JeremyLairdINTEL IS BACK. Of that, there can be no
question. This month, we get our paws
on the 126 00K, the gamer’s choice
among Intel’s new 1 2th-generation
Alder Lake chips. If we had doubts last
month about the range-topping Core
i9-1 29 00K SKU, thanks to some scary
power consumption figures, that’s
largely mitigated by the new Core i 5
model. The 126 00K reduces 129 00K’s
240W power guzzling problem down to
a much more manageable 150 W or less.
More to the point, the 126 00K is now
the weapon of choice for gamers. Job
done for Intel? For now, perhaps, but
Intel still has plenty to prove. Alder
Lake is built on the so-called Intel 7
node, otherwise known as 1 0nm and
still years behind schedule. As you’ll
discover in our Tech Preview feature,
AMD is tooling up for its next-gen Zen
4 processors based on TSMC’s 5 nm
process.
I suspect Intel will struggle to
immediately respond. After all, that
10nm node is only now rolling out on the
desktop despite originally being slated
for 2015. It’s easy to forget the first 10 nm
Cannon Lake mobile CPUs appeared
in small numbers back in 2017. As for
Intel’s next process, the node formerly
known as 7 nm and now branded Intel
4 was supposed to go live in 201 7. Last
summer it was delayed again. We’re not
expecting to see the first Meteor Lake
7nm desktop chips until 2023.
When you consider the huge size
of the Golden Cove cores in the new
10nm 1260 0K and 129 00K Alder Lake
CPUs, the suspicion is that Intel may
have intended them for 7 nm, just as
Intel admits the Cypress Cove cores
in last-gen Rocket Lake CPUs were
“backported” from 10 nm to 14 nm. If so,
it explains how Intel has managed to
create a supposedly cutting-edge CPU
that consumes quite so much power.Whatever happens with CPUs,
there’s plenty to look forward to,
including PC monitors with clever
miniLED backlights, super-fast PCIe
5.0 SSDs and so much more. Dare we
dream of graphics card prices returning
to normal over the next year? There are
so many factors in play, not least the
reality that the world of chip production
generally doesn’t look like recovering
from the current extraordinary market
conditions—driven by the pandemic and
distorted by crypto-currency mining—
any time soon.
However, one thing that could help
involves our old friend Intel and the
competitiveness of its Arc graphics.
Intel doesn’t need to produce a world-
beater. But if the Arc family of GPUs
is competitive with the likes of, say,
an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD
Radeon RX 6 800, there will be three
players offering proper gaming
graphics. Nothing brings prices down
like healthy competition. Here’s hoping.
I also hope you enjoy this issue.
It’s a great pleasure to be back at the
helm of Maximum PC for a few months
while Zak’s permanent replacement
is identified. Back in 2015 , when I last
edited this excellent magazine, the
go-to narrative among many industry
observers was the PC’s inexorable slide
towards irrelevance and, ultimately,
oblivion. So much for that! It’s a genuine
joy to find both the PC and this magazine
in rude health.RETURN OF THE KING
Jeremy is Maximum PC’s acting editor-in-chief.
He’s been writing about PCs for 20 years and
enjoys nothing more than a serious dissertation
on the finer points of input lag or overclocking.↘ submit your questions to: [email protected]a thing or two about a thing or twoJAN 2022 MAXIMUMPC 7
editorialEDITORIAL
Editor: Jeremy Laird
Staff Writers: Christian Guyton, Sam Lewis
Contributing Writers: Alex Cox, Ian Evenden,
Chris Lloyd, Nick Peers, Jarred Walton
Production Editor: Jon Crampin
Editor Emeritus: Andrew Sanchez
ART
Art Editor: Fraser McDermott
Photography: Phil Barker, Olly Curtis, Neil Godwin
Cover Photo Credits: Getty Images, Intel
BUSINESS
US Marketing & Strategic Partnerships: Stacy Gaines,
[email protected]
US Chief Revenue Officer: Mike Peralta
[email protected]
East Coast Account Director: Brandie Rushing,
[email protected]
East Coast Account Director: Michael Plump,
[email protected]
East Coast Account Director: Victoria Sanders,
[email protected]
East Coast Account Director: Melissa Planty,
[email protected]
East Coast Account Director: Elizabeth Fleischman,
[email protected]
West Coast Account Director: Austin Park,
[email protected]
West Coast Account Director: Jack McAuliffe,
[email protected]
Director, Client Services: Tracy Lam,
[email protected]
MANAGEMENT
MD Tech Specialist: Keith Walker
Group Editor-in-Chief: Graham Barlow
Group Art Director: Jo Gulliver
PRODUCTION
Head of Production: Mark Constance
Production Manager: Vivienne Calvert
Project Manager: Clare Scott
Production Assistant: Emily Wood
FUTURE US, INC.
11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036, USA
http://www.futureus.com
INTERNATIONAL LICENSING & SYNDICATION
Maximum PC is available for licensing and syndication.
To find out more, contact us at [email protected] or
view our available content at http://www.futurecontenthub.com.
Head of Print Licensing: Rachel Shaw,
[email protected]
SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE
Website: http://www.magazinesdirect.com
Tel: 844-779-
New Orders: [email protected]
Customer Service: [email protected]
BACK ISSUES
Website: https://bit.ly/mpcsingleissue
Next Issue On Sale February^ 1st,^2022
© 2022 Future US, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this
magazine may be used or reproduced without the written
permission of Future US, Inc. (owner). All information provided is,
as far as Future (owner) is aware, based on information correct at
the time of press. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers
and retailers directly with regard to products/services referred
to in this magazine. We welcome reader submissions, but
cannot promise that they will be published or returned to you.
By submitting materials to us, you agree to give Future the
royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive right to publish and reuse
your submission in any form, in any and all media, and to use your
name and other information in connection with the submission.