Intel's upcoming 'Raptor Lake Next' will reportedly top out at 20 cores and retain Core 200 branding — Lineup may include a special 10-core SKU with 24MB of L3 cache
Raptor Lake is coming back for a third bite.
Yesterday, we broke news of a third Raptor Lake refresh in the works from Intel, dubbed "Raptor Lake Next." Following that, new leaks have emerged from reliable tipster Jaykihn confirming the codename and detailing the upcoming family. Raptor Lake Next is slated for early 2027 and will land on the LGA 1700 socket as reported previously, but some outlets say it will also retain the existing Core 200 branding.
- Raptor Lake silicon, not Bartlett Lake- Early next year- Desktop and mobile (125W, 65W; HX)- Coexists with 14th generation availability- No fresh features from RPL-R. For comparison, RPL-R had many from RPL, such as WiFi 7, Fast Throttle, APO, etc.Specs soon.June 13, 2026
According to the rumors, Raptor Lake Next doesn't use Bartlett Lake silicon, which is Intel's special lineup for edge and embedded devices with only P-cores. That means a 12 P-core SKU has been ruled out for now, and that Raptor Lake Next will stick to the usual hybrid config. It's expected to scale across mobile and desktop with up to 125W parts and HX models as well, but it won't bring any new notable features.
Essentially, we're looking at rebranded 14th Gen CPUs that are likely being re-released because of their high yields. Intel spent a considerable amount of time and effort fixing the stability issues with 13th and 14th Gen families, so it makes sense the company wants to maximize its returns here. The Core-i9 14900K is still the most performant gaming CPU Intel has ever released, so calling this leftover silicon doesn't feel right either.
Jaykihn also provided further specs for the Raptor Lake Next, claiming it will only spread across Core 3, Core 5, and Core 7; no Core 9 SKUs in sight at the moment. At the top sits a Core 7 part with 8 P-cores and 12 E-cores, totaling out to 20 cores rated at 65W, same as the Core i7-14700. Then there's a 16-core 125W processor, which is identical to the Core i7-13700K, but it's counted as "Core 5" for Raptor Lake Next.
Raptor Lake Next Desktop iGPU Enabled SKUsC7 8+12 65WC5 8+8 125WC5 6+4 65W 24MB L3C3 4+0 65WThe i5 6+4 65W 24MB L3 is a new configuration (Default 20MB L3 for 6+4).The closest alternatives are the 13490f/14490f, which do not have integrated graphics enabled. https://t.co/Q5nzFtSMTvJune 14, 2026
There's a special 10-core 65W part with 24MB of L3 cache because the previous 10-core silicon only had 20MB. It looks like the cache from disabled core clusters will still be accessible in certain Raptor Lake Next SKUs, and this might become a trend going forward. Lastly, we have a Core 3 CPU with 4 P-cores and no E-cores, running at 65W as well. Since all these chips are based on Raptor Lake silicon, they use Raptor Cove P-cores and Gracemont E-cores.
Keep in mind that RTL and RTL-R both came with Intel HD 700 series integrated graphics; the new Arc Xe architecture debuted with Arrow Lake on desktop. Nonetheless, Raptor Lake Next will work with DDR4 memory because it uses the LGA 1700 platform. That could help alleviate at least some of the burden of building a PC today as DDR5 RAM doesn't seem to be getting cheaper anytime soon.
Raptor Lake Next is apparently going into production in January 2027 so it could be available in Q1 2027, coexisting with Nova Lake as perhaps the value-focused option from the Blue Team. All rumors point toward Nova Lake being delayed to next year, but officially we still expect an announcement later this year. Regardless, the two families sure look like they'll overlap, which is why the Core 200 vs Core 400 distinction would be important for consumers.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.
-
dion_ ReplyThere's a special 10-core 65W part with 24MB of L3 cache because the previous 10-core silicon only had 20MB.
Apparently there has been Core i5-14490F "Black Edition" with these exact specifications. I stand corrected - 14490F does not have iGPU so the specifications are not exactly the same after all. -
usertests Not a game changer, but good for people on the socket.Reply
Bunch of 65W parts here, I could see some/all of them being OEM-only. -
Chattahoochee 14900k or ultra 270k with cl28 ram can't beat a x3d cpu running cl42 ram.How is running alder and raptor cpus on ddr4 good for anything now ,we crossed that bridge with the z790 chipset .Reply
I built a high end 13700k system that games like every 8P core intel, a b850 and 7800x3d was ordered from msi yesterday.
I don't need to wait a year to buy what I already got.
"the most performant gaming CPU Intel has ever released" NOT! -
usertests Reply
It's good because high memory prices. If DDR5 was $2-3/GB like it ought to be, older platforms and DDR4 would be of much less interest. The situation got so bad, some people have retvrned to stuff like Ivy Bridge + DDR3.Chattahoochee said:How is running alder and raptor cpus on ddr4 good for anything now
It remains to be seen if these will be useful for Alder Lake users or new builds, depends on pricing. The 65W TDPs and iGPUs are making me think most of these could be headed for OEM PCs with integrated graphics. Which also isn't a bad thing if you can snag full systems for <$300 on clearance. -
bit_user Reply
In our own forum thread, no less:The article said:Following that, new leaks have emerged from reliable tipster Jaykihn confirming the codename and detailing the upcoming family.
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/intel-reportedly-preparing-surprise-return-to-ddr4-systems-with-raptor-lake-next-%E2%80%94-lga-1700-platform-apparently-slated-for-first-half-of-2027-ta.3897035/post-23632934 -
bit_user Reply
Haswell supported DDR3. Intel didn't switch to DDR4 until Skylake. More importantly, AVX2 wasn't added until Haswell, which I think some games might require.usertests said:The situation got so bad, some people have retvrned to stuff like Ivy Bridge + DDR3. -
thestryker I'm always amazed when enthusiasts think they matter beyond the marketing advantage of being the best. The marketing hit from AMD dominating retail sales matters to Intel much more than the monetary because that is so tiny. These processors are being released with the new "Core Processor" branding and most of the SKUs are likely aimed at OEMs. It's no mistake that the only 125W SKU is 8p/8e and in the '5' category leaving the 14700K/14900K the top LGA 1700 parts.Reply
This release probably wouldn't have happened at all if it wasn't for OEMs looking for ways to lower costs. With DIY building new DDR4 does certainly have a price advantage, but if someone is spending >$300 for a CPU saving $100-150 on memory and limiting performance/future options is probably not worth it. -
bit_user Reply
The big monetary effect isn't loss of net market share, it's:thestryker said:The marketing hit from AMD dominating retail sales matters to Intel much more than the monetary because that is so tiny.
Exactly which market segment they're losing
Intel needs to price their products against AMD's, potentially cutting into their margins
When AMD has a flagship that commands a high price point, that's not such a problem, because it takes the second point off the table. However, the flipside of that is the loss of a lucrative, high-margin market segment. -
thestryker Reply
Well aware of this which is why I worded my sentence the way I did. Retail sales may be relatively high margin, but the comparative volume has always meant the marketing aspect is more important. The more popular they are the more higher margin parts get sold to OEMs/SIs at premium prices.bit_user said:The big monetary effect isn't loss of net market share, it's:
Exactly which market segment they're losing
Intel needs to price their products against AMD's, potentially cutting into their margins
When AMD has a flagship that commands a high price point, that's not such a problem, because it takes the second point off the table. However, the flipside of that is the loss of a lucrative, high-margin market segment.
I suspect that Intel will be bringing bLLC NVL to market as early as possible to get a jump on AMD for that exact reason. The 8p/16e part should be faster in pretty much everything than anything AMD has on the market now and in gaming shouldn't see any competition until Zen 6 X3D. While a less than ideal market situation exists it's still a good opportunity for the high margin segment. -
Jaykihn0 Reply
Not exact, the 14490F does not have integrated graphics. I point this out in my tweet.dion_ said:Apparently there has been Core i5-14490F "Black Edition" with these exact specifications.