Leak Seemingly Confirms Core Ultra Branding is Meteor Lake Only

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Branding simplification, or branding confusion?

Intel CPU
(Image credit: Intel)

Identifying your processor starts with much more than just the manufacturer, and this week Intel re-tooled its venerable Core branding approach in a bid to simplify identifying the best CPU for your needs. However, the company is still keeping the details of some of its new 'Core' and 'Core Ultra' branding approaches close to its chest, but signs are starting to emerge that the branding scheme matches our expectations. Today we’ve got some new confirmation to share from IT Home that seemingly confirms the branding details for Intel’s new Meteor Lake architecture.

Yesterday we published an article detailing the official announcement from Intel that the company would change its CPU branding for the first time in over a decade. You can say goodbye to the classic 'i' prefix for chip identifiers like i3, i5, i7, and i9. They'll also be dropping the generation identification used to distinguish newly released processors.

While they plan to drop the generational identifiers, you can still find them in the official processor product names. For example, what used to be known as the "Intel 14th-Generation Core i9-14900K Processor" would be known today as either "Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 14900K" or "Intel Core 9 processor 14900K".

Intel CPU

(Image credit: Intel)

However, Intel did not confirm whether or not the new Meteor Lake chips would be the only ones to receive the Core Ultra label, or if any of the Raptor Lake Refresh processors would fall under that category. However, leak details from IT Home suggest this is the case. Everything from Raptor Lake U and prior will be considered a Core processor, while Meteor Lake processors appear to be the only CPUs to receive the new Core Ultra label. Thus, the Core Ultra branding will purportedly be used to signify the newest core microarchitecture in any given Intel processor family. 

This information comes to us from IT Home, who shared these leak details on Intel’s new branding over at their official website. There you’ll find an article as well as some detailed charts they’ve created for a quick explanation of the new branding.

You can read more about the changes coming from the new branding initiative in our original post unveiling the Core Ultra branding. 

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Ash Hill
Ash Hill
Contributing Writer

Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.

20 Comments Comment from the forums
  • For example, what used to be known as the "Intel 14th-Generation Core i9-14900K Processor" would be known today as either "Intel Core Ultra 9 processor or "Intel Core 9 processor 14900K".

    Please read the original source article again. There is a lot of confusing info here. Raptor Lake-S Refresh (Desktop) series won't use the ULTRA moniker.
    Raptor Lake-S Refresh (Desktop) - 14th Gen "Core i" Branding
    Raptor Lake-HX Refresh (Laptop) - 14th Gen "Core i" Branding
    Meteor Lake-U/H (Laptop Client) - 1st Gen "Core Ultra" Branding
    Raptor Lake-U/H Refresh (Laptop) - 1st Gen "Core" Branding'The only distinction between the 1st Gen Meteor Lake and Raptor Lake H/U series will be the "Ultra" and "Non-Ultra" notifiers.

    The Intel Meteor Lake U/H series will fall under the "Core Ultra" branding in the Core 5 Ultra, Core 7 Ultra & Core 9 Ultra series while the Raptor Lake U/H series will fall under the "Core" branding in Core 3, Core 5, and Core 7 series.

    Metal Messiah. said:
    This got even a bit more complicated. It appears that the next gen RPL-refresh desktop would be named as Core i9 14900K instead. The NEW 3/5/7 branding will only apply to mobile low-power P/U-series in Raptor Lake refresh series.

    And the "Core Ultra" branding will only be exclusive to the Meteor Lake/MTL chips, while Raptor Lake refresh will lack this branding. This is exactly what I said yesterday though. But it still confuses me.

    Intel is opting the ULTRA naming scheme to deal with the overlap of a significantly newer architecture with an older gen architecture already being in the market.

    So when Intel's Core Ultra branding takes effect, users will be able to tell "Meteor Lake/refresh" based SKUs apart from those based on "Raptor Lake," but looking for the Ultra brand. This might also help to transition the market between processor arch generations, and also to improve the inventory digestion.
    Source:

    https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV12N411679z/?vd_source=83c73defba5645459adf9ddb2d783330
    https://i.imgur.com/7WFxT3k.jpg
    https://i.imgur.com/0fgNLNH.jpg
    https://i.imgur.com/6x01yL4.jpg
    https://i.imgur.com/fDQkhG7.jpg
    1669640869702696961View: https://twitter.com/harukaze5719/status/1669640869702696961
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    Lets make branding less confusing... by introducing a single-generation branding scheme!

    Yay?

    Sounds like Intel's ~10 years trend of the right hand not knowing what the left foot is doing continues.
    Reply
  • Also, for the 14th Gen series that utilizes the older naming scheme, Intel will have its current naming scheme intact.

    The two families to utilize the naming scheme will be the Raptor Lake-S Refresh "Desktop" and Raptor Lake-HX "Refresh" Laptop" lineups. Both families aim for the mainstream and high-end segment with Raptor Lake-HX refresh specifically being an enthusiast laptop segment & utilizes the same die SKUs as the desktop family.

    But, I'm still getting confused now. :tearsofjoy:

    EDIT:

    Appears to be named as Intel core i9 Processor 14900K.
    Reply
  • Roland Of Gilead
    So, the new naming convention adds an 'Ultra' and musical chairs with the other words! Brilliant Intel, brilliant.

    Edit: Okay, I know Intel aren't necessarily trying to make it FUBAR, but still!
    Reply
  • edzieba
    Missing some key points from that chart:
    - Desktop CPUs (including Raptor Lake Refresh) will remain on the Core i scheme, at least for now
    - Desktop-replacement laptop CPUs (Raptor Lake HX) will also remain on the Core i scheme for now
    - Only thin&light laptop (ULP) CPUs will move to the new Core scheme
    - Both Meteor Lake and Raptor Lake U will be using the Core naming scheme, but only some of the Meteor Lake CPUs will use the Core Ultra scheme
    Reply
  • Math Geek
    i was already tons confused and seems like they are working really hard to make sure it is even worse.

    if they could maybe stick to the ultra being the new tech and the reg being the last gen refresh, it might not be too bad. then throw in the 42 various models and i'm pretty sure it's never going to make any sense to anyone.

    losing the "i" is not that big of a deal really so not concerned there. frankly i stopped looking at the 3,5,7,9 part of it as well. they never really meant enough to focus on to me.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    InvalidError said:
    Lets make branding less confusing... by introducing a single-generation branding scheme!

    Yay?

    Sounds like Intel's ~10 years trend of the right hand not knowing what the left foot is doing continues.
    USB labeling looks over and laughs.
    Reply
  • edzieba
    Math Geek said:
    if they could maybe stick to the ultra being the new tech and the reg being the last gen refresh, it might not be too bad. then throw in the 42 various models and i'm pretty sure it's never going to make any sense to anyone.
    That would be absurdly poor branding, and rendered worthless the moment a second generation of CPUs is released.
    "Ultra" is not a generation designator. Using "Ultra means current gen, non-Ultra means last gen" as a rule of thumb is only going to result in people confusing themselves because their imagined rule is not a rule at all.

    "Ultra" is very simple, though some tech publications are doing their best to make it confusing: you have (for example) 8 different Core 7 chips of different CPU speeds and GPU core allocations. The top one or two chips in that lineup get the 'Core Ultra 7' moniker in place of the 'Core 7' moniker. That's it.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    edzieba said:
    "Ultra" is very simple, though some tech publications are doing their best to make it confusing: you have (for example) 8 different Core 7 chips of different CPU speeds and GPU core allocations. The top one or two chips in that lineup get the 'Core Ultra 7' moniker in place of the 'Core 7' moniker. That's it.
    In that case, 'Ultra' is ultra-dumb branding that will be encoded in the model number as the 2nd-to-last digit like it used to 10 years ago.
    Reply
  • Friesiansam
    Just a thought Tom's but, why not tell us how the new branding is, when you actually know how it is, instead of pushing out articles based on rumours?
    Reply