Saturday, July 20th 2024
Intel Intros 14th Gen Core "E" Embedded Processors with E-cores Disabled
Intel introduced a line of 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" Socket LGA1700 processors for the embedded systems market. A highlight of these chips is that they come with their "Gracemont" E-core clusters disabled, and are pure P-core chips. It's interesting that Intel targets these chips for the embedded systems segment, but isn't building these in the non-socketed BGA packages carried over from its mobile platforms. Intel is addressing nearly all performance market-segments with these chips, including the very top. The Core i9-14901KE processor leading the pack is an 8-core/16-thread chip with eight "Raptor Cove" cores sharing the full 36 MB L3 cache available on the "Raptor Lake-S" die, a maximum boost frequency of 5.80 GHz, base frequency of 3.80 GHz, and processor base power of 125 W. The chip features an iGPU. The "K" in KE denotes that the chip supports overclocking.
Next up, is the Core i9-14901E, the 65 W sibling of this chip, which lacks an unlocked multiplier, and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, with a 2.80 GHz base frequency. Things get interesting with the Core i7-14701E, because the differentiator between the Core i9 and Core i7 SKUs is E-core count, and here we see the i7-14701 retaining the same 8-core/16-thread pure P-core configuration as the Core i9 chips, but with a touch lower frequencies of 5.40 GHz maximum boost, and 2.60 GHz base.
The Core i5-14501E is a 6-core/12-thread processor based on the larger "Raptor Lake-S" die, unlike the regular Core i5-14500 that uses the "Alder Lake-S" die. The 6 P-cores share 24 MB of L3 cache, and each feature 2 MB of dedicated L2 cache, unlike the i5-14500, which sees 1.25 MB of L2 cache per P-core, besides the 8 E-cores. This chip boosts up to 5.20 GHz, and has a base frequency of 3.30 GHz. The i5-14501TE is a variant of this chip with 45 W processor base power, 5.10 GHz maximum boost frequency, and 2.20 GHz base frequency.
Lastly, there are the Core i5-14401E, i5-14401EF, and the i5-14401TE. The first two are differentiated with the i5-14401EF lacking integrated graphics, the first two are 65 W chips, while the i5-14401TE is 45 W. The i5-14401E/EF boost up to 4.70 GHz, with a 2.50 GHz base frequency, while the i5-14401TE boosts up to 4.50 GHz, with a 2.00 GHz base frequency.
All chips in the 14th Gen Core E-series feature the same I/O as the regular 14th Gen Core desktop processors, with a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 PEG interface, a CPU-attached Gen 4 x4 NVMe interface, and a DMI 4.0 x8 chipset bus. The memory interface supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory types.
Sources:
VideoCardz, Jaykihn (Twitter)
Next up, is the Core i9-14901E, the 65 W sibling of this chip, which lacks an unlocked multiplier, and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, with a 2.80 GHz base frequency. Things get interesting with the Core i7-14701E, because the differentiator between the Core i9 and Core i7 SKUs is E-core count, and here we see the i7-14701 retaining the same 8-core/16-thread pure P-core configuration as the Core i9 chips, but with a touch lower frequencies of 5.40 GHz maximum boost, and 2.60 GHz base.
Lastly, there are the Core i5-14401E, i5-14401EF, and the i5-14401TE. The first two are differentiated with the i5-14401EF lacking integrated graphics, the first two are 65 W chips, while the i5-14401TE is 45 W. The i5-14401E/EF boost up to 4.70 GHz, with a 2.50 GHz base frequency, while the i5-14401TE boosts up to 4.50 GHz, with a 2.00 GHz base frequency.
All chips in the 14th Gen Core E-series feature the same I/O as the regular 14th Gen Core desktop processors, with a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 PEG interface, a CPU-attached Gen 4 x4 NVMe interface, and a DMI 4.0 x8 chipset bus. The memory interface supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory types.
61 Comments on Intel Intros 14th Gen Core "E" Embedded Processors with E-cores Disabled
I'd very much love pocket-size friendly CPUs of roughly i5-12400 ST and MT performance without needing to donate half my neighbours to medical science to afford that. I mean, that will be possible eventually but by then, one will need something tenfold faster to run modern games.
Lets say a wood shop with loads of automated saw machines that do need the computational power.
It's getting thrown around by marketing without a second thought these days. Even more confusing for the new guy when it comes to the BIOS option on a lot of boards when choosing PEG/PCIe/Auto for which GPU gets boot priority. (when PEG literally stands PCI Express and the very next setting is read as PCI...express.
BTW PEG stands for PCI Express Graphics, nothing special ;) Hahaha just messing with ya mate.
Still the main reason why I have a core i9 9900 KFC pure 8 core no other BS.
Doing limited runs of chips that don't have the other parts would be the waste of resources
I would think that they are using parts with defective E cores, though I am guessing depending on the demand they could use perfectly good parts as well(if there aren't enough defective parts).
They probably have a large stock of defective parts considering that only i3s in 14th gen don't have any E-core, and it would be a huge waste to sell a part with 8 perfectly good P cores as an i3(with 4 cores disabled).
I'm sure there's silicon where the pcores turned out fine and the ecores... didn't. Hence... this product. That would be my guess. And the alternative would be throwing out the entire chip.