Intel Core i9-12900K Alder Lake-S Qualification Samples Are Now For Sale In Black market For 1064 USD

A leakster named Yuuki_AnS claims that qualification samples of Intel’s Alder Lake-S Core i9-12900K have arrived in the Chinese black market in the price range of 6900 to 7500 CNY (1064 to 1157 USD). Videocardz has confirmed the news, but the supply is limited, which significantly increases the risk of the sample’s source being revealed. This is the reason why sellers and leaksters are still reluctant to share photos of the Alder Lake-S processors.

Intel Core i9 12900K QS Sale

It is quite normal to see engineering and qualifications samples for sale in black markets and online stores like eBay. The specifications differ compared to retail samples, like a different clock speed, but their design is the same.

To get an Alder Lake-S processor, one needs to purchase a qualification sample or sign an embargo with Intel. The platform has not officially arrived yet, so the buyer has to arrange the next-gen motherboard, which is even harder to find than getting an i9-12900K sample.

Fans are already aware of Core i9-12900K’s specifications. It will offer 8 high-performance Golden Cove cores and 8 high-efficiency Gracemont mini cores. Since Gracemont mini cores do not support HyperThreading, the 12900K will only have 24 threads.

Intel 12th Gen Core Alder Lake S CPU 1200x644 1

As far as the clock speed is concerned, leaks reveal that i9-12900K QS’s big cores can boost up to 5.3 GHz while the small cores can go up to 3.7 GHz. The power limits are 125W and 228W for PL1 and PL2 values, respectively.

It is expected that the Intel Alder Lake-S desktop series will arrive in Q4 2021. Intel is also working on mobile S series and vPro models, which are rumored to arrive in 2022.

Via Tom’s Hardware