Intel Resurrects Alder Lake as Core 5 120, Repackaging 12th-Gen Chip for Budget Market
Intel has quietly introduced the Core 5 120 and Core 5 120F processors, which appear to be rebadged versions of the Core i5-12400 with a modest clock speed increase.
Intel's older Alder Lake generation continues to live on in unexpected ways. According to hardware leaker momomo_us, the company has silently rolled out the Core 5 120 and Core 5 120F—with the latter lacking integrated graphics—drawing heavily from its Alder Lake architecture.
The naming scheme for the Core 5 120 breaks from Intel's current conventions, differing from both the latest Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) and the 14th Generation Raptor Lake lineup. Intel categorizes the Core 5 120 as part of the Core (Series 1) family, yet the processor's DNA traces back to Alder Lake technology.
Specifications reveal striking similarities between the Core 5 120 and the Core i5-12400. Both feature six performance cores paired with six efficiency cores, yielding 12 threads total. The primary distinction lies in a 100 MHz boost clock advantage for the newer Core 5 120. Cache configurations remain identical: 7.5MB of L2 cache distributed at 1.5MB per P-core and 18MB of L3 cache. The Core 5 120 essentially represents a Core i5-12400 with a marginal frequency bump.
Intel Core 5 120 Specifications
Intel has long employed multiple silicon variants for its Core i5-1x400 lineup, a practice extending back to the Core i5-12400 itself. The stepping designation reveals which die variant a processor uses. The original Core i5-12400 shipped with either Alder Lake C0 or H0 steppings, a strategy repeated across subsequent generations.
Even the Core i5-13400 and Core i5-14400, released in later years, came available with either Raptor Lake B0 stepping or Alder Lake C0 stepping options. According to Intel's product documentation, the Core 5 120 employs the Alder Lake H0 die variant. This selection makes economic sense: the H0 die occupies less silicon real estate than the C0 variant, translating to lower manufacturing costs.
The practice of deploying different dies within a processor family primarily serves the manufacturer's interests rather than the end user's. While specifications remain constant, subtle differences in performance and thermal behavior can emerge depending on the specific die used. This flexibility allows Intel to maximize profitability by pairing various dies with different product tiers, whether by recycling older dies for fresh products or repurposing premium dies for budget-tier models.
The Core i5-1x400 series has maintained strong appeal among budget-conscious gamers, making this segment strategically important. The Core 5 120 represents Intel's effort to maintain market presence in this category by essentially repackaging established technology with minor enhancements. Given that Alder Lake dies have become inexpensive to manufacture, Intel likely enjoys healthy margins on these recycled components.
The Core 5 120 has entered the market officially, though Intel has not yet disclosed pricing information on its product pages, and retail availability remains limited.
Source: Tom's Hardware