Intel Core 5 120: Recycled 6-core chip priced higher than newer Intel options — NotebookCheck.net News (19459000)
Intel has quietly rebranded its six-core i5-12400 silicon as the new Core 5 120 and 120F—yet both chips carry provisional price tags well above faster, newer CPUs in Intel’s lineup.
has quietly renamed the Core i5-12400 into the Core 5 120, and Core 5 120F. Early retailer listings were spotted by an industry watcher broken_us ( ) shows provisional prices for the standard chip of $246.01 and $216.66, respectively, for the graphics-less F variant. These figures are placeholders but they place the pair above faster and newer processors within Intel’s own stack.
In essence, not much has changed. Both newcomers rely on six cores of performance with Hyper-Threading – no efficiency cores exist – and share an 18 MB cache. The Core 5 120 is said to have a turbo boost of 4.5 GHz, up from 4.4 GHz in 2022’s i5-12400. It also has a turbo TDP of 110W.
It’s the price. The Core 5 120 costs about 40% more than Intel’s faster Core i5-14400. $176is even more than the Core i5-14600K ($199), which is unlocked. Amazonwas the price at the time this article was written. The Core 5 120F is no better. Its preliminary price is twice as much as the i5-12400F that’s still available. Under $110
These mark-ups aren’t unprecedented – AMD’s Ryzen 5000XT and 3000XT refreshes had a similar trajectory – but history shows that steeper launch prices for recycled silicon rarely last. If the Core 5120 family settles closer towards the sub-$100 price point hinted at by certain commentators, then it could find a niche within budget gaming towers. Six Raptor Lake-class cores running at 4.5 GHz are perfectly adequate for esports games. Intel’s rebranding risks being overshadowed, however, by its newer, cheaper Core i5 alternatives and AMD’s value-oriented products until that correction occurs. Before committing to these chips, builders looking for a low-cost upgrade to the aging LGA 1700 platforms may want to check retailer listings to see more realistic street prices.
Nathan Ali – Tech Writer – 288 articles have been published on Notebookcheck since 2024
– I’m a tech nerd at heart. It all began in middle school. I’ve always been a gadget nerd. Rooting Android phones and jailbreaking iOS was my thing. I’ve bricked some phones, but it hasn’t stopped me from trying. Since over a decade I have been following tech news and trying to stay up to date with the latest. I am not only interested in tech, I also love cars and I enjoy following what’s happening in the automotive industry. Oh, I should also mention that I worked as a free-lance writer. I won’t mention the companies for which I wrote (you know what it is like), but it was an interesting experience. In my free time, I alternate between reading, gaming and keeping up with the latest tech and auto news. It’s a mixture that keeps me entertained and interested.
Nathan Ali 2025-08-3 (Update: 2025-8- 3)
