Intel China Makes Raptor Lake Refresh Official

Raptor Lake CPU
(Image credit: Intel)

Intel has shared a new poster on Bilibili that officially confirms the existence of a Raptor Lake refresh. The new CPU lineup will take on Intel’s existing Intel Core i series nomenclature and arrive as 14th Generation products. The new refresh will consist of two CPU platforms, one for desktop and one for mobile, including S series and HX/U series parts for high performance and ultrabook laptops.

We first heard about Raptor Lake Refresh all the way back in 2022 when an Intel roadmap was leaked online. The leaked roadmap revealed consumer and workstation desktop CPU lineups with 35W - 125W TDPs, however the roadmap was leaked so there was a chance it was faced. However, several months later the leak was compounded by motherboard BIOS updates featuring support for “next generation” Intel CPUs, which effectively confirmed its existence. The BIOS updates proved this because Intel’s next generation CPU architecture, Meteor Lake, will use a brand new socket, making current motherboard compatibility impossible.

(Image credit: Bilibili)

(Image credit: Bilibili)

The one thing leaks and rumors did not account for was a Raptor Lake refresh for mobile CPUs as well as desktop. Intel’s new poster now confirms that the new refresh will be arriving to both platforms, specifically featuring high performance HX-series mobile parts and low-power U-series parts. But strangely, the U-series parts will come with an entirely different nomenclature and be named “Intel Core 1st generation processor” instead of 14th gen. According to a Q&A answer, Intel is doing this because the U-series parts will be coming out at a later date, it doesn’t explain why Intel is not switching to its newly announced Core Ultra nomenclature instead.

Intel still has not published performance benchmarks or CPU specs for its Raptor Lake refreshed parts, but if it's like any traditional Intel refresh, we can expect these CPUs to feature modest bumps in clock speed and some additional changes that will boost speed, and functionality. For example, Intel might boost clock speeds on all the parts, and change around the core count for some models to make them stand out from previous generation Raptor Lake (vanilla) and Alder Lake chips.

We still don’t have a official release date, but previous leaks estimate that the first wave of K series chips will arrive as early as 2023.  Intel has not confirm this, but we can expect these chips to launch this soon since BIOS updates are already going live to current 700 series motherboards supporting Intel’s new processors.

Aaron Klotz
Contributing Writer

Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • it doesn’t explain why Intel is not switching to its newly announced Core Ultra nomenclature instead.

    The ULTRA nomenclature would only be used by the Meteor Lake/MTL chips, that's why they are not using it on Raptor Lake/RPL Refresh family.

    The "Core Ultra" branding will allow us to differentiate between Meteor Lake & Raptor-Lake U Refresh, which are releasing under the SAME generation. As it suggests, the word "Ultra" gives a sense of high performance; hence, this will be utilized for the superior Meteor Lake series.

    The Raptor Lake-U lineup will come with Core 3/5/7 branding without the "i". The Raptor Lake HX/S refresh will have the same old naming scheme.

    So this is what Intel is doing if I understand the slide correctly:
    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'Or more like:
    Core Ultra 5/7/9 – Meteor Lake
    Core 3/5/7 – Raptor Lake-U Refresh
    14th Gen Core i# Mobile/Desktop – Raptor Lake HX/S Refresh
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    REFRESH +++++++++++++ :)
    Reply
  • NightLight
    Amdlova said:
    REFRESH +++++++++++++ :)
    Refresh!
    Reply
  • bit_user
    NightLight said:
    Refresh!
    Yes, Golden Cove is becoming like the new Skylake core. This is the second "tock", after Alder Lake's "tick". Only two more tocks to go, before matching Skylake!

    These 14th gen will be made on the Intel 7++ node, only they don't dare call it that!
    Reply
  • Just press F5 for refresh !
    Reply
  • dehjomz
    bit_user said:
    Yes, Golden Cove is becoming like the new Skylake core. This is the second "tock", after Alder Lake's "tick". Only two more tocks to go, before matching Skylake!

    These 14th gen will be made on the Intel 7++ node, only they don't dare call it that!
    Arrow lake is coming.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    dehjomz said:
    Arrow lake is coming.
    "Ice Lake cometh", said Intel of yore.

    I hope we don't go down that road, again. But, you simply can't deny that it looks awfully bad for Intel not only to be refreshing Raptor Lake for the desktop, but for mobile SKUs, as well!

    What's going on, huh?
    Reply
  • DSmith6374
    Iain't mad. I712700k to i914900k should be a decent upgrade.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    Metal Messiah. said:
    The ULTRA nomenclature would only be used by the Meteor Lake/MTL chips, that's why they are not using it on Raptor Lake/RPL Refresh family.
    I think the question there was why call it "first" and not 14th gen just like the others.
    On the other hand this is chinese people we talk about and maybe google translated ultra into chinese for being the first.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    DSmith6374 said:
    Iain't mad. I712700k to i914900k should be a decent upgrade.
    I have sold the 12700t for more E cores... 13500t 6p cores and 8 e cores ... maybe not worth the downgrade but save 70 bucks
    Reply