The first pictures of Intel's next-generation Alder Lake Desktop CPU have been posted in a leak by Videocardz. The pictures show that Intel plans to make huge changes with its 12th Generation line of processors which will be supported on a brand new socket and platform.

Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPU Pictured, LGA 1700 Support & Rectangular-Shaped Package

Intel has so far officially confirmed that it plans to launch two brand new CPU families in 2021. First is the LGA 1200 socket aimed Rocket Lake lineup which would be released in Q1 2021 & the second is the LGA 1700 socket aimed Alder Lake lineup which is planned for release in the second half of 2021 and will be the first desktop processor family to feature a sub 14nm process node known as 10nm SuperFin or (10++).

The Intel Alder Lake CPU family will bring more than just an architectural upgrade. It's the first CPU lineup on a mainstream desktop platform to feature a mix of smaller "Atom" & bigger "Core" cores which will be packaged in a PCB that would be taller than the square-shaped chips Intel has been making since the previous decade. In the pictures, you can clearly see that the Alder Lake CPU has a more rectangular shape with exact dimensions of 37.5 x 45.0mm whereas the existing CPUs with the square-shaped package feature dimensions that are a perfect square (37.5 x 37.5).

The new dimensions would mean that Alder Lake CPUs and all future CPUs would no longer be compatible with the existing socket layouts. Hence a new socket is required and for Alder Lake-S, that would be the LGA 1700 socket. The backside of the PCB still features a land grid array pin layout and there are a total of 1700 gold contact pads while a large array of caps can be seen fused in the middle of the PCB. The Alder Lake die should obviously be bigger and there are chances that we could see Intel utilize a chiplet design similar to AMD's.

Intel Mainstream CPU Generations Comparison: