difference however is the cache. The Intel Core i5-12490P rocks a 20 MB L3 cache compared to 19 MB on the Core i5-12500 & 18 MB on the Core i5-12400. Other than that, it features up to 128 GB memory support, 65W base TDP, and a 117W maximum turbo power rating. Now one thing we have seen with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is that extra cache does help in games and while the Intel Core i5-12490F features just 2 MB more L3 over the Core i5-12400F, the clocks & general stability of the chip will lead to better performance. Now in terms of pricing, the CPU sold at around $250-$260 US but has now been adjusted to 1349 Yuan or $207 US. The MSRP for Intel’s Core i5-12400 CPU is set at $199 US.

Intel Core i5-12490F (Old Price) - $250 US Intel Core i5-12490F (New Price) - $207 US Intel Core i5-12400 (Retail MSRP) - $199 US Intel Core i5-12400F (Retail MSRP) - $179 US

For just $8 US more, you can get a chip with faster clocks and more cache. For users who still want to go with the Core i5-12400, the better option is the ‘F’ CPU variant which retails for around $174.99 US (MSRP). That’s a $35 US price difference but for those who can find the Core i5-12490F for $205-$210 US, it will definitely be a great choice over the Core i5-12400 (Non-F). You do end up with no stock cooler and no integrated graphics but considering that the Core i5 Alder Lake CPUs don’t run that hot, even entry-level air-coolers will do the trick. When the Core i5-12490F was first introduced, it didn’t make any sense given its high price but now it can actually be a competitive solution against AMD’s Ryzen 5000 mainstream options.