Intel Core Ultra 200S
Well prepared for stirring the water, Intel will be launching its newest Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors on October 24 in the desktop CPU market. Codenamed Arrow Lake S, these new chips boast resolving heating and power consumption issues that haunted previous generations with state-of-the-art AI acceleration.
Intel’s Core Ultra 200S Series launches on October 24, focusing on efficiency with better performance per watt while adding an onboard NPU for AI acceleration and increasing the function set for cooler, more efficient desktop processors.
Flagship Features
The Core Ultra 9 285K leads in this show, Intel’s new flagship processor; here’s what places it in a league of its own:
– Up to 24 cores: 8 performance cores, 16 efficiency cores
– Greatly reduced power consumption
Up to 80 watts lower in gaming workloads like Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
– As much as 165 watts less with more demanding titles
13°C less hot than the previous Core i9-14900K
– Built-in Neural Processing Unit, NPU for AI acceleration
Performance and Efficiency
Although the Ultra 9 285K operates at somewhat slower clock speeds compared to its predecessors, Intel has focused its power on a superior performance-per-watt ratio instead. In addition, it was quite strategic to remove the hyper-threading to further its power reduction.
Intel admits that the Ultra 9 285K will likely trail AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D by a hair in raw gaming performance. The chip should still find its home on creator and AI-centric workloads, thanks to its integrated NPU.
Platform Changes
There are some notable platform changes on the Core Ultra 200S series:
– Needs newer Z890 motherboards – Uses the LGA-1851 socket
Long-term support for this socket has not been determined.
Pricing
Competitive positioning by Intel for the Core Ultra series:
– Flagship Core Ultra 9 285K: $589 Other models: from $294 to $394 Conclusion The Core Ultra series 200S, therefore, is a significant divergence from Intel’s traditional strategy that has dominated its desktop processors. In their attempt to prioritize power efficiency as much as possible, Intel even included AI acceleration capabilities in this processor, further positioning it as a more holistic solution for enthusiasts and creators alike. It’ll be interesting, especially closer to the launch date, to find out how they will execute day-to-day duties and how they match up against the competition.
Intel’s explanation
New Core™ Ultra 200S series processors from Intel are designed for record-breaking performance for AI PCs, creation, and gaming. As the first AI-optimized processor in a desktop from Intel, Core Ultra 200S series delivers up to 36 platform TOPS that will enable major AI performance improvements and improved gaming performance of up to a 28% gaming performance boost compared to competing flagship processors.
Key Features:
New Intel® 800 Series Chipset: Enhanced connectivity and storage include up to 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes, 8 SATA 3.0 ports, and 10 USB 3.2 ports to let users leverage modern technologies to the fullest degree.
Enhanced Overclocking: Overclocking now features fine-grain controls for both P-cores and E-cores, adjustable in 16.6 MHz steps. The new controller supports XMP and CUDIMM DDR5 memory, each up to 48GB per DIMM for a maximum capacity of 192GB to satisfy the demands for high-performance computing.
- Advanced Connectivity: The processors offer 20 CPU PCIe 5.0 lanes, 4 CPU PCIe 4.0 lanes, Thunderbolt™ 4, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. It touts lag-free online gaming with Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi technology that allows features like auto-detecting application priority, bandwidth management, and smart AP switching.
- Multi-Engine Security: The Intel® Silicon Security Engine offers better security through data confidentiality and code integrity, so crucial for heavy AI workloads.
The Intel Core Ultra 200S series represents the full enthusiast solution, offering superior AI and gaming performance, bleeding-edge connectivity, and improved overclocking capabilities. These processors will be available online, in stores, and through OEM partners starting October 24, 2024.
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