You can now build gaming desktops powered by Intel’s Alder Lake-H laptop CPUs

In context: Intel’s Alder Lake-H laptop CPUs may be a generation old, but they’re still pretty capable in their own right. With TDPs starting at a mere 45W, they are also fairly power efficient, making them ideal for most use cases including gaming.

Chinese motherboard manufacturer Erying has released a number of DIY gaming PC motherboard kits with Intel’s Alder Lake-H laptop CPUs. The boards, which are currently available for sale on AliExpress, come in mATX and Mini-ITX form factors.

The kits offer a range of CPU options including the Core i7-12700H, Core i5-12650H, Core i5-12500H, and the Core i5-12450H.

The most powerful processor in the lineup is the Core i7-12700H, which comes with 14 cores, including six performance cores and eight efficient cores. It has a total of 20 threads, and a max turbo frequency of 4.7GHz. The base power rating is 45W and the max turbo power rating is 155W.

The CPUs have a BGA design and are soldered to the motherboard, meaning users won’t be able to swap them out when they want to upgrade.

As for the motherboard, it has a 6+1 Phase VRM design and is powered by a single 8-pin connector. It comes with 2x DDR4 DIMM slots with support for up to 64GB of RAM, and 3x M.2 slots including two Gen 4 x 4 and one Gen 3 x 4 slot for SSDs. The board also has a PCIe Gen 4 x 8 slot for a discrete graphics card.

I/O options include 1x VGA port with support for a 1,920 x 1,080 60Hz display, 2x HDMI slots that support 4,096 x 2,160 @ 60 Hz panels, 4x USB Type-A ports, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2x RJ45 Ethernet ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Pricing starts at $236 for the base Mini-ITX model with the Core i5-12500H, but the top-end model with the Core i7-12700H will set you back $343. AliExpress is offering free shipping to the US, but it will take a month for the products to arrive Stateside. Buyers can also choose expedited shipping, which costs $70.

Overall, the DIY kits offer great value for money, especially for people who are looking to get their hands on something affordable.