Summary
Intel has showcased its upcoming Meteor Lake mobile CPU with on-package LPDDR5X memory. The processor lineup has been in the limelight for a while now with rumors and leaks suggesting a new chip design. The demonstrations from Intel show Granite Rapids, Sierra Forest, Ponte Vecchio, and Meteor Lake chips that represent the present and future of Intel’s packaging technology. These new Meteor Lake mobile CPUs are supposed to be Intel’s answer to Apple’s M1 and M2 chips.
Intel has been working on the next generation of CPUs following its 13th Gen desktop and mobile processors. The company was expected to launch Meteor Lake as its 14th Gen processor but instead decided to refresh the current generation –Raptor Lake Refresh– and release mobile CPUs under the Meteor Lake moniker. These CPUs will mark a significant leap in package manufacturing for Intel which has been long due for the company, considering its competition in the mobile space – Apple and AMD.
Intel 13th Gen Desktop Offerings
Intel Core i5-13600K
The Intel Core i5-13600K has 14 cores, 20 threads, and a lot of headroom for overclocking. Gamers looking for the best gaming CPU possible, in terms of value, performance, and features will want to start here. Intel managed to not only beat out AMD in the same category but even created a product that’s available to punch up at AMD’s higher-end CPUs.
Intel Core i7-13700K
The Intel Core i7-13700K absolutely dominates the top-tier sector for value. In fact, with the right cooling and overclocking, this top-tier CPU can beat most of the non-X3D AMD competition. Plus, those who have a 600 series motherboard from their previous CPU, this will work with a bios update.The processor has 16 cores divided into 8 P-cores, 8 E-cores, and 24 processing threads. The processor comes with an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 770, maximum clock speed is 5.2 GHz.
Intel Core i3-13100
The Intel Core i3-13100 is a 4-Core, 8-Thread Raptor Lake-based CPU that is decent for entry-level gaming while offering access to both, newer tech and a solid upgrade path thanks to it being from the latest 13th-generation Intel CPU offerings. It delivers acceptable single-core and somewhat lackluster multicore performance given its limitations of being a quad-core CPU consisting entirely of Rocket Lake P-Cores.
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Meteor Lake,as showcased by Intel, will feature on-package memory. The product demonstrated by Intel shows integrated 16GB Samsung LPDDR5X-7500 memory on the Meteor Lake chip. Thanks to LPDDR5X, the 16GB RAM can deliver peak bandwidth of 120 GB/s which is much higher than DDR5-5200 or LPDDR5-6400. The Meteor Lake CPU is based on the Foveros packaging technology that allows the company to stack chiplets on top of a unifying base die with a Foveros interconnect. Intel is already using this technology in its Ponte Vecchio and Rialto Bridge GPUs.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to on-package memory. The design allows for a smaller footprint, better performance, and a thinner system. This would give more space to other components like batteries and save space dedicated to external RAM. However, it does require more efficient cooling, the soldered-on RAM cannot be upgraded, and if the memory chip fails, the whole package will fail.
Intel seems to be following Apple’s footsteps in its chip design. Apple has been doing this for a while now with itsM1 and M2 chipsand was the first company to do so. The M1 and M2 processors come with integrated LPDDR memory running at 6400 Mbps. The M1 chip design was a huge leap in performance compared to Apple’s Intel CPU offerings. It also allowed the company to completely phase out Intel CPU-based products from its lineup. Furthermore, the company is now able to combine two chips to create a larger, significantly more powerful processor, like the M2 Ultra which is two M2 Max chip dies connected together.
It should be noted that laptop manufacturers will have to be dependent on the chipmaker for their different RAM configurations. It could also impact their DRAM pricing as the volume of memory they purchase on their own from different vendors will reduce. Thus, it would be interesting to see how many and how quickly the laptop manufacturers jump on the Meteor Lake CPU packages.
Meteor Lake mobile processors are expected to be released next year, but Intel should share some information about the roadmap at its Innovation 2023 event. The two-day event will be held on September 19 and 20 in San Jose.
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