Intel's 12th Gen CPUs failed to push the company past AMD, according to Windows Central readers

Intel 12th Gen Core I9 Hero
Intel 12th Gen Core I9 Hero (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Almost 44% of polled Windows Central readers believe that Intel now closely competes with AMD and Apple in the CPU space.
  • Over 31% of voters believe that Intel still lags behind its competitors.
  • Intel's 12th Gen CPUs launched late last month and show significant performance improvements over the company's previous generation.

The Intel Core i5-12600K, Core i7-12700K, and Core i9-12900K earned positive reviews from several outlets. The 12th Gen Intel chips are built on the 10nm process rather than the 14nm process seen in previous processors. This, and other improvements, help the new CPUs compete with the likes of AMD's Ryzen lineup. Intel's new chips are among the best CPUs, but it appears that in the eyes of our readers, the improvements helped Intel catch up to competitors, not surpass them.

At 43.73%, the plurality of polled participants believe that Intel now competes closely with AMD and Apple.

Other readers believe that it's unfair to judge Intel's latest generation until the company launches mobile versions of its Alder Lake chips. All of the 12th Gen chips that launched to this point are built for desktop PCs.

"12th gen mobile will show if Intel can compete," said Exhibit13. "Performance with no power or thermal limit is great but it doesn't mean much until we see a mobile version where there are thermal and power limits that need to be met. If they do something big here than yes Intel is back!"

While people disagree about how much Intel's latest chips raise its status in the CPU market, it appears that the narrative that "Intel is dead" has been quelled, at least based on our comments section.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.