Intel prepares Core i3-N300 processors without performance cores

The first data about energy-efficient mobile Alder Lake-N processors, which have not yet been officially presented by Intel, appeared in the web.
We're talking about Core i3-N305 and Core i3-N300 models, which have eight cores each.
It is noteworthy that the chips do not include high-performance P-core Golden Cove - the processors use only energy-efficient E-core Gracemont.Image source: VideoCardzData about the chips is still scarce.
The Core i3-N305 has been noted in the synthetic benchmark Geekbench.
It is indicated that the processor has a base frequency of 1.8 GHz and can automatically overclock to 3.78 GHz.
Data about L1/L2 and L3 cache configuration confirms that the chip uses Gracemont cores architecture.Image source: Geekbanksh About Core i3-N300 chip except for the information about the number of cores and that it supports DDR4-3200 memory, nothing is known.
Although you can also see that there is built-in Intel UHD graphics.Image source: GeekbenchIn the single-core Geekbench test, the Core i3-N305 model scores 1025 points, and in multi-core - 4420 points.
So its performance is about the same as the Core i7-8750H (Coffee Lake).
The latter has results in the same test are 974 and 4,438 points respectively.Image source: GeekbencheIf we compare with something more modern, the Core i3-N305 slightly outperforms the mobile Ryzen 7 5700U on the Zen 2 architecture in single-core performance, but is inferior in multi-core.
AMD chip scores 1021 and 5433 points in the same tests, respectively.

Leak confirms that Intel's Raptor Lake processor family will have models on chips from Alder Lake

Another leak of Intel slides has confirmed earlier rumors that some models of Intel's 13th generation Core (Raptor Lake) processors will be built on older chips from Intel's 12th generation Core processors, aka Alder Lake.
Image source: VideoCardzIt has been previously reported that the Core 13th generation Core processors will use three types of chips, with stepping B0, C0 and H0.
The first will be used in all Core i9, Core i7 and older Core i5 with a \"K\" suffix.
And the rest of Core i5 will get C0 chips, and base Core i3 will get H0 chips.Already then, it was assumed that only B0 chips will be built with new performance P-core Raptor Cove and energy efficient Gracemont E-core.
The rest of the chips use Golden Cove and Gracemont cores, respectively, which are already used in Alder Lake processors.
Now these rumors are indirectly confirmed.
Image source: Igor'sLAB / 3DCenter.orgIntel's slide which has appeared in the Network confirms that the Raptor Lake processors will differ on the architectural level, as indicated by the increased amount of L2 and L3 cache memory on the higher chips.
According to the slide, the increased L3 cache will get Core i5 processors and older, and the increase in L2 cache is announced only for the new Core i5 with \"K\" suffix and older chips.
In other words, all of the newer generation CPUs will offer the same amount of cache as their predecessors.The Gracemont small E-core clusters in the Alder Lake processors each have 2 MB of L2 cache memory.
Earlier leaks suggest that Gracemont cores in Raptor Lake chips will each have 4 Mbytes of L2 cache.
Using the old Alder Lake (Golden Cove) architecture in the new Core i5-13400, Core i5-13500 and Core i5-13600 processors means they will have less IPC than models with Raptor Cove cores, which in turn will reduce their potential against new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors.

Intel Alder Lake system tested with Windows 11 and different Linux - Microsoft OS was slowest in 72% of tests

Phoronix has conducted a performance comparison test of the Intel Alder Lake platform with different operating systems.
It turns out that under different Linux distributions the computer is in most cases faster than under the latest Windows 11.The tests were done with an Intel Core i9-12900K processor, ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WiFi motherboard, 32GB (2x16GB) of DDR5-6000 memory, 500GB WD Black SN850 SSD and an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card.
The configuration is one of the best by today's standards, able to handle both high resolution games and working applications, as well as working with content.
For the performance comparison, Windows 11 Pro, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on the stable Linux 5.18 kernel, and Intel Clear Linux version 36580 were chosen.Image source: phoronix.comTestors ran a total of 103 tests, with Clear Linux being the clear victor, scoring maximum points in 55 cases (53.4%), second with 19 wins (18.4%) to Ubuntu 22.
04 LTS, third place went to Windows 11 with 16 top scores (15.5%) and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with Linux 5.18 only 13 wins (12.6%).Image source: phoronix.com Image source: phoronix.com Of course, a benchmark is not a benchmark, and for most average users of flagship chips, gaming tests can be decisive.
On the other hand, it would be a mistake to ignore other tasks that determined the scoring in the test series: virtualization, data compression, rendering and video encoding - in all these cases, Linux family systems were faster.
Taking the cumulative result for all tests, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS was 4 percent faster than Windows 11, and in the case of Clear Linux the gap widened to 8 percent.
And Windows 11 was the worst performer in 72% of tests.

Core i9-12900KS review: the processor that eats like GeForce RTX 3080

Special Edition processors are not a new phenomenon, both AMD and Intel periodically released such products.
However, for the last few years only Intel has been using this option.
Under this brand it offers overclocked variants of flagships, which solve some marketing tasks, for example, give it formal grounds to declare itself a leader.
For example, the last \"special processor\" Core i9-9900KS hit the market at the end of 2019, and its tasks included something to respond to the 12- and 16-core Ryzen.
This response then turned out to be asymmetrical, since the superiority of AMD in multithreaded performance Intel countered the additional increase in gaming performance, but its audience Core i9-9900KS still found.Among the Core 10th and 11th generation processors no special models were released, but this does not mean that Intel has forgotten about the old practice.
With the arrival of the Alder Lake family on the market, the company had in its hands an advanced processor design that allowed it to take over the initiative in the performance race.
However, AMD's desire to introduce 3D V-Cache processors with significantly increased gaming potential made Intel worry that the hard-won leadership could slip their hands again.
So the company decided to recall its old tricks and developed the Core i9-12900KS Special Edition, an unscheduled processor with legal overclocking up to 5.2-5.5GHz, meant to refute AMD's claims that Ryzen 7 5800X3D with 96-Mbyte L3-cache is the new king among gaming CPUs.
However, it looks like some unproductive marketing activity provoked by some pinched ego, because the appearance of Core i9-12900KS is hardly able to change something fundamentally in market situation.
Firstly, this processor is too different from Core i9-12900K by frequency characteristics, but it is significantly different from it by price.
Secondly, the prefix Special Edition again means that in the name of ephemeral performance increase Intel has not only organized the selection of the most successful semiconductor chips, but also sacrificed thermal and power characteristics to quite a large extent.
Nevertheless, Intel seems to be sure that the Core i9-12900KS will be bought anyway.
At least while the last \"special\" processor was a limited edition, now there is no question about the finality of the supply.
That is, the Core i9-12900KS is built into the existing range, and to find it on sale does not need to make any special efforts (of course, not about Russia).
Another thing, it is not quite clear whether it is worth preferring the new flagship to the regular Core i9-12900K? ⇡#Core i9-12900KS in detailsBriefly speaking, Core i9-12900KS is an accelerated version of Core i9-12900K with the same core lineup (8 performance Golden Cove cores and 8 energy efficient Gracemont cores), but with slightly higher frequencies: P-core can take 5.2-5.5GHz, and E-core - 4.0GHz.
Core i9-12900KSCore i9-12900KKKcores16 (8P+8E)16 (8P+8E)Fluxes2424 P-core frequencies, GHz3.4-5.53.2-5.2 E-core frequencies, GHz2.5-4.02.4-3.9PBP, W150125MTP, W241241L3-cache, Mbytes3030MemoryDDR4-3200 DDR5-4800DDR4-3200 DDR5-4800Inbuilt graphicsUHD 770UHD 770PCIe16 lines 5.
0 4 lines 4.016 lines 5.0 4 lines 4.0Price$739$589The table shows that the Core i9-12900KS differs from the Core i9-12900K not only in frequencies but also in the PBP (Processor Base Power), which is the heat pack.
It's supposed to be 20% hotter overall, while its marginal consumption should fit into the same MTP (Maximum Turbo Power) value of 241W.
However, all these declarations have no practical value and are only formal.
PBP and MTP values are not used by motherboard manufacturers, which completely breaks all limits of consumption for Intel's flagship processors.
When announcing the Core i9-12900KS, Intel did not tell us about any technological differences from the Core i9-12900K, focusing only on the increased clock speed, which in turbo mode can reach 5.5 GHz.
Nevertheless, this processor is not just a maximally overclocked version of the flagship Alder Lake.
In addition to the selection of the most successful semiconductor chips and expanding the scope of the thermal package, another trick was used.
The Core i9-12900KS sees the return of the widest possible set of automatic boosts that previous generations of Intel processors already had, but didn't have in Alder Lake.So the Core i9-12900KS for its P-core supports Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) and Adaptive Boost Technology (ABT), which Intel used last time

NZXT released N5 Z690 and N7 Z690 motherboards for Intel Alder Lake processors

NZXT introduced N5 Z690 and N7 Z690 motherboards for Intel Alder Lake processors.
Both models look very similar, except for the different color schemes - black prevails in N5, white in N7.
However, the novelties are also different in technical equipment.Image source: NZXTIt should be noted that both models use black textolite.
Only the N7 model has more protective covers.
The NZXT N5 Z690 is based on a 9-phase power subsystem.
The N7 Z690 got a 13-phase power subsystem and is built on a higher quality textolite.
In theory, the higher model will provide more stable performance when overclocking the components.
Each card has three PCIe 5.0 x16 and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots.
Both models support up to 128GB of DDR4-5000 RAM.
The choice in favor of the old, but still relevant memory standard, is justified.
Firstly, the boards were cheaper to produce and to the end customer.
And secondly, DDR5 memory is still very expensive.Another difference between the boards is the number of M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs.
The N5 model offers four M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, and the N7 offers three.
The number of SATA III (6 Gbit/s) slots is the same for both models - four each.
The new models also have different sound codecs.
The junior model has Realtek ALC897 8-channel, the senior - more modern 8-channel Realtek ALC1220 with Nichicon capacitors.
The set of external connectors is also practically the same.
The N5 Z690 model has one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 2.0, one HDMI 2.0, one LAN (RJ45).
Moreover you can find here a button for quick BIOS Flashback firmware update.
On its turn, N7 Z690 offers one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 2.0, one HDMI 2.0 and one LAN (RJ45).
Both models are already available in NZXT Online Shop.
The manufacturer has priced N5 Z690 at $240, and N7 Z690 at $300.

HP upgraded HP Spectre x360 laptops with Alder Lake processors and Intel Arc Alchemist graphics

HP has upgraded the 13.5- and 16-inch HP Spectre x360 laptop models with Alder Lake-P and Alder Lake-H processors.
The devices offer up to 32GB of RAM and solid-state drives up to 2TB.Image source: HPThe updated Spectre models have an attractive design, as well as offering nice bonuses like four speakers and an OLED display as an option, as befits a premium notebook series.
However, against the background of the predecessor 13.5-inch updated model stands out the new screen aspect ratio 3:2.The company offers for this model to choose from two display options.
This can be an IPS matrix with a resolution of 1920 × 1280 pixels, or a touch OLED display with a resolution of 3000 × 2000 pixels.
In both cases, the screen takes up 90.1 percent of the device's usable front panel area.HP has equipped the 13.5-inch Spectre x360 with an infrared 5-megapixel camera that improves image quality in low light, allowing the caller to see the user better during a video call.
In addition, the camera supports auto-framing (keeps the user in the frame when they move), automatic backlight adjustment, image noise reduction with AI algorithms, and a dynamic audio enhancement function.
The camera is covered by a curtain for safety.Prices for the updated 13.5-inch HP Spectre x360 start at $1250 for the version powered by a 10-core Intel Core i5-1235U up to 4.4GHz, equipped with 8GB of LPDDR4X-4266 RAM and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid-state drive.
There's also a choice of a 10-core Core i7-1255U up to 4.7GHz, up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.
No discrete graphics card is provided.
RAM laptop soldered directly on the motherboard.
So if you choose the configuration with 8 GB of RAM you should think about it carefully or you may add money for choosing the version with 16 or 32 GB RAM.
External interfaces are presented by two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports (USB Type-C), one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 3.5mm audio combo jack and microSD card reader.
The Spectre laptops come with the HP Tilt Pen, an electronic pen that supports multiple degrees of pressure via Microsoft Pen Protocol 2.0.
Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless support, a fingerprint scanner and a 65W USB Type-C charger are also claimed.
The laptop's 66-watt-hour battery charges from zero to 50 percent in 45 minutes.The updated 13.5-inch HP Spectre x360 is assembled in a metal case made of recycled aluminum.
The keyboard keycaps on the device are made of recycled plastic.
The notebook measures 297.94 × 220.47 × 17.02 mm and weighs 1.37 kg.The larger 16-inch updated HP Spectre x360 offers a choice of Alder Lake-H processors, up to the 14-core Intel Core i7-12700H with up to 4.7 GHz.
An Intel Arc A370M discrete graphics gas pedal is optional here.
The graphics card has eight Xe cores and eight ray tracing blocks, and has received 4GB of GDDR6 memory with a 64-bit bus.A choice of IPS panel with a resolution of 3072 × 1920 pixels and an OLED display with a resolution of 3840 × 2400 dots is available.
The aspect ratio of the screens is 16:10.
The older version of the HP Spectre x360 is equipped with an 83-watt-hour battery.The dimensions of the 16-inch version of the laptop are 357.89 × 245.36 × 19.81 mm.
The weight is 2.02 kg.
The novelty is already available for sale at a price of $ 1,650 in the U.S.

Acer unveils ConceptD 100 and ConceptD 500 compact desktops with Intel Alder Lake and NVIDIA graphics

Acer has announced the ConceptD 100 and ConceptD 500 compact desktops.
Despite its modest size, the new additions feature high-performance Intel Alder Lake processors as well as professional and gaming models of NVIDIA graphics gas pedals.Image source: AcerThe size of the Acer ConceptD 100 desktop is 137.4 × 373 × 359 mm.
Despite its compact size, the newcomer can offer features available to full-size systems.
Specifically, Acer is ready to equip the ConceptD 100 with an Intel Core i7 generation Alder Lake processor, up to 128 GB of dual channel DDR4-3200 RAM, a PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a hard drive up to 7200 RPM.
Acer ConceptD 100There is also a choice between NVIDIA T400 and NVIDIA T1000 professional graphics cards.
Both cards are based on the Turing architecture and use the TU117 processors, such as those found in GeForce GTX 1650 gaming cards.
The older version of the NVIDIA T1000 uses a chip with the same number of shader, texture and rasterization blocks as the GeForce GTX 1650.
The NVIDIA T400 uses a simplified version of the TU117 chip with fewer execution blocks.
Acer ConceptD 100Compact desktop Acer ConceptD 100 offers support for Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, 2.5 Gigabit LAN, and uses Windows 11 Pro as the operating system.
The new product is scheduled to go on sale in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in September.
The cost of the computer will start at 999 euros.
Acer ConceptD 500The ConceptD 500, measuring 200 × 389 × 393.6, will be able to offer even more performance stuffing.
Acer claims the ability to install an Alder Lake processor all the way up to the Core i9 model.
The system will also support up to 128GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, a hard drive up to 2TB and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.
Acer ConceptD 500The ConceptD 500 offers the more powerful NVIDIA RTX A4000, GeForce RTX 3060 or GeForce RTX 3070 graphics gas pedals.
It also claims support for Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E and a wired 2.5-gigabit network adapter.The price of the Acer ConceptD 500 will start at €1,199.
In Africa, Europe and the Middle East, the novelty will also appear in September this year.
In China, desktop sales will not start before the fourth quarter.
Prices there will start at about $1,800.

MSI will release a super-powerful gaming laptop Titan GT77 based on Alder Alake-HX with four fans

MSI began advertising in Chinese social networks new gaming laptop Titan GT77.
The manufacturer notes that the combined CPU and GPU power of this flagship system will be 250 watts, not including additional laptop components.
Image source: WeboThe MSI Titan series of gaming laptops hasn't been updated since the release of Intel's 10th generation Core processors.
There were no models based on Tiger Lake chips on the market, which suggested that the manufacturer decided to abandon this niche series of very expensive gaming devices.
Looks like MSI is taking a break after all, because the Titan GT77 gaming laptop based on 12th generation Intel Core processors will be available for the foreseeable future.
The company appears to have decided to wait for the higher performance Alder Lake-HX chips, offering up to 16 physical cores at up to 5GHz.
Despite the potentially very powerful stuffing, details of which are not yet known, the MSI Titan GT77 laptop will be only 23 mm thick.
However, the overall dimensions of this portable gaming station will be larger than any other gaming laptop on the market.
The Titan GT77 will have a special ventilation system in the back of the chassis, which is a characteristic feature of laptops of this series.
The new Titan GT77 has four fans and seven heat pipes, and can hold up to four memory slots and four slots for NVMe SSDs thanks to the Alder Lake-HX chip.
In addition, the notebook will offer several types of screens with support for 4K, 1440p and 1080p resolutions, as well as refresh rates of up to 360 Hz.
The cherry on the cake will be a mechanical SteelSeries RGB keyboard with Cherry MX switches that have 1.8 mm of travel.
The manufacturer has not yet announced when the new Titan Series gaming notebook will be officially unveiled and when it will be available for sale.
However, it is already clear that the price tag will be spacey.