Key Takeaways
1. Intel has a history of canceling CPU designs, including the Royal Core project and Arrow Lake-S refresh.
2. New information suggests that the Intel Arrow Lake Refresh for both desktops and mobile devices has been revived.
3. The Arrow Lake-S Refresh will use the same interface as current Core Ultra 200 processors, allowing existing LGA 1851 motherboard users to upgrade without new hardware.
4. Leaks indicate that the Arrow Lake-S Refresh could feature up to 42 cores, potentially improving multi-core performance by 30-50%.
5. Readers should be cautious about the validity of the leaked information, as it is over 1.5 years old.
Intel has a history of canceling CPU designs, as suggested by various leaks. Just last year, many reports indicated that the company had scrapped Jim Keller’s Royal Core project and the upcoming Arrow Lake-S refresh. With the supposed cancellation of the Arrow Lake Refresh, it seemed like Intel wouldn’t have a counter to AMD’s Zen 5X3D and possibly even Zen 6 until the arrival of Nova Lake.
Intel’s Arrow Lake Refresh Resurfaces
However, new information suggests that the Intel Arrow Lake Refresh is back in action. According to a post by Golden Pig Upgrade Pack on Weibo, both the Intel Arrow Lake-S Refresh for desktops and the Arrow Lake-HX Refresh for mobile devices have supposedly been revived. The ARL-S Refresh will maintain the same interface as the current Core Ultra 200 desktop processors. This means that users with an LGA 1851 motherboard won’t have to invest in a new one.
Moreover, the leaker has mentioned that AI PCs “are getting bigger and stronger.” Since this is a machine translation, we may be missing some context, but it appears that both Arrow Lake S and Arrow Lake HX Refresh will feature more powerful NPUs and possibly additional cores.
Speculations on Performance
Unfortunately, there is a lack of current information regarding the specifications of the Arrow Lake-S Refresh and Arrow Lake-HX Refresh processors. Nonetheless, some hardware details were revealed in a leak from Moore’s Law Is Dead in 2023. According to MLID, the Arrow Lake-S Refresh could include up to 42 cores, combining 8 Lion Cove P-cores, 32 Symont E-cores, and 2 LP E-cores. As the ARL-R is expected to launch without hyperthreading, this top SKU will be restricted to 42 threads.
This high core count is likely to lead to a significant improvement in multi-core performance, with MLID estimating a 30-50% boost. However, the increase in single-core performance is projected to be only a modest single-digit percentage.
Caution on Information Validity
That being said, it’s uncertain how much of this leak remains valid, as it is over 1.5 years old. Therefore, readers should consider this information with a large grain of salt.
In conclusion, the revival of Arrow Lake-S Refresh and Arrow Lake-HX Refresh brings good news for Intel enthusiasts who have been waiting for something to cheer about in recent months. AMD has been leading the desktop CPU market without significant competition from Intel. Team Red has just introduced its latest Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which are designed for productivity while also delivering top-tier gaming performance.
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