Intel Launches Cooler, More Efficient Flagship CPUs for PC Gaming

Intel is addressing concerns about the heat and power consumption of its desktop CPUs with the introduction of its new flagship Core Ultra 200S series of processors, set to be released on October 24th. The focus of these processors is on performance per watt, aiming to operate more efficiently and at lower temperatures compared to the preceding 14th Gen chips. Known as Arrow Lake S, these processors are the first enthusiast desktop CPUs from Intel to incorporate a built-in neural processing unit (NPU) for enhanced AI task performance.

Josh Newman, the General Manager and Vice President of Product Marketing for Client Computing at Intel, stated that Arrow Lake will provide top-tier performance for enthusiasts on both desktop and mobile platforms, achieving this with significantly reduced power consumption compared to previous Intel enthusiast products. Moreover, Arrow Lake introduces Intel’s first AI PC for enthusiasts in both desktop and mobile segments.

The Arrow Lake architecture represents a significant effort by Intel to minimize power draw across its chips. The 13th and 14th Gen Intel Core CPUs were known for their high power consumption, often exceeding their AMD counterparts. The new Core Ultra 200S processors are designed to reduce power usage by half during basic desktop tasks, with substantial power savings during gaming as well.

Robert Hallock, Vice President of Intel’s Client Computing Group, noted that desktop power consumption will be reduced by about half with these processors. Power consumption when using a single core will also be halved, while gaming power usage will vary between 50 and 150 watts, depending on the game.

At a recent press event, Intel demonstrated the performance of its flagship Core Ultra 9 285K in running “Assassin’s Creed Mirage” against the Core i9-14900K. The Ultra 9 285K delivered comparable or better performance, consuming 80 watts less in “Mirage”. Notably, it could reduce power consumption by up to 58 watts in games like “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III”, “F1 24”, and “Total War: Pharaoh”. In some cases, such as with “Warhammer: Space Marines 2”, the Ultra 9 285K operated at 165 watts less than the 14900K.

Intel also indicated that the temperatures of the Core Ultra 9 285K will be approximately 13°C cooler compared to the 14900K when gaming at 1080p using a 360mm all-in-one cooler. Although Intel is transitioning to the LGA-1851 socket with these processors, current all-in-one coolers should remain compatible. While checking with cooler manufacturers for potential additional standoffs might be necessary, Corsair has already confirmed support for both the LGA-1700 and LGA-1851.

Employing the latest 3D packaging technology, Intel has decreased the package size for the Core Ultra 200S series chips by 33% compared to the 14th Gen chips. This has led to changes in specifications, with the flagship Ultra 9 285K shipping with 24 cores, 24 threads, and a boost clock of 5.7GHz—lower than the prior 14900K due to the removal of hyperthreading for better power efficiency.

The Ultra 9 285K will include eight performance cores and 16 efficiency cores, with the efficiency cores enhanced to improve instruction processing and reduce latency. It will feature a 36MB L3 shared smart cache, 3MB of L2 per performance core, and 4MB of L2 per efficiency core. Intel reports that the Ultra 9 285K will be approximately 8% faster in single-thread tasks and 15% faster in multi-thread tasks compared to the 14900K.

Intel has shared benchmark results for the Ultra 9 285K in comparison to AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D processors. The Core Ultra 9 285K is expected to compete closely with AMD’s flagship Zen 5 desktop CPU but will fall behind the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, according to Intel’s own data. The company has acknowledged this expected shortfall in gaming performance between these models.

While this might be disappointing from a gaming perspective, Intel contends its processors will continue to lead in performance for creator and AI tasks. An NPU has been integrated into the Ultra 9 285K to assist with certain AI processes, capable of 13 trillion operations per second (TOPS). However, this technology does not meet the requirements for Microsoft’s Copilot Plus features, which demand an NPU of 40 TOPS or more.

The introduction of the LGA-1851 socket also necessitates new motherboards, and users will require a new Z890 board to use the Core Ultra 200S desktop CPUs. Intel’s 800 series chipset offers enhanced connectivity options, such as 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes, 8 SATA 3.0, and 32 USB 3.2 ports, supporting an overall total of 48 PCIe lanes.

In terms of memory, the Core Ultra 200S series and Z890 motherboards will support DDR5-6400, up to 48GB per DIMM, and a maximum capacity of 192GB. The 800 series chipset has removed support for DDR4. Additionally, these chips are compliant with Secure Core and feature three built-in hardware engines for security enhancements.

The longevity of the LGA-1851 socket remains uncertain, as AMD has pledged support for AM5 until 2027 or beyond. Despite speculation that Intel’s planned Arrow Lake S refresh might be replaced by Nova Lake, impacting the duration of the LGA-1851’s use, Intel has not provided comments on future product plans.

Intel’s announcement of the Arrow Lake series came shortly after addressing instability issues in the 13th and 14th Gen chips, caused by voltage discrepancies. The new Arrow Lake CPUs are unaffected by these previous voltage problems. The Core Ultra 200S chips will begin shipping on October 24th, with pricing set at $589 for the Core Ultra 9 285K, $394 for the Core Ultra 7 265K, and $309 for the Core Ultra 5 245K, along with KF variants of the Ultra 7 265KF and Ultra 5 245KF without built-in GPUs.

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