Intel's new Core i9-12900K on Chinese black market, costs $700

If you know how to access the black market in China, then you can get yourself Intel's unreleased, next-gen flagship Core i9-12900K "Alder Lake" CPU.

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The new Core i9-12900K can be purchased on the black market in China for around $700, with the chips being sold on the Taobao second-hand market. The processors in question are ES2 or second-generation engineering samples. These processors aren't meant to be sold and are sent out for qualification testing months ahead of launch.

Intel's Core i9-12900K ES2 processor isn't a final chip and any performance numbers you see from them should be taken with a grain of salt. There can be hardware-level bugs, lowered performance numbers, and more. The new 600-series chipset is also required, with a new motherboard also required -- oh and a new cooler.

• Read more: Intel's next-gen Alder Lake architecture: everything you need to know
• Read more: Intel's next-gen Z690 chipset pictured in the flesh, hello Alder Lake
• Read more: Intel's new LGA1700 socket detailed: ready for new Alder Lake CPUs

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We should expect Intel to launch its new Alder Lake CPUs during its Innovation event on October 28, with pre-orders going live on that day, and then the CPUs and 600-series motherboards launching on November 4. You can expect CPU and motherboards here from us at TweakTown, and I'll explore the GPU side of things with a new Core i9-12900K testbed and running all of my GPUs through it (and Windows 11, too).

• Read more: Intel Z690 chipset detailed: 16 x PCIe 5.0 lanes for next-gen GPUs
• Read more: Intel 12th Gen Core 'Alder Lake-S' launch in November: PCIe 5.0 + DDR5
• Read more: Don't worry, Intel's new Z690 chipset mobos keep 24-pin connector
• Read more: GIGABYTE's next-gen Z690 AORUS Master, Elite mobos listed in Australia

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