Intel Meteor Lake SoC is NOT Coming to Desktops: Well, Not Technically
by Gavin Bonshor on September 28, 2023 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- SoCs
- Desktop
- Meteor Lake
Over the last couple of days, numerous reports have revealed that Intel's recently announced Meteor Lake SoC, primarily a mobile platform, would be coming to desktop PCs. Intel has further clarified that while their Meteor Lake processors will be featured in desktop systems next year, they won't power traditional socketed desktop PCs. Instead, these CPUs, primarily crafted for laptops, will be packaged in ball grid array (BGA) formats, making them suitable for compact desktops and all-in-one (AIO) devices.
Intel's statement, as reported by ComputerBase, emphasizes, "Meteor Lake is a power efficient architecture that will power innovative mobile and desktop designs, including desktop form factors such as All-in-One (AIO). We will have more product details to share in the future."
A senior Intel official recently mentioned that Meteor Lake processors are slated for desktop release in 2024. However, they won't be available in Intel's LGA1851 form factor, which caters to gaming rigs, client workstations, and conventional desktop systems. The practice of integrating laptop CPUs into compact PCs, such as NUCs and all-in-one PCs, isn't a novel one. Manufacturers have been doing this for years, and the intriguing aspect will be observing the performance and efficiency metrics of these high-end Meteor Lake laptop CPUs, especially when juxtaposed against the existing Raptor Lake processors designed for both desktops and laptops.
The rationale behind Intel's decision to exclude Meteor Lake processors from socketed desktops remains ambiguous. The CPU employs a multi-tile structure, with its compute tile being developed on the Intel 4 process technology. This technology marks Intel's inaugural use of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), while the graphics tile and SoC leverage TSMC's fabrication methods. Both production techniques are poised to deliver commendable performance and efficiency, but Meteor Lake is not designed as a pure desktop product.
Current indications suggest that the Arrow Lake-S series will be aimed at LGA1851 motherboards, but this is anticipated for the latter half of 2024. While Q3/Q4 of 2024 is still a while away, Intel's motherboard partners, such as GIGABYTE and MSI, have been readying up new refreshed Z790 motherboards, with features such as Wi-Fi 7 set to come to Intel's impending Raptor Lake refresh platform which is due sometime before the end of the year.
Source: ComputerBase
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ikjadoon - Thursday, September 28, 2023 - link
Intel to all tech media in 2021: "Meteor Lake is a 5W to 125W microarchitecture."https://www.guru3d.com/data/publish/208/4d9fab114d...
Intel two months before launch in late 2023: "lol, you believed us again?!"
Basically every rumor site on the world realized Intel's 2021 slide was impossible. Intel is the only company that will loudly proclaim CPU specifications 2+ years in advance.
Sadly, Pat Gelsinger was Intel C-suite during its anti-trust era; transparency and accuracy aren't in his dictionary.
What's especially embarrassing is that Intel only fabs ~25% of the Meteor Lake SoC (the Compute Tile on Intel 4). The Compute Tile is estimated at 39.92 mm2, out of a edge-to-edge 174.87 mm2
So even if TSMC fabs 75% of Meteor Lake, it's a disaggregated SoC, Intel wanted it to ship on desktop, but still Intel 4 can't ramp HVM for desktop-sized Compute Tile's (which is just +2 more P-cores & +8 E-cores).
Intel 4 struggling to HVM ship 40+ mm2 dies appears to be another warning sign. Reply
FWhitTrampoline - Thursday, September 28, 2023 - link
Intel is very well able to Socket Package a Mobile Processor as I'm still using an HP Probook 4540S with a Socket Packaged Core i7 3632QM "Mobile" Processor. And AMD has intentionally not released any Ryzen 6000G or Ryzen 7000G Socket Packaged "Desktop" APUs and is instead making its APU offerings with the more powerful iGPUs, BGA/OEM Only. There are now 2 AMD Ryzen 7040 series based Minisforum and BeeLink Mini Desktop PCs that are offering systems with Ryzen 7040 BGA Packaged APUs and with cTDPs of 70 Watts, and 5 more watts than the last of the socket packaged desktop APUs(Ryzen 5000G series at 65W).This is a Marketing/OEM driven move here from both Intel and AMD to the detriment of DIY and favoring OEMs for Very Small Form Factor system builds. DIY end users are effectively thrown under the bus for any future DIY friendly Very Small Form Factor builds using Socket Packaged APUs/SOCs with Powerful iGPUs that where very Popular for Small Form Factor Builds by DIY end users. Reply
nandnandnand - Friday, September 29, 2023 - link
There will be desktop APUs coming to AM5 eventually. There has been no equivalent from Intel. If AMD threw users under the bus, Intel is driving miles behind the bus. ReplyTheinsanegamerN - Monday, October 2, 2023 - link
It's been over a year and you still believe that? ReplySamus - Monday, October 2, 2023 - link
AMD would release new mobile desktop APU's if there were demand but their "previous" gen is still so far ahead of Iris they can't be bothered to release something that doesn't need to exist. Replylmcd - Monday, October 9, 2023 - link
Vega 7 is at parity with Iris though, and that is all that has made it to LGA. I think you're misunderstanding how weak AMD's iGPU offerings on desktop are. ReplyYojimbo - Thursday, September 28, 2023 - link
Except it's not impossible for "Meteor lake with Foveros" to go from 5 to 125 W. That's demonstrated by "Alder Lake" ranging from 6 to 150 W. The mention of "Foveros" doesn't change the situation.Intel simply chose not to bring Meteor Lake to desktop. The reason the rumor sites were filled with rumors of that was because of leaked slides that said so. Why Intel decided on this course of action is open to speculation. Poor yields on Intel 4? Delay of Meteor Lake? Acceleration of Intel 20A? Simply a more thorough analysis of introducing two products rapidly in succession in the same market space versus skipping one of the products? But one speculative reason that doesn't make sense for why they won't do it is that the architecture can't range from 5 to 125 W. Reply
flgt - Thursday, September 28, 2023 - link
There are not many things in Meteor Lake that were going to move the needle in Desktop, with a much higher power envelope and many people using discrete GPU’s. If EUV production and engineering design resources were constrained it probably made sense to just refresh the existing platform. That gives them another year to use their older fab assets. I just wish they would support entry level workstation and server platforms so OEM’s can stop selling 10th gen systems. ReplyFWhitTrampoline - Thursday, September 28, 2023 - link
And so any Inwin Chopin or ASRock Desk Mini Very Small For Factor DIY(Socket Packaged Processors needed) system builds have to remain at Ryzen 5000G(Vega 8) and Intel ADL/RPL with that 96EU integrated Graphics.And Both AMD(No Ryzen 6000G or 7000G) and Intel(No Meteor Lake S) have gone all BGA only and that's by extension OEM only there. This is Anti DIY and Pro OEM and both AMD and Intel are intentionally doing this to favor OEMs over DIY! Reply
TheinsanegamerN - Monday, October 2, 2023 - link
I hope in win pays you for how much you simp over the chopin. Reply