Intel is announcing its latest processor lineup at CES 2024… and they're probably not the chips you expected
Intel announced its latest line of mobile and desktop processors today at CES 2024, and they're probably not the chips you expected following Intel's Meteor Lake launch on December 14.
Instead of a new wave of next-generation AI chips like the new Core and Core Ultra processors, Intel is releasing a final tranche of chips from its 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh series, including new enthusiast HX-series processors for laptops and new 65W and 35W 14th generation desktop chips, designed to meet a wide range of computing needs.
Finally, Intel is also expanding its portfolio with the Intel Core mobile processor Series 1 family, led by the Intel Core 7 processor 150U, targeting the best thin and light laptop systems coming to market in 2024.
The Intel 14th Generation processor family is positioned to deliver premium performance and platform features for both enthusiast and mainstream PC users, with the HX Series processors specifically designed for mobile users who demand peak performance on the go.
These are the chips you can expect to see in the best gaming laptops and best mobile workstation models throughout 2024, and instead of integrating a new neural processor unit for AI applications as you'll find with Intel Meteor Lake, the 14th generation At HX chips are all about squeezing the last bit of performance out of Intel's hybrid core architecture, first introduced with Intel Alder Lake in 2021.
One of the stars of the HX series is the Intel Core i9-14900HX, with eight performance cores (P-cores) and 16 efficient cores (E-cores), for a total of 32 processing threads, which not only promises superior performance connectivity, as well as significant improvements in single and multi-thread performance. This is further emphasized by the turbo frequency up to 5.8 GHz and the 50% increase in E-cores of the Intel Core i7-14700HX. The HX-series processors also support up to 192GB of DDR5-5600 memory and come with overclocking capabilities, including support for Intel Extreme Utility (XTU) and Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP).
In terms of connectivity, the new processors offer Thunderbolt 5 support with up to 80 Gbps bi-directional bandwidth and enhanced wireless features such as integrated Intel Wi-Fi 6E and the new discrete Intel Wi-Fi 7 support for reliable, high-speed connections.
On the desktop side, the new release includes 18 new processors, which Intel says will deliver a turbo frequency of up to 5.8 GHz, up to 37% faster multi-thread performance, and improved Microsoft Office performance compared to previous generations. These processors also offer backward compatibility with Intel 600 and 700 series motherboards and support up to 192 GB of DDR5-5600/DDR4-3200 MT/S memory.
The Intel Core 14th Generation processors are not only intended to enhance gaming and creative workloads, but also target different vertical markets. They are designed to handle AI and compute-intensive tasks efficiently, enabling innovation in areas such as education, healthcare and industrial automation, although this should not be confused with the AI capabilities of Intel's Meteor Lake processors, which as of now are. It is not expected to launch as socket chips, but rather remain only as laptop and all-in-one desktop processors.
For a socketable Intel chip with dedicated AI processing via an NPU, enthusiasts will likely have to wait until Intel Arrow Lake drops later in 2024.
In addition to announcing the 14th generation, Intel also announced its new Core U Processor Series 1, including the Intel Core 7 processor 150U, which offers a turbo frequency of up to 5.4 GHz and up to 96 GB of DDR5-5200/DDR4-3200 memory and robust connectivity options. This series is tailor-made for mobile systems that require a balance between performance and efficiency.
Overall, Intel's launch at CES 2024 provides plenty of contenders for our best processors list, although the most exciting chips will likely be the new mobile HX series, which should deliver high-end laptops for work and a dash of extra performance deliver before Intel completely pivots away from the 14th generation hybrid architecture.
Once again with a feeling for Intel's 14th generation processors
Intel is definitely in a transition phase, and the CES announcement is really a reflection of this pivotal point in the company's processor development. With all the attention on Meteor Lake, Intel's new 14th generation chips on both desktop and mobile are something of a clean-up for Team Blue. For the rest of 2024, all eyes will be on Meteor Lake, Arrow Lake, and possibly even Lunar Lake chips, assuming Intel can stick to its plans of five processor generations by 2025 (whether Intel's plans include 2025 remains to be seen councils). deliberately vague, it seems; the 'by' in 'by 2025' does a lot of heavy lifting there).
As we see Intel move past the hybrid core architecture that put Team Blue back at the top of the chipmaker's list following AMD's resurgence with its Ryzen processors, the next few processor generations with a multi-chiplet design architecture will be both new to Intel and likely a bit buggy to start with.
Intel Meteor Lake is exciting, but it will also likely have some notable growing pains as we move into 2024, and Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake will hopefully iron out as the new architecture matures through iteration. Until then, though, enthusiasts will have to keep an eye out for the latest Raptor Lake Refresh chips for high-end silicon from Intel.
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