New rumors regarding the Intel Core Desktop CPU family have been stirred up by OneRaichu who states that Meteor Lake may not come to the LGA 1851 socket.
Intel Cans Meteor Lake CPUs For Desktop, LGA 1851 Socket To Support Three Core Families, Alleges Rumor
There were rumors that Intel might cancel Meteor Lake CPUs for desktop release and it looks like those might be coming true. According to OneRaichu who has been very accurate with his leaks in the past, the leaker states that the Meteor Lake-S Desktop CPUs may not be launching on desktop platforms but will still be headed to the mobility segment. A few months ago, we reported original Meteor Lake-S plans which include various SKUs for the desktop LGA 1851 platform. The SKUs list includes:
- Meteor Lake-S 22 (6P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 125W TDP
- Meteor Lake-S 22 (6P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 65W TDP
- Meteor Lake-S 22 (6P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 35W TDP
- Meteor Lake-S 14 (6P + 8E) / 4 Xe Cores / 65WTDP
- Meteor Lake-S 14 (6P + 8E) / 4 Xe Cores / 35WTDP
https://twitter.com/OneRaichu/status/1606342626654896129
But with Intel Meteor Lake-S allegedly canceled, it looks like we have to revise what we know about the Intel Desktop Core lineup. So starting with 2023, Intel plans to launch the Raptor Lake Refresh CPU family which will replace the existing chips with higher core clocks and an optimized process to enable better power delivery. The latest roadmap confirms this and they will be compatible with all existing LGA 1700/1800 socketed motherboards. This would mean that the current socket would last a good three generations of CPUs.
https://twitter.com/OneRaichu/status/1606346728264781824
But LGA 1700/1800 won't be the only socket that lasts three generations. Rumors suggest that the next-generation LGA 1851 socket might also support at least three generations of CPUs. Since MTL (Meteor Lake-S) is out of the equation now as far as rumors are concerned, the three families we can expect to see on the next socket would have to be Arrow Lake-S (ARL-S), a possible Arrow Lake Refresh and Panther Lake (PNL-S).
Intel 15th Gen Arrow Lake Desktop CPU Lineup (2024)
The Intel 15th Gen Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPUs will bring back the 24 cores that we get on Raptor Lake CPUs today. The Arrow Lake-S top die will utilize up to 24 cores which will be a combination of 8 Performance Cores and 16 Efficiency Cores.
According to previous leaks, the lineup will only come in Core i7 and Core i9 flavors. The CPU will retain the Intel 4 (CPU) + TSMC N3 (GPU) SKU node layout. It is rumored that the 20A node won't make its way to the desktop lineup. The Intel Arrow Lake-S Desktop family is expected to come in the following SKUs:
- Arrow Lake-S 24 (8P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 125W TDP
- Arrow Lake-S 24 (8P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 65W TDP
- Arrow Lake-S 24 (8P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 35W TDP
https://twitter.com/OneRaichu/status/1606343625939746816
Switching from two families per socket to three families seems to be a good move by Intel to keep the desktop battlefield heated with the competition. It has also worked in favor of the blue team in comparison to AMD. It is also reported that the Royal Cove core architecture which is expected to bring massive performance and IPC increases will not come until the generation after Panther Lake which is expected to be Nova Lake and that's a 2025+ product.
We know from previous reports that Intel is preparing a new socket known as "V" that will offer support for at least two generations of desktop CPUs, Arrow Lake-S, and its refreshes + future products. This LGA 1851 socket will be very similar in dimensions to the existing LGA 1700/1800 socket but will offer more pins and added support for new/enhanced features.
During its recent investors call, Intel said that they are progressing really well on their Intel 4 & Intel 3 products. The 14th Gen Meteor Lake production stepping is scheduled to be delivered this quarter with a volume ramp in 2023 while Intel 3 is also expected to enter the early production phase by the end of 2023. Do note that these are early charts and we are still years away from the launch of Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs.
Intel Mainstream CPU Generations Comparison:
| Intel CPU Family | Processor Process | Processor Architecture | Graphics Architecture | Processors Cores/Threads (Max) | Platform | Memory Support | PCIe Support | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alder Lake (12th Gen) | Intel 7 | Golden Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 16/24 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2021 |
| Raptor Lake (13th Gen) | Intel 7 | Raptor Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 24/32 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2022 |
| Raptor Lake Refresh (TBA) | Intel 7 | Raptor Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 24/32 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2023 |
| Meteor Lake | Intel 4 | Redwood Cove (P-Core) Crestmont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | 22/28 | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2024 |
| Arrow Lake | Intel 20A | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | 24/32 | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2024 |
| Arrow Lake Refresh (TBA) | Intel 20A | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | TBD | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2025 |
| Lunar Lake | Intel 18A | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe2 (Battlemage) | 8/8? | LGA 1851? | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0? | 2025 |
| Panther Lake (TBA) | Intel 18A | Cougar Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe3 (Celestial) | TBD | LGA 1851? | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 6.0? | 2026 |
| Nova Lake (TBA) | TBA | TBD | TBA | TBA | TBA | DDR5? | PCIe Gen 6.0? | 2026 |
| Adams Lake (TBA) | TBA | Douglas Cove (P-Core) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | 2026-2027? |
