It’s been such a tough yr for CPUs, particularly for Intel, that I really feel like a scared canine tentatively approaching a deal with after I hear rumblings about upcoming processors. It’s a part of the rationale I do not prefer to cowl too many rumours, as a result of I do not need others struggling the identical potential disappointment. But these newest ones have rekindled the slightest glimmer of hope inside me.
Here’s the most recent, briefly. Firstly, we’d now know some clock speeds of entry-level and mid-range Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs due to an obvious leak conveyed by X person Raichu (through VideoCardz). And they’re first rate contemplating different rumoured architectural and effectivity enhancements.
Secondly, there’s renewed cause to look in direction of a strong Arrow Lake Halo cell processor, as a result of it has been talked about in a transport manifesto at NBD.ltd (through Wccftech) and has seemingly been confirmed by a Lenovo PR (through VideoCardz).
Arrow Lake seems to be to be only a few weeks away, and I wager Intel’s obtained its fingers (probably even its toes) crossed for an incredible launch. After layoffs, Arm share liquidation, Raptor Lake stability points, and a dropped 2024 invitation occasion, tides should certainly now be prepared to show for chipzilla.
While one can solely hope, these newest rumours do level in a optimistic path for a change. Let’s begin with the Arrow Lake-S specs. The clock speeds most related to avid gamers are rumoured to be as follows:
| Intel Arrow Lake CPU | Base clock (P-Cores) | Boost clock (P-Cores) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Ultra 3 205 | 3.9 GHz | 4.8 GHz |
| Core Ultra 5 235 | 3.4 GHz | 5 GHz |
| Core Ultra 5 245 | 3.4 GHz | 5.1 GHz |
We do not know exactly how the brand new Core Ultra nomenclature will stack the chips up in comparison with earlier i5/i7/i9 nomenclature, so it is arduous to know precisely which chips to check these to. But given they are not Core Ultra 7 or 9 chips, we will in all probability evaluate them to i3 and i5 chips.
In which case, these numbers look fairly good. The current-gen Intel Core i5 14600K has a lift clock of 5.3 GHz and the Core i5 14400 has a lift clock of 4.7 GHz. Which means these rumoured Arrow Lake-S clock speeds are just about in-line with current-gen chips.
If that was the entire story then there’d be little to get enthusiastic about, however we should bear in mind Arrow Lake-S is alleged to not solely use a model new core format but additionally be principally produced on TSMC’s N3 node and devour as much as 100 W much less energy at excessive frequencies.
After listening to that Arrow Lake needs to be much more environment friendly, I used to be just a little anxious that we simply would not see sufficient excessive frequencies for these fabled effectivity beneficial properties to kick in, at the least not with lower-end chips. But if these clock speeds are right, it seems to be like I won’t want to fret in spite of everything..
This, after all, is on prime of what we have already heard in regards to the higher-end Arrow Lake chips—which ought to launch earlier than lower-end ones. The upcoming flagship Core Ultra 9 285K, as an example, is rumoured to spice up as much as 5.7 GHz and carry out higher than the Intel Core i9 14900KS and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X in single-threaded and multi-core workloads.
But shimmying this down into the decrease finish with some first rate clock speeds, too? I could be right here for that.
And then we come to Intel Arrow Lake Halo, the spectrous cell graphical powerhouse—considerably of a Schrodinger’s chip, nebulously each out and in of existence within the minds of observers within the hearsay mill. The newest rumours on this entrance are… properly, simply that it exists. But that is sufficient, provided that many anticipated it to be subsumed by upcoming low-power Lunar Lake chips.
The reality that there is renewed hope that it does exist is cause sufficient for pleasure over a cell PC gaming market that is arguably extra promising and progressive than the desktop one. Even if Arrow Lake Halo “will not be accessible so quickly”, because the Lenovo PR suggests.
Original rumours (waaay again when) had been that it might have a giant Alchemist Xe-LPG Ark GPU with 320 Execution Units (EUs). There’s been lots of back-and-forth since then, and no person actually is aware of what such a chip would really be like, however “Halo” is supposed to designate, y’know, a halo product, so do not blame me for feeling a twinge of pleasure at potential proof that it exists.
Plenty to be tentatively enthusiastic about, then, or at the least tentatively attentive. Imagine if Intel could possibly be the one to carry the gaming processor scene again from the brink. Wouldn’t that be one thing?
