Intel at this time launched the cell model of its “Raptor Lake Refresh” processors for laptops at CES 2024, answering the calls for for extra efficiency in its pocket book chips. Led by the Intel Core i9-14900HX, the brand new chip household can hit 5.8GHz, driving desktop speeds inside a gaming laptop computer. Raptor Lake Refresh powers Intel’s 14th-gen desktop collection as effectively, however these new processors are being supplied alongside the corporate’s much-hyped “Meteor Lake” Core Ultra chips in laptops.
If you’re already an proprietor of a 13th-gen Core laptop computer, nonetheless, it’s possible you’ll need to pause. These new chips appear awfully acquainted, and 14th-gen Core HX laptop computer house owners are doubtless see a lot sharper efficiency enhancements in comparison with the Core Ultra than the 13th-gen cell components.
We’ve barely seen the primary Intel Core Ultra laptops debut from Lenovo and Acer, led by our review of the Acer Swift Go 14 and hands-ons of multiple Core Ultra laptops performing AI duties. But Intel hasn’t been shy in speaking about how the Core Ultra sips energy, with an emphasis on lengthy battery life.
It now seems to be just like the Core Ultra would be the engine for all-day productiveness laptops, and the brand new 14th-gen cell Core HX collection will likely be what you’ll purchase for Intel-based quick gaming laptops. About sixty HX-based notebooks will ship this yr, Intel expects.
The secret? More cores, surrounded by an infrastructure that delivers extra information. Intel’s Core Ultra processors high out at six efficiency cores (P-cores) and eight effectivity cores (E-cores) with a pair of low-power E-cores, in addition. The Core Ultra Thread Director’s administration software program pushes new duties to the lowest-power cores, first. On the opposite hand, Intel’s 14th-gen cell chips just like the Core i9-14900HX high out with eight P-cores and a whopping sixteen E-cores, and it seems new duties will likely be routed to the quickest cores first.
While the brand new 14th-gen Core cell processors share some overlap with the Core Ultra — DDR5 reminiscence, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3, and built-in Wi-Fi 6E (with assist for discrete Wi-Fi 7 playing cards) — there’s one important improve: assist for Thunderbolt 5, which guarantees 80 to 120Gbps connections permitting a number of high-resolution shows and sure a resurgence of exterior GPUs.
Yes, the title is a bit bizarre — Intel refers to those because the Intel Core processor HX-series (14th-gen), or 14th-gen cell Core HX. But for those who maintain an eye fixed out for processors just like the Core i9-14900HX on the labels at laptops you’re taking a look at, you have to be in your solution to shopping for the perfect efficiency Intel presently gives.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Between the Core and Core Ultra manufacturers, Intel and its companions will ship greater than 750 designs this yr, Michelle Johnson Holthaus, govt vice chairman o the Intel Client Computing Group, stated on stage at CES right here, launching the brand new chips. Excecutives from HP, Dell, Lenovo and extra had been on stage supporting the launch.
Speeds and feeds
Intel is launching 5 14th-gen cell Core HX processors at this time. They’re Intel 7 chips, just like the desktop version of the 14th-gen Core, Raptor Lake Refresh. All of those are 55W components, although they will ask as much as 157W of the laptop computer when in turbo mode.
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- Intel Core i9-14900HX: 24 cores (8 P-cores at as much as 5.8GHz,16 E-cores as much as 4.1GHz)/32 threads, UHD Graphics at 1.65GHz.
- Intel Core i7-14700HX: 20 cores (8 P-cores at as much as 5.5GHz,12 E-cores as much as 3.9GHz)/28 threads, UHD Graphics at 1.6GHz
- Intel Core i7-14650HX: 16 cores (8 P-cores at as much as 5.2GHz, 8 E-cores as much as 3.7GHz)/24 threads. UHD Graphics at 1.6GHz
- Intel Core i7-14500HX: 14 cores (6 P-cores at as much as 4.9GHz, 8 E-cores as much as 3.5GHz)/20 threads. UHD Graphics at 1.55GHz
- Intel Core i7-14450HX: 10 cores (6 P-cores at as much as 4.8GHz, 4 E-cores as much as 3.5GHz)/16 threads. UHD Graphics at 1.5GHz
To be honest, these new 14th-gen HX processors outshine Meteor Lake by way of efficiency, however they appear awfully just like the 13th-gen Core chips Intel announced in January 2023. Take the Intel Core i9-13980HX: 8 efficiency cores, 16 effectivity cores, with the turbo clock velocity of the P-cores hitting 5.6GHz. That chip would slot in fairly properly between the present Core i9-14900HX and the Core i7-14700HX.
Even a better look doesn’t reveal that many adjustments, although the low-end cell processors enhance. At the low finish, the older Core i5-13450HX supplied 6 P-cores at 4.6GHz, 4 E-cores at as much as 3.4GHz, and UHD graphics at as much as 1.45GHz. The Core i7-14450HX delivers 6 P-cores at 4.8GHz turbo speeds, 4 E-cores at 3.5GHz, and UHD Graphics at 1.5GHz.
None of those new 14th-gen chips comprise AI capabilities, not like Meteor Lake. (Intel launched standalone Movidius AI playing cards alongside among the 13th-gen cell Core chips.) And as a result of these are cell processors, Intel isn’t disclosing costs. Instead, laptop computer makers will purchase them instantly from Intel.
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The period of Thunderbolt 5 begins inside Intel’s 14th-gen Core HX
There are some variations within the supporting I/O infrastructure, although. For one, the Raptor Lake Refresh structure is constructed upon the standard two-die design, with a CPU and an I/O chip. Meteor Lake makes use of a brand new tiled structure.
The new 14th-gen Core HX-series chips will use DDR5-5600 reminiscence, like Meteor Lake (which makes use of LPDDR5 or LPDDR5X-7469 reminiscence, too). The new 14th-gen HX chips received’t be capable to obtain these sooner speeds, and DDR4 3200 is listed instead reminiscence possibility as a substitute for 14th-gen HX laptops.
The tradeoff? More lanes of PCIe Gen 5 as a substitute — Meteor Lake features a 1×8 PCIe 5.0 connection, whereas the 14th-gen HX platform consists of x16 lanes as a substitute. The new 14th-gen HX cell platform additionally consists of 4 lanes of PCIe4 off the CPU (plus one other 16 off of the I/O controller) and 12 lanes of PCIe 3.0 off the I/O controller, too.
Intel
It’s potential that a few of these PCIe 5 lanes might be used for Thunderbolt 5. Intel doesn’t record Thunderbolt as an built-in function of the platform in any respect, and has listed it as obtainable on choose fashions. WiFi 7 ought to be obtainable as a discrete possibility, too, as will Intel’s Wi-Fi 7 (5 Gig) BE200 chip, and the Killer 1750x, which can mix WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
And on paper, it seems that the 14th-gen HX laptops will fall a bit in need of Meteor Lake by way of show I/O. While the Core Ultra/Meteor Lake helps DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1, the 14th-gen HX tech helps simply HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4.
By playing on DisplayPort 1.4 (in addition to embedded DisplayPort 1.4, additionally supported) Intel is betting that players received’t need something greater than 4K120Hz native outputs, fairly than the 4K240 possibility DisplayPort 2.1 (or 8K60) offers. HDMI 2.0b can solely assist 4K60 decision, or 1440p outputs at 120Hz.
But there’s a slight wrinkle. The 14th-gen HX platform helps High Bit Rate 3 (HBR3) a lossless compression customary. Provided the output helps it, HBR3 works with DisplayPort to offer (lossless) compressed video at as much as 8K60 utilizing a single monitor.
The 14th-gen HX platform additionally helps WiFi 6E, (simply) gigabit Ethernet, x8 SATA, and 14 USB2 and 10 USB3 connections.
Intel can be carving out a small group of U-class processors into its personal particular grouping, and it’s not fairly clear why. We might even see these in Chromebooks, or simply funds shopper and business-class notebooks. The emphasis right here is on battery life, with extra weight given towards E-cores than P-cores.
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The plus? Support for 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Though you possibly can actually join any Thunderbolt 4 port to a Thunderbolt dock, assist for 4 ports signifies that it’s doubtless that you simply’ll see at the least one port on both aspect of your laptop computer. Snake just a few I/O cables round your desk and also you’ll quickly recognize how helpful that’s.
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How quick is the Intel Core HX?
Naturally, Intel is evaluating its newest processors to older AMD Ryzen CPUs, in making the declare that its newest chips outperform AMD’s greatest. But it’s noteworthy, too, that Intel isn’t making any gen-over-gen comparisons to its 13th-gen cell Core chips, too. While we haven’t reviewed the brand new 14th-gen Core HX platform, it appears potential that we’ll see a light gen-over-gen efficiency enchancment just like our Intel 14th-gen desktop Core review.
For reference, our review of the Intel Core i9-13980HX carried out fantastically — in contrast in opposition to Intel’s 12th-gen Core components.
Intel
At least Intel is bringing in AMD’s X3D components for comparisons. Otherwise, it could be two cell Core architectures to AMD’s one.
Intel
All of the brand new 14th-gen HX platforms are overclockable, and assist Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility for tuning and overclocking reminiscence, in addition to Intel’s XMP, or Extreme Memory Profile. Intel can be regularly tuning purposes and video games by way of Intel Application Optimization, and the corporate says that it’s added six new gaming titles since October.
We’re already seeing gaming laptops introduced utilizing the brand new 14th-gen Core HX chips. Will AMD have a solution?
This story was up to date at 4:09 PM with further particulars.
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