Introduction
There was a lot riding for Intel prior to the launch of their 12th-generation Core-series CPUs aka Alder Lake. Our launch review of the Intel Core i9-12900K shows just how much Intel jumped from their last-generation and expectations was set higher for the laptop release of Intel’s 12th Gen Core CPU for mobile. Today we’re taking a closer look at exactly with the Intel Core i9-12900H.
Featuring the same hybrid architecture that brings up to an impressive 20-core CPU to laptops, Intel’s hybrid P-core + E-core strategy is paying off with excellent performance advantage. in this review, we’ll dive deep behind 12th-gen Intel Core’s system performance, particularly the Core i9-12900H paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in our ROG Strix SCAR 15 2022.
The Core i9-12900H is the non-OC flagship CPU for the mobile enthusiast segment of the 12th-gen Intel Core offerings and brings with a total of 14 cores, a combination of 6 P-cores and 8 E-cores. It sites alongside its 12900HK brother as the topend CPUs for this generation of Intel laptops and is rated for max turbo draw of 115W and a standard base power of 45W. This configuration sees the Intel Core i9-12900H offering high level of performance for both gaming and multimedia productivity amongst others.
In this review, we’ll cover both system performance as well as gaming performance. While every laptop maker are free to configure their models to take advantage of the Core i9-12900H, most will utilize its Turbo capabilities as much as they can and this will play a vital role in pushing every ounce of performance from the CPU. Regardless, the Core i9-12900H will make its way on top-shelf models that fuse high-end features with high-end cooling. We’ll find out just how it performs in both general usage and gaming in this review. This review is quite extensive but each page is designed to be referenced independently.
About Intel 12th-gen CPUs
For a deeper discussion about the latest generation of Intel CPUs, please see our architecture breakdown in our 12th-gen Intel Core launch article.
As for the mobile 12th-gen Intel Core CPUs, the strategy for desktop applies with hybrid architecture at the forefront as well with Performance (P-cores) and Efficiency (E-cores) powering 12th-gen Intel Core CPUs. In tandem with Windows 11, 12th-gen Intel Core-based systems are designed to assign work tasks to fit the core best suited for each job. Low power E-cores will handle light workloads and operate with minimal power draw while P-cores will handle the heavier loads. Combined, they offer high core count performance without the drastic increase in Intel’s die size or power draw.
12th-gen Intel Core CPUs’ arrival on mobile was been heavily anticipated thanks to its success on desktop and while not all desktop CPUs are hybrid, Intel’s new-generation CPUs managed to carve a path towards regaining performance dominance for desktop. This is why many are anticipating Intel to do a similar feat on laptops with the H-series 12th-gen Intel Core processors. With E-cores offering extra power with minimal power draw as and the stronger P-cores doing some heavy lifting, a significant improvement in battery and overall performance is expected on these platforms.
12th-gen Intel Core CPUs for mobile will also bring with richer IO with WIFI-6E and Thunderbolt 4 at the helm for faster connectivity and higher bandwidth. This is coupled by native support for 8lanes of PCIe Gen4, DDR5-4800 and backwards support for DDR4.
Other features include AI acceleration, Intel Xe graphics, native AV1 support, and USB3.2 Gen2x2 20Gbps.
The 12th-gen Intel Core H-series mobile CPU stack will comprise of a pair of i9 SKUs on the top: the Core i9-12900HK with 14 cores total (6P/8E) capable of P-core Turbo up to 5Ghz on the P-cores and E-cores up to 3.8Ghz. This is shared with the non-OC Core i9-12900H which features the same specs. Together, these CPUs will mostly be seen on enthusiast gaming models as well as top-end productivity systems.
This is followed by the Core i7-12800H, Core i7-12700H, Core i7-12650H which features 14-cores(6P/8E) on the first two and the i7-12650H featuring 10-core (6P/4E) with slightly less E-cores. The Core i7 differentiates themselves by their slightly lower turbo clocks than the Core i9 SKUs.
Rounding off the stack are the Core i5-12600H, Core i5-12500H and Core i5-12450H. The first two are 12-core CPUs featuring a 4P/8E configuration with the i5-12450H sporting an 8-core (4P/4E) configuration.
Intel Core i9-12900H Test Platform
The unit we’ll be using for test today is the ROG STRIX SCAR 15 2022 (G533ZW-LN108WS). This particular model features a couple of variations with our specific configuration featuring a 32GB of DDR5-4800 memory and a new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti laptop GPU rated for 150W (Dynamic Boost) as well as MUX switch.
ASUS offers the ROG Strix SCAR 15 and SCAR 17 in configurations featuring an Intel Core i9-12900H and up to an RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU. Power configuration is pegged at 55W CPU and 125W CPU but this will vary on application loads with Turbo in effect. Display options are primarily 2560x1440p 240hz but options will vary by locales.
ASUS ROG uses Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme on their CPU for improved dissipation. The liquid metal application is highly sophisticated and liquid metal run-offs are mitigated by a rim around the die. The ROG STRIX SCAR 15/17 features a dense fin array for heat dissipation, employing ASUS’ Arc flow fans. The cooling design features dust reduction, self-cleaning and the heatsink array are arranged to increase airflow.
Power Draw, Clock Speed and Temperature
Back2Gaming proudly partners with OCCT for this test to allow us to set various stress loads. OCCT allows granular control on testing and provides options to configure and control stress loads on a per-core level. It also features monitoring and logging for troubleshooting problems and performance analysis . OCCT is available for free for all users with a paid version for power users and businesses.
This stress test goes through different workloads with 5-minute breaks in between. The loads run for 10 minutes and goes through SSE, AVX and AVX2 workloads. The last test is a combined CPU and GPU test which should push our unit to a very intense loading scenario which should show us a good indicator on the peak load temps of this laptop.
For game stress testing, we use Final Fantasy XV Benchmark at 4K High Settings. FFXV Benchmark is highly repeatable and puts a decent amount of realistic gaming load on the system. The benchmark runs for around 5 1/2 minutes and data is logged via NVIDIA Frametime.
OCCT CPU/GPU/Combined Load Behavior
This is a 50-minute test which sees a CPU AVX2 test at the start followed by a GPU test and then a combined test. There are 5-minute breaks in between to let the cooler settle. This is shown via the different behavior segment on the charts above.
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark 4K Gaming Load Behavior
This benchmark focuses primarily on the gaming performance of the system and shows as a good picture of the GPU’s behavior during gaming. The RTX 3070 Ti laptop GPU operates with an average of 84.79*C and its boost clock hovers around 1400Mhz throughout the benchmark. Power draw sits mostly in 125W~ range confirming this system’s TGP rating.
Battery Life
Our battery life test uses PCMark 10’s Modern Office battery test which comprises of the Modern Office benchmark within PCMark 10 but looped ad infinitum until the system shuts off due to low battery.
The test sees teleconferencing, browsing, spreadsheet, word processing and video viewing to simulate daily office tasks. This is very consistent with most daily tasks that we see today.
I was planning to introduce a new test to only show battery life for the test system which will include complete idle battery time, video time and office use and gaming. Idle power is very lengthy in silent mode with the brightness set to 50%. I was clocking in more than 10 hours of idle time when the system decided to update and restart. Testing office and video viewing, modern office test is shown above at a respectable 3 hours at 100% brightness at performance mode.
Video viewing extends this a bit at exactly 2 hours and 56 minutes but nothing as drastic of a difference as I would’ve loved to have seen.
I don’t do battery test for gaming as the performance penalty is just not worth it. I am still considering this for future reviews.
Performance Testing – System
All tests are performed in the latest version of Windows 11. For earlier reports of AMD suffering performance issues, please refer to this update published by AMD which notes that the issue has been resolved. This should apply to laptops as well since the release of the patch.
All systems tested use the same version of the application and no data from previous reviews are used for this test. All games are updated to their latest version and are set to details indicated in their charts.
Take note that due to various reasons like manufacturing configuration, cooling solution and component choices, results will heavily vary throughout. Please be guided accordingly.
Special thanks to UL Benchmarks, OC Base (OCCT), PassMark and CapFrameX for the tools used in this review.
Rendering
Cinebench R20
Cinebench R20 and R23 are currently the most popular performance benchmark for both Intel and AMD. Used heavily in promotional and marketing materials, Cinebench has gained massive traction due to its marketing use and many users gauge performance from it. At its core, it is the benchmark for Maxon’s Cinema4D to test system hardware performance, both multi-core and single-core use.
Cinebench R23
Blender Benchmark
Blender Benchmark is the benchmark tool for Blender used to compile data from all benchmark runs to help further develop Blender. The benchmark has a selection of scenes to render including the famous BMW test, Classroom and other scenes. The new Blender 3.0 version launches alongside a new benchmark which now enforces all benchmarks to be run. We take the Classroom benchmark score using Blender v3 for the scores in this test.
Office & Productivity
Microsoft Office
Potentially the most used desktop software in the world next to the Windows OS, Microsoft Office is synonymous to the office experience. This test is a series of tasks like copying, pasting, cutting, adding images, resizing, saving, etc. Common tasks most Office users take for granted but done in succession to gauge responsiveness and system performance
Photo & Video Editing
PugetBenchmark for Adobe Photoshop
PugetSystems is a US-based system builder that provides high-performance computers built for workstation solutions. They developed an in-house benchmarking tool for various apps including Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Davinci Resolve and a few others. These benchmarks put a professional-level workload on systems and is scored based on a reference system.
The current version PugetBenchmark for Photoshop is scored against a Core i9-9900K system while the Premiere Pro benchmark is scored against a Ryzen 9 5900X. PugetBench is a plugin to the software its named after and requires actual Adobe software to function. For a detailed description of the benchmark, see here (Ps) and here (Pr)
PugetBenchmark for Adobe PremierePro
The latest version of Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro were used for this test.
CrossMark & PCMark
BAPCo CrossMark
CrossMark is a cross-platform benchmark aimed to provide comparative data for different platforms. It uses application models and gauges system performance and responsiveness to generation a score.
PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark is a global standard in benchmarking PCs to meet organizational as well as consumer requirements. PC Mark 10 is the latest version and provides details for office, multimedia use as well as extended features like battery testing for mobile devices, storage testing and a lot more advanced testing features.
SPECworkstation
SPECworkstation CPU
SPECworkstation is part of multiple benchmark suites provided by the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) aimed at providing a standard and unified benchmarking system to meet organizational requirements and performance expectations. We use the latest v3.1 for this test with select scores taken from an official run from CPU and GPU tests.
SPECworkstation GPU
Performance Testing – Gaming
Games Testing Methodology
For a full-hardware workout, visit https://benchmarks.ul.com for our system warm-up and stress test of choice.
For benchmarking methodology, please see our game benchmark method guide.
Test results are gathered and produced on CapFrameX. This makes it easier to get both a line graph comparison and raw averages without extra tools. Simply the easiest tool for benchmarking and it is available for everyone to use, free of charge. Check it out at capframex.com.
Since this is a GPU review, we benchmarked the area of the games that put heavy load on the GPU.
All our test runs are repeatable, click the links below for area and details. Read our benchmarking methodology.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: FPS Benchmark Workshop Map
- DOTA2 – The International Main Event – Day 6: T1 vs PSG.LGD Game 2 (48:00) – The 10-Man Buyback Fight
- Rainbow Six: Siege – Benchmark Mode
- Apex Legends
- PUBG Battlegrounds
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Valorant
- The Witcher 3 – Woesong Bridge
- Grand Theft Auto V – Palomino Highlands
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Kuwaq Yaqu
- Forza Horizon 5
- Destiny 2 – The Tower
- Resident Evil Village – Church
- Final Fantasy VII Remake – Sector 5 Slums
- Cyberpunk 2077 – Little China, noontime
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- God of War
See our Youtube playlist for benchmark sequences.
Note: Some proprietary technologies of NVIDIA like PCSS, HBAO+, and HairWorks work on AMD GPU’s BUT to maintain uniformity amongst GPUs, these have been turned OFF.
You can click on any of the benchmark charts to enlarge the photo. You can also move forward and backwards to quickly navigate through our charts via gallery view. For this test, only the out-of-box normal mode will be tested.
Notes:
- All data are gathered from exactly the same system, with the exact configuration we list here. No data is reused from another system or from any variations of. We gather data from only one system as indicated here.
- Graphics cards are allowed to heat up prior to benchmarking. Cooler graphics cards may boost higher than normal.
- Following up on the above, we try to enjoy the game and play a bit before proceeding to the actual benchmark scenario. This allows us to detect any other problems like stuttering, frame skipping, or any other problems.
- Games that receive graphical updates that affect performance e.g. (DOTA2 moving from DX9 to DX11) will be retested completely.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, popularly known as CSGO, competes for Steam’s and Twitch’s most popular game. It has found a resurgence in its popularity and has recently peaked in 2020 with the number of players that play the game. Based on Valve’s Source Engine, the game received major asset overhauls during the years since its inception nearly 10 years ago. Still, it’s a light game and can be played on fairly lighter systems but the competitive scene for CSGO has seen average players demand high FPS from their systems thus gaining favorable standing with GPU vendors just from the demand for higher FPS alone. CSGO is a game that can easily go past 500FPS on enthusiast systems on maximum settings. We’re including CSGO as requested by our community.
API: DirectX9 (default)
Maximum In-Game Settings
Texture Streaming Disabled
Vsync OFF
DOTA 2
Note: JUNE 2020 – DOTA2 has implemented a transition from DirectX9 to DirectX11 and new install of the game will prompt users to switch from DX9 to DX11. With that said, we are testing DOTA2 in DX11 from now on.
In contention for the most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports: DOTA 2 is powered by the Source 2 engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out with heavy action on screen, especially during clashes which can really stress most systems. This is a game where frame times matter as responsiveness is very important in high-stakes competition. We’re looking at consistently low frametimes in this game for the best experience
Our test uses actual game replay, using the segment from game 2 of PSG.LGD versus T1 during Day 6 of the Main Stage. The clash during the 48:00 where we see a drawn-out fight which sees both teams expending all of their buybacks to secure this clash.
You can watch the replay of the actual game used in the benchmark in your Dota2 client. You can browse the TI10 replay files to see the actual match. You can download it for your own reference. (save it to your DOTA2 replays folder)
API: DirectX11 (default)
Best-Looking slider setting (Ultra)
FPS_MAX 0
Vsync OFF
Rainbow Six: Siege
Nearly 4 years later and Rainbow Six: Siege has become a phenomenon after a lukewarm beginning. The massive shift in focus of the game sees it stepping into eSports territory and the excellent mix of gameplay mechanics, good design and a dedicated dev team has put R6: Siege in a position it couldn’t even picture during launch. Rainbow Six: Siege focuses heavily on tactical and creative gameplay and its vertical levels and highly destructible maps encourage players to be quick on their feet so the action is always going. Powered by Ubisoft’s own AnvilNext 2.0 engine which powers some of Ubi’s recent visual masterpieces, R6:Siege also feature excellent graphics and can get very taxing at high detail settings. The game also features an Ultra HD texture pack download for those that want higher resolution textures but will of course demand more from the system.
API: DirectX 11
Ultra Settings
Anti Aliasing: TAA
Ultra HD Texture pack not installed
Ambient Occlusion: SSBC
Vsync OFF
The game automatically drops to 50% render resolution when Ultra preset is selected
Apex Legends
The battle royale genre sees multiple titles emerge and Respawn Entertainment’s most successful title to date, Apex Legends differentiates itself from main rival PUBG as it presents itself in true, fast-paced FPS. Existing in the same universe as Titanfall, Apex Legends sees contenders in traditional battle royale elimination format but gameplay heavily gears towards more familiar FPS mechanics. As a Respawn Ent. game, it is closer to COD versus PUBG’s more sluggish and heavier gameplay.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: High
Texture Streaming Budget: 6GB VRAM
FSP Cap Disabled
Vsync: OFF
Call of Duty Warzone
Previously known as Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Call of Duty Warzone is the free-to-play, battle royale component to the 2019 reboot of the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game featuring a rebooted storyline, set in a different world where you, along with Captain Price have to stop the world from going to war. Call of Duty Warzone reignites the franchise by introducing full crossplay support where Xbox and PS4 players can play together with PC players. On PC, the game features a new engine pushing photorealism for COD far beyond what their older engine is capable of. The new engine also introduces raytracing and the AI is designed to perceive light as well. With a revitalized multiplayer arena, the game will require fast frame rates. Warzone has a slightly higher system load than COD:MW multiplayer and single player campaign mode.
API: DirectX 12
Render Resolution: 100%
Texture Resolution: High
Texture Filter Anisotropic: High
Particle Quality: High
Tessellation: All
Shadow Map Resolution: Extra
Particle Lighting: Ultra
DirectX Raytracing: OFF
Ambient Occlusion: Both
Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2X
World Motion Blur: Off
Vsync: OFF
Shaders Installed before benchmarks*
PUBG Battlegrounds
Developed and published by PUBG Corporation, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (now officially PUBG Battlegrounds) was an ARMA3 mod which has gained a massive global playerbase after being released as a stand-alone game. PUBG Battlegrounds is now available for almost all platforms from PC to mobile but PC has been the definitive edition of the game. The game has evolved much since its release, receiving multiple polish to arrive at its current state.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Ultra
Vsync: OFF
Valorant
Developed by League of Legends developer, Riot Games, Valorant is a first-person shooter featuring multiple heroes or agents which have unique skills to assist them within the games traditional team-based FPS combat. The game is gaining incredible success and has taken a large chunk of the now-incredibly massive CSGO playerbase as well, presenting a more refreshed take on classic TDM FPS but spices it up with skills, etc. Like CSGO and League, this game is light as a feather for the largest adoption possible. With 360hz monitors and input lag/system latency a major focus for these games, we’re now including it as reference for players.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Max in-game details
Anti-Aliasing: MSAA x4 (highest in-game)
NVIDIA Reflex: Off
Vsync: OFF
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings. This game has found great resurgence in its playerbase thanks to the release of Netflix’ Witcher series.
API: DirectX 11
Frame Rate: Unlimited
Nvidia HairWorks: Off
Ultra Settings
Motion Blur: Off
Blur: Off
Anti-aliasing: On
Bloom: On
Sharpening: High
Ambient Occlusion: SSAO
Depth of Field: On
Chromatic Aberration: Off
Vignetting: On
Light Shafts: On
VSync OFF
Grand Theft Auto V
The fifth and most successful installment to date in the highly controversial Grand Theft Auto series brings a graphical overhaul to the PC version of GTA V which many have lauded as a superior approach in porting a console game to PC. Featuring large areas and detailing, GTA V is a highly challenging application in terms of scene complexity.
Our benchmark uses a run from Palomina Highlands running through a lush area to a remote road all the way to a neighborhood in our car to simulate multiple scene changes.
API: DirectX 11
FXAA Off
MSAA 4x
TXAA Off
Very High settings
Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
Motion Blur disabled
Advanced Graphics enabled
Vsync OFF
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the latest installment in the reboot run of the classic Tomb Raider franchise. The game follows the story set forth by the previous game which Shadow of the Tomb Raider shortly follows after. Technology-wise, the game uses the Foundation engine updated to meet the demand of developer Eidos Montreal to push the engine to its limits. The game supports DirectX 12 and is one of the launch titles to support RTX technology namely DLSS which launched a couple of months post-release.
API: DirectX 12
Graphics Settings Preset: Highest
Texture Quality: Ultra
Texture Filtering: 8x Anisotropic
Anti-Aliasing: TAA
DLSS: OFF
Raytraced Shadow: OFF
Vsync OFF
Destiny 2
Destiny 2: New Light is an MMOFPS which sees a persistently sizable playerbase. The game features traditional MMO elements but played in an FPS approach which allows a more skill-dependent game versus traditional MMORPG formats. The game features a futuristic sci-fi universe with lush and detailed in-game locations that puts respectable workload on a gaming system.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Highest
Vsync: OFF
Forza Horizon 5
Developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, Forza Horizon 5 is the latest installment in the Forza series, picking up straight after the British escapades of Horizon 4, Horizon 5 takes us now to Mexico for another open-world racing spectacle, that is Horizon. Built on the proprietary ForzaTech engine, the game harnesses its power to provide an excellent experience on both PC and Xbox.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: High
Raytracing: Off
Vsync: Off
Resident Evil Village
Easily one of the best installment in the Resident Evil franchise, Village takes the best of what makes RE4 such an icon and mixes it up with vestiges of classic RE. Built on modern RE Engine, the game supports raytracing as well as other modern niceties. But for the most part, keeps a conservative PC gaming experience. Regardless, the game brings with it classic RE and the RE Engine’s best outing to date on a Resident Evil title.
API: DirectX 12
Detail Settings: Prioritize Graphics
Raytracing: Off
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Exclusively on Epic Game Store, Final Fantasy VII Remake’s PC port is a much awaited transition from Playstation-exclusive to PC release. Despite its exclusive nature of release on PC, the game still managed to carve a following, many thanks to Epic’s barrage of free games leading up to launch. Built on Unreal Engine 4, the game natively runs on DirectX 12 but like many other Sony Studio games, is a bit restricted when it comes to graphic options. Unlike Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy VII Remake is limited to framerate options.
API: DirectX 12
Vsync: Disabled thru mod
Cyberpunk 2077
The most anticipated game of 2020 has just received its sort of “launch patch” this 2022 with version 1.5 changing many things in terms of performance as well as few things in the graphics department. Perhaps the most anticipated game of the last decade, Cyberpunk 2077’s launch has been a rollercoaster to gamers on PC who are largely in agreement that it was definitely worth the wait bar the bugs. Made by CD Projekt Red and based on the REDengine4, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most modern games introducing full utilization of raytracing amongst others. We do not enable raytracing in this test segment, that will be for the latest section of this review..
API: DirectX 12
Settings: Ultra Preset
Raytracing Off
DLSS Off
Vsync: OFF
Average FPS & Relative Performance
The charts below summarizes performance for total, AAA and esports games to give readers an idea of what to expect from these laptops in gaming at a glance.
With our home region a predominantly esports-centric country along with neighboring countries, I felt it was easier to separate performance average based on the most popular esports titles around.
1920×1080
Bundled Software & Extra Features
Extravagant RGB is one of the most noteworthy extra of the ROG Strix SCAR 15/17. The chassis features an RGB light bar across the front which sweeps to the side. All of which are Aura Sync compatible and will emulate the keyboard’s lighting.
Speaking of Aura Sync, ASUS’ new Armoury Crate now includes Aura Sync wallpapers which are dynamic wallpapers which have variable lighting onscreen to sync with your Aura Sync peripherals. Its an overlay wallpaper that sits on top of the Windows desktop and is GPU-reliant which means it sips power so be sure to turn it off when saving battery power.
This dual-purpose touchpad was a staple Zephyrus and Zenbook feature and now makes its way to the SCAR. The Numpad activation requires users to hold down the NumLck area so accidental activation is rare as it the touchpad itself is offset to the right.
The ROG Keystone is still a feature of the ROG Strix SCAR. This little dongle acts as a key which when inserted to the bespoke keystone slot, activates certain features including a hidden storage partition.
For a touch of personalization, ROG includes a couple of replacement accent pieces called Armor Caps to mix it up at the back. There are a total of 3 that come with the box: smoke clear, dirty grey and the default off-black.
Value & Conclusion
Looking back at our 11th-gen Core H-series CPU a little while back, we noted that Intel’s superiority still stems from their higher clock speed but that has been challenged by AMD in recent years and that gap has significantly closed. With the release of Intel’s 12th-gen Intel Core CPUs, Intel has found a recipe to increase performance while effectively keeping within the same power envelope.
There’s a significant performance increase coming from last gen with a Core i7-11800H scoring 4763 in Cinebench R20 and the Core i9-12900H scoring 6652. That is easily a 40% increase in that benchmark alone and shows how strong the multicore performance of this CPU coming from last gen. For further comparison, our test unit outpaces the Ryzen 9 5900H by 25% in said benchmark as well.
In more real-world benchmarks, the Intel Core i9-12900H system scores trounces the rest of our tested samples with a 1207 points score in PugetBenchmark for Photoshop. To put this in context, the base 1000 point score is the same performance as a Intel Core i9-9900K 8-core desktop workstation with 64GB of RAM. A 1207 score puts it 20% faster than the desktop calibration system.
In Premiere Pro, the result is similar with our test system scoring 997 pts. The calibration system here is a Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core desktop workstation with 64GB of RAM. This roughly translates Adobe Premiere Pro performance to a hair under 100% of a desktop workstation of those specs and that is as ideal of a system as they can get.
In terms of gaming, the RTX 3070 Ti is a very capable card and would be limited by last-gen CPUs. The Core i9-12900H manages to really push this card to its potential and our average 1080p charts shows numbers that can easily be confused for a desktop system. With an average 200FPS across the board and CSGO as well as Valorant soaring past 400FPS, anyone really looking to double down on absolute performance on a separate 360hz can bid goodbye to a desktop, a laptop can now take care of your gaming need without a sweat.
Intel does have a lot to work on with their new Intel 7 refinement for 12th-gen come Raptor Lake but that’s wee bit into the future. For now, Intel’s 12th-gen Core H-series CPUs are looking strong with not a lot of weakness to talk about. Depending on what market your coming from, comparisons are pretty direct with multimedia and content creation users looking at not just AMD but also Apple for their laptops while gamers have a more direct comparison with AMD.
Still, Intel manages to still hold on to their performance crown but this isn’t as cut and dry as Intel still needs to improve efficiency as 12th-gen Intel Core CPUs continues to bulldoze thru workloads rather than finesse its way with architectural improvements.
In closing, Intel has set the stage for a very interesting development path and 12th-gen Intel Core H-series 12th-gen Core CPUs and systems powered by it including our ROG Strix SCAR 15 2022 can have a bit more bragging right as an Intel-powered system thanks the absolute performance that Intel offers.
If you’re looking for the highest-performing gaming laptops right now and have been a little bit hesitant, Intel’s new 12th-gen Core H-series laptop CPUs and its new hybrid architecture and high clock speeds will remove any doubt that you’re getting a great, performing laptop.
12th-gen Intel Core laptops are available with Acer Predator, ASUS TUF/ROG, Lenovo Legion, and MSI. Visit official Intel resellers: Abensons, Electroworld, Gigahertz, Lazada, Octagon Computer Superstore, PC Express, Silicon Valley, Villman.
ROG Strix SCAR 15 2022 Conclusion
As this is a sort of a double review, the ROG Strix SCAR 15 2022 sees ASUS refining the little details behind an effective design. Introduced around 5 years ago, the ROG Strix SCAR endures and embodies ROG’s all-around gaming laptop mantra. While ROG is still refining the Zephyrus line which is another story altogether, the ROG Strix SCAR 15 is already a polished design and only bits and pieces here and there are continually refined with annual refreshes mainly seeing performance upgrades thanks to newer parts.
I have to point out that I’m a fan of the transclearant parts on ROG products and last year’s ROG Strix SCAR has a clean translucent panel on the keyboard and rear part. This is changed for the 2022 refresh and is lined with ROG Cybertext and while subtle, it remains visible in some angles and I personally feel that the cleaner design is better especially with the PCB showing through.
Performance-wise, ASUS ROG has become much more confident in their liquid metal application so much so that they’ve implemented it across their entire ROG line. With the improved thermal dissipation, ROG is left to improve their smaller heatsinks and keep overall weight lighter. In competitor systems that do not use liquid metal, we’ve seen more innovative techniques using vapor chambers but ROG is sticking to its heatpipe+fin stack technique and relies heavily in improve this part of their laptops together with the cooling fans.
The improved cooling translates to unhindered system performance which leads to a great computing and gaming experience. The addition of MUX is a welcome choice and the increased refresh rate and resolution brings laptop gaming to a new level.
All in all, the ROG Strix SCAR 15 exudes premium quality all over and its gaming and system performance is nothing to scoff at either. The ROG STRIX SCAR 15 2022 G533Z is now available in the Philippines and is available in 3 configurations below:
- G533ZM-LN022WS (Intel Core i7-12700H/RTX 3060/16GB DDR5/1TB SSD) – ₱129,995
- G533ZW-LN108WS (Intel Core i9-12900H/RTX 3070 Ti/32GB DDR5/2TB SSD) – ₱179,995
- G533ZX-LN027WS (Intel Core i9-12900H/RTX 3080 Ti/32GB DDR5/2TB SSD) – ₱214,995
Check with ASUS ROG concept stores and authorized dealers for price and availability.