The official word from Intel is that the 12th generation Core processors based on Alder Lake will be available later this year, but we are guessing a tighter timeframe. However, given the updated manual for Gigabyte's all-in-one CPU cooler, the Aorus Waterforce X, perhaps an earlier release is planned.

In the mounting bracket section of the manual (PDF), Gigabyte has added instructions for installing the cooler in Intel's as yet unreleased socket LGA 1700. This is the socket used by Alder Lake and supports the new chipset family.

References to LGA 1700 are not just in Gigabyte's online manuals. Twitter user @momo_us, a prominent figure on the leak and rumor scene, posted a photo (via Hardware Info) of the actual paper manual with the updated section added.

He also posted photos of the physical mounting brackets in two different orientations, one configured for existing LGA 115x (1156, 1155, 1150, 1151) and 1200 sockets, and the other for the upcoming LGA 1700 socket release LGA 1700 orientation is slightly wider, with a lateral distance between mounting contacts of 78mm x 78mm versus 75mm x 75mm for LGA 115x/1200.

As for the standoff screws that must be used (supplied with the cooler), they are slightly shorter on the LGA 1700, 25.86mm vs. 26.66mm. This means that if you upgrade to Alder Lake later this year (or whenever) and own a gigabyte cooler, you can bring it with you to your next build.

It also suggests that Alder Lake is right around the corner and perhaps destined to be released a bit sooner than we think. Either way, Gigabyte is ready for Alder Lake's debut, no matter when it happens.

Alder Lake will be one of the most interesting processor families for Intel in quite some time, and like Arm's big.LITTLE approach, it will mean Intel's move to hybrid designs that combine high-performance cores and power-efficient cores on the same die Intel's big.LITTLE approach will mean a move to hybrid designs that combine high-performance cores and power-efficient cores on the same die.

Intel's next-generation CPUs will also introduce cutting-edge technologies, namely DDR5 memory (DDR4 will also be supported) and PCI Express 5.0 support. How it will all fit together remains to be seen, but we are cautiously optimistic that Alder Lake will be more exciting than Rocket Lake.