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Intel Core i9-12900K QS is now available on the black market

Written by cybertron on . Posted in Hardware

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According to blogger Yuuki_AnS, Intel Alder Lake-S processor qualifications are now available on the black market in China.

Intel Alder Lake S Hero 1200x166

The source claims that samples of the Core i9-12900K are now available on China's black market for between 6,900 and 7,500 yuan ($1,064 to $1,157). The number of these samples is still limited, which greatly increases the risk of revealing the source of the sample. That's why sellers and distributors are still reluctant to share photos of Alder Lake-S processors. It's not uncommon to see examples of engineers and qualifications appearing on the black market and even on services like eBay. These products are often offered with slightly different specifications from retail samples, such as different clock speeds or disabled functionality, but are often identical in design to the final product.

Intel Core i9 12900K QS Sale 400x263

Core i9-12900K QS on sale, Source: YuuKi_AnS

For now, buying a qualifying sample or signing an embargo with Intel is the only way to gain access to Alder Lake-S processors. Neither the series nor the LGA1700 platform has yet been released, meaning that a potential buyer must also get a next-gen motherboard, which can be even more difficult than finding an i9-12900K sample on sale.

The technical characteristics of the Core i9-12900K processors are already known. This SKU offers 8 Golden Cove high performance cores and 8 Gracemont high performance mini cores. The processors offer 16 cores in total, but since the Gracemont does not support HyperThreading, the 12900K only offers 24 threads.

Intel 12th Gen Core Alder Lake S CPU 768x412

Intel Alder Lake-S engineering sample, source; video cardz

In terms of clock speeds, leaks have revealed that the i9-12900K QS has boosted clock speeds of up to 5.3GHz for large cores and 3.7GHz for small cores. The power limits are 125W and 228W for PL1 and PL2 respectively. Intel's Alder Lake-S desktop series is expected to debut in the fourth quarter of this year, but Intel is also preparing mobile S-series and vPro models that are rumored to launch next year.