Wednesday, September 27th 2023
Intel Core "Meteor Lake" Confirmed NOT Coming to Desktops, Only AIOs and Mini PCs
Intel's next generation Core "Meteor Lake" processor was confirmed by ComputerBase.de to not release on the desktop platform. The processor will not make it to a socketed desktop package such as the upcoming LGA1851. It will see a mobile-only (notebook and tablets only) launch, with select processor models based on the mobile BGA package being made available to PC OEMs to build all-in-one desktops and mini PCs as non-socketed processors.
The desktop platform presence of "Meteor Lake" has been surrounded by some controversy, owing mainly to its maximum CPU core count of 6P+16E, which is bound to fall short of the current 8P+16E, and AMD's 16P. A slide released by Intel added to the confusion, which indicated that "Meteor Lake" has a thermal range of 5 W to 125 W, with the latter being typically associated with the processor base power values of desktop Core K-series processors.
Last week, in a statement to PC World, Intel Client Computing Group head Michelle Johnston Holthaus, implied that "Meteor Lake" will address all client form-factors, with desktop processor models arriving in 2024, a surprising disclosure, given that the company is preparing to launch its 14th Gen "Raptor Lake Refresh" processors within Q4-2023. "I want one processor family top to bottom for both segments, doesn't everybody?"
ComputerBase.de sought more explicit clarifications from Intel on whether by "desktop," Johnston Holthaus meant mainstream desktop (i.e. socketed processors). After some back and forth, Intel clarified that by "desktop," they meant prebuilt all-in-one desktops, which tend to be internally similar to notebooks and use low-TDP mobile processors; and mini PCs, such as from the NUC brand that ASUS recently acquired from Intel.
This wouldn't be the first time an Intel microarchitecture completely skipped mainstream desktop. The company's "Ice Lake" and "Tiger Lake" microarchitectures were limited to notebooks, convertibles, tablets; and a specific few SKUs made it to AIO desktops and mini PCs.
As for the mysterious 125 W reference in that slide, it could just refer to the maximum turbo power value of a certain higher-spec H- or HX-segment SKU. H- and HX-segment SKUs have been known to come with maximum turbo power values above the 100 W mark for some time now.
Source:
ComputerBase.de
The desktop platform presence of "Meteor Lake" has been surrounded by some controversy, owing mainly to its maximum CPU core count of 6P+16E, which is bound to fall short of the current 8P+16E, and AMD's 16P. A slide released by Intel added to the confusion, which indicated that "Meteor Lake" has a thermal range of 5 W to 125 W, with the latter being typically associated with the processor base power values of desktop Core K-series processors.
ComputerBase.de sought more explicit clarifications from Intel on whether by "desktop," Johnston Holthaus meant mainstream desktop (i.e. socketed processors). After some back and forth, Intel clarified that by "desktop," they meant prebuilt all-in-one desktops, which tend to be internally similar to notebooks and use low-TDP mobile processors; and mini PCs, such as from the NUC brand that ASUS recently acquired from Intel.
This wouldn't be the first time an Intel microarchitecture completely skipped mainstream desktop. The company's "Ice Lake" and "Tiger Lake" microarchitectures were limited to notebooks, convertibles, tablets; and a specific few SKUs made it to AIO desktops and mini PCs.
As for the mysterious 125 W reference in that slide, it could just refer to the maximum turbo power value of a certain higher-spec H- or HX-segment SKU. H- and HX-segment SKUs have been known to come with maximum turbo power values above the 100 W mark for some time now.
54 Comments on Intel Core "Meteor Lake" Confirmed NOT Coming to Desktops, Only AIOs and Mini PCs
Hello Intel, this is the CHIPS Act calling, and we wanna buy ALL that prime beachfront property you own (in central Utah) to build a new fab to make these new chips...just sign on the dotted line and it'll be a done deal ...:D...:cry:..:roll:
Absolutely no need for them to keep releasing cpu's as fast as they are.
No more core anything
ML crash landing on desktop
ML not crash landing on desktop
Its a tough one. Clue: Mini PCs are not small enough for shirt pockets
Q: Let me ask you, is there gonna be a Meteor Lake desktop?
A: Desktop will come in 2024.
Q: So you are confirming Meteor Lake desktop?
A: Yes.
A: Yes.
A: Yes.
A: Yes.
A: Yes.
My laptop is sitting on my desktop right now and it's having an identity crisis caused by a copeium overdose....
What happened here is that when the journalist asked about "desktop processors" they meant the common definition of "desktop processors", i.e. socketable CPUs available to consumers that can be swapped in and out of motherboards available to consumers. And the Intel executive understood this perfectly well, as would pretty much anyone who was asked this question.
But she chose to respond as if she'd been asked about _any_ sort of possibility of MTL _ever_ coming to desktop _in any form_ e.g. NUCs, because answering the intended question honestly - i.e. "no" - would be a bad look. In other words, she chose to act like a lawyer or politician and be "economical with the truth", as they say.
Except, that's lying. Sure, she's got an excuse that she can use to claim that she wasn't, i.e. "I interpreted the question differently" - but everyone knows that she chose to interpret the question in the way that she did, just like people know when a lawyer or politician does the same thing.