At Intel Innovation last week, the company officially confirmed the launch details for its new Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) processors, starting off with laptops before heading to desktop chips in 2024. We already learned a little bit about the iGPU upgrades coming with Meteor Lake, but it would seem that there will be multiple configurations, one with an 8-core GPU design and a smaller 4-core design.
While Intel provided architectural specifics, they were tight-lipped regarding particular SKU variations and configurations. The actual lineup has yet to be revealed, but there have been enough leaks to get a basic sense of what Intel will launch on December 14th. One thing we know is that Meteor Lake will feature Xe-LPG integrated graphics. This is based on the Alchemist series, giving improved performance and efficiency over Intel's current iGPUs.
Intel is leaking with its own swag. We know there will be different configurations of the compute, I/O and graphics tiles with Meteor Lake. The GPU will use 8 or 4 Xe cores it seams. pic.twitter.com/522Ih06J4H
— Andreas Schilling ?? (@aschilling) September 19, 2023
Recently, an interesting bit of information came to light regarding Meteor Lake's iGPUs. According to a photo shared by Andreas Schilling, Meteor Lake chips will feature at least two Xe-LPG chiplet combinations, either 8 or 4 Xe-Cores. Because the GPU chiplet is isolated from the Compute, SoC, and IO dies, Intel has more choice in selecting the appropriate GPU subsystem for each SKU.
The Xe-LPG iGPUs are expected to bring a big performance improvement over Raptor Lake's current Xe-LP architecture. During the Innovation 2023 event, Intel placed a strong focus on the chip's gaming capabilities at 10W, suggesting the upcoming CPU series could rival AMD's position in the handheld market segment. Meteor Lake's complete reveal is expected before the December launch.
KitGuru says: Do you think Intel Meteor Lake has what it takes to rival AMD's “Phoenix” APUs in the portable console market?