Intel Core i5-12400 costs $180, beats Core i9-11900K that costs $500+

Intel has officially launched its new 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" CPUs into the wild, but the mid-range Core i5-12400 isn't with us just yet... but you might want to wait for it.

In some new leaked benchmarks, the Core i5-12400 -- which is a 6-core, 12-thread CPU with only Golden Cove (P-cores). Intel's mid-range Core i5-12400 has 18MB of L3 cache, and will have the 6 cores and 12 threads at 3.00GHz base, and up to 4.6GHz for only 65W TDP.

Intel's mid-range Core i5-12400 will be aimed at AMD's Zen 3-powered Ryzen 5 5600X which also offers 6 cores and 12 threads, but the thing is -- the Core i5-12400 actually beats Intel's previous-gen, but flagship Core i9-11900K -- in gaming benchmarks. The Core i5-12400 is running in the MSI B660M Mortar DDR5 motherboard, cooled by the MSI MAG CoreLiquid C240 AIO liquid CPU cooler.

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The benchmarks include some big games including Metro Exodus, Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs Legion, Dirt 5, and F1 2020 -- all run at 2560 x 1440, or 1440p. The Core i5-12400 is compared directly against the Core i9-11900K and you can see that the new mid-range Alder Lake CPU actually beats... yes, it beats... the Core i9-11900K.

Not bad for $180, right?

If you join the Core i5-12400 that costs $180 with a mid-range B660 motherboard and DDR4 memory for under $150-$200, you're in for a very, very potent setup that represents some incredible value for money. We should see Intel's new mid-range Alder Lake CPUs and B660 motherboards at CES 2022 next week.