Testing Intel's Core i9 HX: Is This Laptop CPU an 'Alder Lake' Juggernaut?

pcmag.com:

Intel’s new 12th Generation ("Alder Lake") Core HX-class laptop processors strive to narrow the performance gap between mobile and desktop CPUs more than ever before. This new silicon boasts higher core counts and power ratings than Intel’s H-class processors, as well as some more advanced technology, such as support for the nascent PCI Express 5.0 bus.

Our early tests of the 16-core, 24-thread Core i9-12900HX in MSI’s new GT77 Titan gaming laptop show massive performance potential across CPU-intensive tests and CPU-reliant gaming alike. In short, this is truly desktop-replacement performance. Here's what we saw.

All computer processors work under power constraints that keep their operation safe and predictable. Naturally, laptop-bound chips are more restricted than desktop chips because of their operating environments—it simply isn’t possible to dissipate as much heat in the confines of a laptop versus a big desktop-PC case.

Our laptop processor guide breaks down the different processor power levels you’ll find in laptops, from 15-watt (or under) U-class chips to 45-watt desktop-replacement H-class chips. Intel’s 55-watt HX-class chips represent a more-than-20% power jump from the H class. Considering that laptops are already pushing thermal limits with the H-class chips, that increase is a significant one. More telling is the processor’s maximum turbo power, or the maximum amount of heat the processor can produce for short stints. The H-class chips top out at 115 watts, while the thirstiest of the HX-class processors tops a whopping 157 watts, which is undoubtedly desktop territory.

So, what kind of laptops will get these beastly HX-class chips? Intel is aiming them at elite mobile workstations and gaming laptops.