Tuesday, May 12th 2020
Intel Apparently Reserving 28 W Ice Lake Mobile Chips for Apple, Removes Entries from ARK
The idea of an ARK is to preserve that which enters it; however, the legend on the basis of arks and their concept must've slipped Intel's internal memos. The company has de-listed a previously detailed Ice Lake mobile CPU from its database - the Core i7-1068G7 - which was a 28 W part available for system integrators to build machines around. That part was special, because it was - then - the only 28 W part listed for mobile Ice Lake, with the rest of the CPU lineup having configurable TDPs between 12 W and 25 W - thus having a lesser maximum theoretical performance due to reduced TDP.
In its stead, Intel has entered a new, Core i7-1068NG7 (yes, the same naming with an extra N), which places this as an Apple-exclusive CPU, according to the folks over at Notebookcheck. Besides this entry, Intel has also listed the i5-1038NG7, which also features a 28 W TDP that's higher than the other available CPUs for other system integrators. If this is true, then Intel is reserving its cream-of-the-crop CPUs for Apple. Since the California-based company wouldn't be using parts with worse thermal and power consumption figures than what's available for others, the only answer to how these products came to being is that they are binned CPUs with better than average characteristics. Intel could be doing this to keep Apple happy even as the California-based company is well on its way to eschew its dependence on x86 with a fully internally-developed ARM CPU.
Sources:
Intel, Notebookcheck
In its stead, Intel has entered a new, Core i7-1068NG7 (yes, the same naming with an extra N), which places this as an Apple-exclusive CPU, according to the folks over at Notebookcheck. Besides this entry, Intel has also listed the i5-1038NG7, which also features a 28 W TDP that's higher than the other available CPUs for other system integrators. If this is true, then Intel is reserving its cream-of-the-crop CPUs for Apple. Since the California-based company wouldn't be using parts with worse thermal and power consumption figures than what's available for others, the only answer to how these products came to being is that they are binned CPUs with better than average characteristics. Intel could be doing this to keep Apple happy even as the California-based company is well on its way to eschew its dependence on x86 with a fully internally-developed ARM CPU.
7 Comments on Intel Apparently Reserving 28 W Ice Lake Mobile Chips for Apple, Removes Entries from ARK
Apple did fuck up the transition to the i9-9880H, not going to defend that part. But Intel has not been doing a great job with keeping things cool either, and from what I hear Ice Lake is even worse. Supposedly these "28W" chips missed their power target by over 40%, and some have been clocked in at a staggering 190W during turbo duration. Intel removing the Apple specific bin from their chart likely indicates that supply of functional chips at that level is extremely constrained.
Nope, Intel's fault for not making an 8 core use less power than a 4 core part that was already getting cooked....
Oh wait what about that design that Apple uses that has the fan on the opposite side of the case from the fin stack...
Nope not Apple's fault...