Intel has lastly unveiled particulars of its model new Lunar Lake cellular processors. While these chips are primarily targeted on low energy operation, principally meant on your subsequent workplace laptop computer, there may be excellent news for players. Intel is speaking an enormous recreation for the brand new Xe2 iGPU discovered inside these chips.
Lunar Lake is the primary product out of Intel constructed utilizing its newest GPU structure, Xe2. Its prime configuration for Lunar Lake, referred to as the Arc 140V GPU, will include eight Xe-cores. That’s the identical quantity as the highest Meteor Lake GPU, although Intel has already promised different upgrades to enhance efficiency and consistency.
There’s additionally a smaller choice, with seven Xe-cores, referred to as the Arc 130V GPU.
One Xe-core seemingly will not make an enormous distinction to efficiency. According to Damien Triolet, director of GPU technical advertising and marketing, it should not matter a lot in any respect.
“My expectation is that the distinction just isn’t essentially going to be big, the place you will note extra deltas is admittedly from design to design,” Triolet tells me.
Though we’ll see how that shakes out in testing. Either approach, should you’re searching for prime gaming efficiency with out a discrete GPU in a laptop computer, you will wish to search for the 140V within the higher echelons of the line-up.
Similarly, Lunar Lake shares on-package reminiscence between CPU and GPU. There are two reminiscence configurations accessible, 16 GB or 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533, and the bigger choice will little doubt be the most effective probability at excessive efficiency.
Before we get into Intel’s benchmarks, listed below are the Core Ultra 200V Series specs in full:
| Processor | Cores (P/E) | Max Turbo | GPU mannequin | Xe-cores | GPU frequency (GHz) | Memory | TDP (base/turbo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra 9 288V | 4/4 | 5.1 | Arc 140V GPU | 8 | 2.05 | 32 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 30/37 W |
| Ultra 7 268V | 4/4 | 5 | Arc 140V GPU | 8 | 2 | 32 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
| Ultra 7 266V | 4/4 | 5 | Arc 140V GPU | 8 | 2 | 16 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
| Ultra 7 258V | 4/4 | 4.8 | Arc 140V GPU | 8 | 1.95 | 32 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
| Ultra 7 256V | 4/4 | 4.8 | Arc 140V GPU | 8 | 1.95 | 16 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
| Ultra 5 238V | 4/4 | 4.7 | Arc 130V GPU | 7 | 1.85 | 32 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
| Ultra 5 236V | 4/4 | 4.7 | Arc 130V GPU | 7 | 1.85 | 16 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
| Ultra 5 228V | 4/4 | 4.5 | Arc 130V GPU | 7 | 1.85 | 32 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
| Ultra 5 226V | 4/4 | 4.5 | Arc 130V GPU | 7 | 1.85 | 16 GB @ 8533 MT/s | 17/37 W |
Over on the Lunar Lake launch occasion in Berlin, Intel’s Robert Hallock stated of the brand new chips: “I’m not going to name it a gaming CPU, however, rattling, it might probably play a recreation.”
Talking an enormous recreation, then.Â
Intel does present some benchmarks for our consideration forward of the Core Ultra 200V’s launch later this month. All of that are carried out at 1080p. Figures for us to ponder over earlier than our personal benchmarking—though Intel did evangelise the advantages of even-handed benchmarking on the occasion, I need not spell out why unbiased outcomes are nonetheless greatest.
Intel claims a 31% improve in gaming efficiency throughout a spread of video games with the Core Ultra 9 288V (140V GPU) versus its earlier technology Core Ultra 7 155H.
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That’s a fairly first rate uplift over what was, driver pending, a fairly playable 1080p expertise on Meteor Lake.
That’s an eight Xe-core Xe2 GPU going up towards an eight Xe-core Xe GPU. However, the 155H just isn’t the highest Meteor Lake chip. The Core Ultra 9 185H would possibly make for a greater comparability for the marginally quicker GPU clock it affords over the 155H, at 2.35 GHz to 2.25 GHz, although it has a better TDP than Lunar Lake’s most interesting. All of which is to say, it is not precisely apples to apples however someplace shut.
More crucially, Intel claims a 16% enchancment throughout a spread of video games over AMD’s newest Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, the identical chip I not too long ago examined contained in the Asus Zephyrus G16 2024.
The AMD take a look at system is a fairly shut match to the one used for Lunar Lake, with each techniques working 32 GB of RAM. Though the Intel system runs quicker LPDDR5X reminiscence at 8,533 MT/s to 7,500 MT/s on AMD. The Intel system does additionally use a more moderen Windows model: 26100.1301, in comparison with 26100.1150 on AMD. I’d take a guess that the newer Windows model consists of updates to utilise Intel’s new Thread Director in Lunar Lake.
Intel spent far much less time making comparisons to AMD on the Lunar Lake occasion than it did Qualcomm. Clearly, Qualcomm’s newest laptop computer chips have gotten underneath Intel’s pores and skin slightly, therefore why Intel was eager to level out that 23 video games in its take a look at suite did not run on the Qualcomm X1E-84-100 chip it examined.Â
Though within the video games that did run, Intel claims a whopping 68% improve in fps over the Qualcomm chip.
Altogether a superb exhibiting for 1080p gaming on Lunar Lake, and on a chip unlikely for use extensively as a gaming chip. We will see at the least one 200V Series-powered handheld seem in some unspecified time in the future, that is the MSI Claw 8 in January, and OEMs would possibly stuff Lunar Lake alongside discrete graphics, too.
Though Intel won’t have been too eager to incorporate these video games that do not play so properly on Intel techniques—the listing of which has been usually shrinking since Alchemist discrete playing cards have been first launched, although points to which they’re nonetheless not completely immune.
Intel says it is targeted on streamlining the Xe2 structure with a purpose to reduce incompatibilities and improve utilisation—two issues its first gaming structure suffered from. For the sake of future Lunar Lake handheld gaming PCs, I certain hope it is managed to do exactly that.
Triolet does inform me that the software program stack, the drivers bringing all of it collectively, ought to at the least be improved by the point we get our arms on Lunar Lake and Xe2 in discrete kind.
“We use the identical software program stack throughout our GPU household, and the software program stack right this moment is essentially the most steady it is ever been. And it is smart, proper? We’ve been engaged on that for the previous few years.”
The Xe2 structure seen right here is one and the identical with that set to function inside Intel’s upcoming Battlemage discrete GPUs. Unfortunately, the corporate just isn’t speaking about these simply but. Here’s hoping we’re not left ready for much longer.
