The Haswell launch is so close that Intel has decided to count the time to release in nanoseconds, which unsurprisingly comes up with a fairly huge number of zeros that spikes our interest even further. For those of you who haven't been keeping track of all the rumors regarding the Haswell CPUs, we're hereby giving you a big roundup with all the believable rumors that have surfaced so far.
The CPUs will all be backed on a 22 nm lithography and feature either a GT2 (HD 4600) or a GT3e (HD 5200) graphics part. The chips with the "*R" naming will carry the GT3e GPU, while all the others will carry the GT2 part. Not only this, but the "*R" named CPUs will likely have a BGA (Ball Grid Array) socket instead of the LGA (Land Grid Array) socket.
The CPU's with the "*K" naming are unlocked processors that will have an unlocked multiplier as well as an adjustable base clock frequency. Previously, only the multiplier was unlocked. The maximum multiplier value tied to a 100 MHz base clock will be 80x; the maximum would be lower for the other base clocks. For example, the maximum multiplier for a 125 MHz base clock would be 64x; the maximum for a 166 MHz base clock would be 48x. Either way, in all three cases the maximum CPU frequency would be no higher than 8.0 GHz. Not only this, but the base clock is no longer tied to the other controllers; it is only for the CPU itself. Previously, adjusting the base clock frequency by as little as 7 MHz could destabilize the system due to affecting other controllers. According to Intel, this should make the CPUs easier to overclock.
| Model | Core / Threads | Base / Turbo | L3 Cache | GPU | Memory | TDP | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i7-4770 | 4 / 8 | 3.4 / 3.9 GHz | 8 MB | HD 4600 | 1,200 MHz | 84 W | $292 |
| Core i7-4770K | 4 / 8 | 3.5 / 3.9 GHz | 8 MB | HD 4600 | 1,250 MHz | 84 W | $327 |
| Core i7-4770S | 4 / 8 | 3.1 / 3.9 GHz | 8 MB | HD 4600 | 1,200 MHz | 65 W | $285 |
| Core i5-4670 | 4 / 4 | 3.4 / 3.8 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,200 MHz | 84 W | $209 |
| Core i5-4670K | 4 / 4 | 3.4 / 3.8 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,200 MHz | 84 W | $227 |
| Core i5-4570 | 4 / 4 | 3.2 / 3.6 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,150 MHz | 84 W | $189 |
| Core i5-4570S | 4 / 4 | 3.0 / 3.6 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,150 MHz | 65 W | $182 |
| Core i5-4430 | 4 / 4 | 3.0 / 3.2 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,100 MHz | 84 W | $175 |
| Core i7-4770R | 4 / 8 | 3.2 / 3.9 GHz | 6 MB | HD 5200 | 1,300 MHz | 65 W | ? |
| Core i7-4770S | 4 / 8 | 3.1 / 3.9 GHz | 8 MB | HD 4600 | 1,200 MHz | 65 W | ? |
| Core i7-4765T | 4 / 8 | 2.0 / 3.0 GHz | 8 MB | HD 4600 | 1,200 MHz | 35 W | ? |
| Core i5-4670R | 4 / 4 | 3.0 / 3.7 GHz | 4 MB | HD 5200 | 1,300 MHz | 65 W | ? |
| Core i5-4670T | 4 / 4 | 3.1 / 3.8 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,200 MHz | 45 W | ? |
| Core i5-4570R | 4 / 4 | 2.7 / 3.2 GHz | 4 MB | HD 5200 | 1,150 MHz | 65 W | ? |
| Core i5-4570S | 4 / 4 | 3.0 / 3.6 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,150 MHz | 65 W | ? |
| Core i5-4570T | 2 / 4 | 2.9 / 3.6 GHz | 4 MB | HD 4600 | 1,150 MHz | 35 W | ? |
| Core i5-4430S | 4 / 4 | 2.7 / 3.2 GHz | 6 MB | HD 4600 | 1,100 MHz | 65 W | ? |
The table shows all of the specifications for all of the desktop Haswell CPUs of which we are aware to date, as well as the MSRP's of eight of the processors.
Beyond these changes, a rumor regarding the CPU's thermals has also surfaced. Previously, most CPUs have the die soldered straight to the IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader). This way, the heat could easily be transferred to the surface of the CPU. However, with Ivy Bridge, Intel decided to not solder the CPU die to the IHS, but to instead fill the cavity with TIM (Thermal Interface Material). As a result, the heat transfer was much less efficient, and the CPUs would run notably warmer. A report has indicated that the Haswell CPUs do have better thermals than the Ivy Bridge counterparts; however, it remains uncertain whether the CPU dies have been soldered to the IHS or whether TIM has been used.
In the meantime, VR-Zone has leaked an image of the box art of the Haswell CPUs. It looks like a CPU box.
Extrapolating the countdown timer shows us that the CPUs will be released starting June 3, 2013, meaning that they will be released during Computex 2013.
