Intel began to release a hybrid architecture client CPU platform codenamed Alder Lake just last year. The enterprise’s new platform brought technological improvements, particularly in multithreaded programs, to the company and its consumers.
Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake is designed to deliver incredible performance and responsiveness for gaming, creating and editing content, and other demanding tasks.
Above-average performance on paper will be taken as a guarantee of the improved functioning of Intel’s 13th Generation Raptor Lake CPUs. The gen, the NMS platform, the design, and the age of the board will all stay as is. The CPUs are based on Intel’s 10nm ESF ‘Intel 7’ process node and will have the same P-Core & E-Core design as models from previous generations.
Intel 13th Generation Raptor Lake Desktop CPUs are expected to include the following features:
- Raptor Cove CPU Cores with up to 24 cores and 32 threads (Higher P-Core IPC)
- Based on the ESF ‘Intel 7’ process node at 10nm
- Existing LGA 1700 motherboards are supported.
- Support for Dual-Channel DDR5-5600 Memory
- 20 PCIe Gen 5 Lanes with Enhanced Overclocking Capabilities
- TDP 125W PL1 (Flagship SKUs)
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Intel Raptor Lake CPUs Specifications:
Starting from the ground up, Intel’s 13th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs will incorporate a hybrid design, mixing Performance-Optimized ‘P’ and Efficiency-Optimized ‘E’ cores. For the upcoming chips, Intel will be using a brand-new P-Core called Raptor Cove that will replace the Golden Cove cores featured in the Alder Lake CPUs.
The new chips designed by Intel will be called the P-Core Raptor Cove, a replacement for the Alder Lake CPU’s Golden Cove cores. For the E-Core, Intel will continue to use the Gracemont core architecture, yet it will offer a number of small improvements.
Based on rumors, Intel’s 13th Generation Raptor Lake (SoC) processors could show a 15% increase in single-thread performance and an approximately 40% increase in multithread performance. Intel has made the declaration that Raptor Lake will boost performance to double digits.
Intel Raptor Lake – Expected Core Count & Configurations
Intel will acquire the number of cores and threads in Raptor Lake, but it’s important to know which core types will be added.
Raptor Lake P-Core CPUs will keep 8 E-Cores (Raptor Cove) and 16 threads. E-Cores, which also lack SMT, will likewise be doubled to 16 (Gracemont). However, because the E-Core model features only 8 cores, the maximum device configuration will be 24 cores (8 P-Core plus 16 E-Core) and 32 threads (16 P-Core plus 16 E-Core).
Intel is taking advantage of Intel P-Core processors for IPC improvements and the Intel E-Core processors, which increase the number of cores per thread, offer an improvement over the previous generation. You can observe the increase in generation over a generation as a result of the combination.
Intel Raptor Lake – Expected Cache Count & Configurations
Intel also discusses cache configuration, an important topic. Based on recent reports, Intel may have 13th Generation Raptor Lake lineups that include massive pools of L2/L3 cache per segment, which could be marketed as the blue team’s own ‘Game Cache.’
Intel plans to include 2 MB L2 / 3 MB L3 cache per Raptor Cove core in the 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPU’s microarchitecture, while each Gracemont Cluster will feature 4 MB L2 and 3 MB L3 cache. This gives us a total of 36 MB of L3 cache across all cores, 16 MB (2×8) for P-cores and 16 MB (4×4) for E-cores.
- Raptor Lake P-Core L3 – 3 MB (3 x 8 = 24MB)
- Alder Lake P-Core L3 – 3 MB (3 x 8 = 24 MB)
- Raptor Lake P-Core L2 – 2 MB (2 x 8 = 16 MB)
- Alder Lake P-Core L2 – 1.25 MB (1.25 x 8 = 10 MB)
- Raptor Lake E-Core L3 – 3 MB (3 x 4 = 12 MB)
- Alder Lake E-Core L3 – 2 MB (2 x 2 = 4 MB)
- Raptor Lake E-Core L2 – 4 MB (4 x 4 = 16 MB)
- Alder Lake E-Core L2 – 3 MB (3 x 2 = 6 MB)
- Raptor Lake Total Cache (L3+L2) = 68 MB
- Alder Lake Total Cache (L3 + L2) = 44 MB
Intel’s 13th Generation Raptor Lake CPUs’ total cache count will increase by 55% if this is confirmed. AMD will retain the advantage with its standard Non-V-Cache parts, which come with 64 MB of L3 cache and 96 MB of V-Cache SKUs, but the Blue Team will regain the lead due to the high cache count and core count, as well as an expected higher clock speed on an Intel 7 10ESF part.
- Intel Core i9 K-Series (8 Golden + 16 Grace) = 24 Cores / 32 Threads / 68 MB
- Intel Core i7 K-Series (8 Golden + 8 Grace) = 16 Cores / 24 Threads / 54 MB
- Intel Core i5 K-Series (6 Golden + 8 Grace) = 14 Cores / 20 Threads / 44 MB
- Intel Core i5 S-Series (6 Golden + 4 Grace) = 14 Cores / 16 Threads / 37 MB
- Intel Core i3 S-Series (4 Golden + 0 Grace) = 4 Cores / 8 Threads / 20 MB
- Intel Pentium S-Series (2 Golden + 0 Grace) = 4 Cores / 4 Threads / 10 MB
The enthusiast Intel Raptor Lake-S Desktop SKUs will feature Core i9 models featuring up to 8 Raptor Cove cores and 16 Gracemont cores for a total of 24 cores and 32 threads.
Intel’s Core i7 lineup will consist of 16 core (8+8), while Core i5 models will consist of 14 core (6+8) and 10 core (6+4) and finally, we have the Core i3 models which will feature 4 cores but without any efficiency cores.
The lineup will also include various Pentium SKUs that will include just 2 variants that starts with Raptor Cove. A number of Core variants will include 32 EU (256 core) discrete graphics card alloy named after Xe. Certain Core i5 and Pentium SKUs will also feature 24 EU and 16 EU iGPUs.
Intel Alder Lake-S vs Raptor Lake-S Desktop CPU Comparison
| CPU NAME | P-CORE COUNT | E-CORE COUNT | TOTAL CORE / THREAD | P-CORE BASE / BOOST (MAX) | P-CORE BOOST (ALL-CORE) | E-CORE BASE / BOOST | E-CORE BOOST (ALL-CORE) | CACHE | TDP | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i9-13900K | 8 | 16 | 24 / 32 | TBA / 5.5 GHz? | TBA | TBA | TBA | 68 MB | 125W (PL1) 228W (PL2) | TBA |
| Intel Core i9-12900K | 8 | 8 | 16 / 24 | 3.2 / 5.2 GHz | 5.0 GHz (All Core) | 2.4 / 3.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz (All Core) | 30 MB | 125W (PL1) 241W (PL2) | $599 US |
| Intel Core i7-13700K | 8 | 8 | 16 / 24 | TBA / 5.2 GHz? | TBA | TBA | TBA | 54 MB | 125W (PL1) 228W (PL2) | TBA |
| Intel Core i7-12700K | 8 | 4 | 12 / 20 | 3.6 / 5.0 GHz | 4.7 GHz (All Core) | 2.7 / 3.8 GHz | 3.6 GHz (All Core) | 25 MB | 125W (PL1) 190W (PL2) | $419 US |
| Intel Core i5-13600K | 6 | 8 | 14 / 20 | TBA / 5.1 GHz? | TBA | TBA | TBA | 44 MB | 125W (PL1) 228W (PL2) | TBA |
| Intel Core i5-12600K | 6 | 4 | 10 / 16 | 3.7 / 4.9 GHz | 4.5 GHz (All Core) | 2.8 / 3.6 GHz | 3.4 GHz (All Core) | 20 MB | 125W (PL1) 150W (PL2) | $299 US |
Intel Raptor Lake Desktop CPUs Power Ratings
Desktop CPUs are usually classified according to their power ratings. The higher the number, the more powerful the CPU. This is not always true, as some CPUs with lower ratings can outperform those with higher ratings. However, in general, this is a good guideline to follow when choosing a desktop CPU. So here are the power ratings of Intel Raptor Lake Desktop CPUs:
| CPU TDP SEGMENT | 125W | 65W | 35W |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alder Lake PL2 | 188W (241W Perf) | 126W (202W Perf) | 78W (106W Perf) |
| Raptor Lake PL2 | 188W (253W Perf) | 133W (219W Perf) | 80W (106W Perf) |
| Alder Lake PL4 | 283W (359W Perf) | 195W (311W Perf) | 131W (171W Perf) |
| Raptor Lake PL4 | 238W (314W Perf) | 179W (277W Perf) | 118W (152W Perf) |
| Peak Wattage Increase (Alder Lake vs Raptor Lake PL2 Perf) | +5% | +5.5% | +2.5% |
| Peak Wattage Increase (Alder Lake vs Raptor Lake PL4 Perf) | -19% | -9% | -11% |
Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs Performance
The Central Processing Unit, or CPU, is the heart of your computer. It is responsible for handling all the instructions that make your computer work. When you need to do something with your computer, it’s the CPU that gets things done. We expect around 10 to 15% increase in gaming performance and about 15 to 25% improvement in multi-threading performance from Raptor Lake CPUs.
Intel Raptor Lake CPUs Prices
Intel Raptor Lake CPUs are to be available in a variety of price ranges, so it is important to know what you need before purchasing one. The most basic model may only include a CPU and fan, while more expensive models may include a cooler and other features. If you don’t need all of the extra features, be sure to purchase the model that fits your needs to avoid overspending.
Intel’s price approach has been highly aggressive, and this has surely helped them sell enough processors to start making a hole in AMD’s Ryzen market share. Intel just got into aggressive pricing with the last generation of Alder Lake CPUs which turned out to work well in terms of sales volume for the company.
It appears that the new, 13th Generation Raptor Lake desktop CPUs will cost similarly to Alder Lake, which will cost between $150 and $180. Intel may add 2 Core i9 SKUs to its next-generation lineup. The two SKUs will be available in 16- and 24-core configurations.
Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs Launch Date
In terms of launch and availability, Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake Desktop CPUs are slated to be available from the second half of 2022 as well as the 700-Series chipset family. The launch is expected in the third quarter of 2022.
