Comparing Raptor Lake with Intel’s Past CPUs

Raptor Lake-like architecture from Intel, but with increased efficiency

According to Intel, Raptor Lake and Meteor Lake P- and E-cores are quite similar in terms of architecture. The Crestmont E-Cores and Raptor Cove P-Cores are remarkably similar to each other, as are the Redwood Cove P-Cores. The switch to the Intel 4 process node is the most significant change. A 4nm technique called Intel 4 provides better performance and efficiency.

This is accomplished by making a number of advancements, including new packaging technologies, greater production precision, and a new architecture for the transistors. The Meteor Lake CPUs are anticipated to run and operate more efficiently than the Raptor Lake CPUs as a result of these upgrades. On December 14, 2023, the Meteor Lake CPUs will be unveiled.

Tim Wilson, vice president of the Design Engineering Group and general manager of the SOC Design Division at Intel, stated that the P- and E-cores of Meteor Lake are quite similar to those of Raptor Lake in an interview with ITHome.

The microarchitecture of Meteor Lake’s P and E cores has made some advancements over Raptor Lake’s preceding generation. However, with the new Intel 4 process, we unveiled Meteor Lake. In general, we tend to lower the architectural risk when we incorporate new procedures. Once the process flow is solid, we often make a bigger step forward by enhancing the architecture.

Since this is a new huge node update for us and we can also benefit from Intel 4’s improvements in energy efficiency, we haven’t made many modifications to the core architecture, and as a result, the E-cores and P-cores are structurally quite similar to those of Raptor Lake.

Timothy Wilson, General Manager of SOC Design at Intel and Vice President of Design Engineering Group, via ITHome

Although there will be some architectural advancements, according to Wilson, they won’t be very noticeable because Meteor Lake CPUs are constructed on a brand-new node. Larger modifications won’t occur until the process improves in terms of overall yield and stability.

Therefore, it appears that Intel’s earliest EUV and chiplet designs have chosen a less dangerous path. The more significant improvement is anticipated to appear the following year in the shape of Arrow Lake, which uses the Intel 20A process node and includes additional P-cores and E-cores.

Performance and effectiveness

Performance and efficiency will be the main focuses of the Meteor Lake CPUs. The P-cores, code-named Redwood Cove, are intended to provide efficient performance by enhancing overall chip efficiency, boosting bandwidth per core, having a better performance monitoring unit, and having better Thread Director feedback. A 2 MB ML cache, 64 KB I-cache, and 48 KB data cache are all present on each P-core.

The code-named Crestmont E-Cores provide great performance per watt. They are designed to perform basic functions like web browsing and office software.

4 process nodes Intel

The Intel 4 process node is used to produce Meteor Lake CPUs. A 4nm technique called Intel 4 provides better performance and efficiency. A new architecture for the transistors, greater manufacturing precision, and new packaging technologies are just a few of the advancements that help to accomplish this.

Outlook

The launch of Meteor Lake CPUs is anticipated for December 14, 2023. They will be included into a variety of goods, such as servers, laptops, and desktop PCs.

The principal changes are:

• Improved IPC: According to Intel, the Crestmont cores will have an IPC that is 4% greater than the Gracemont cores. They will be able to complete more work at a given frequency as a result.
• AI Acceleration: A new AI accelerator is available on the Crestmont cores, which should enhance performance in AI applications.
• Improved Branch Prediction: The Crestmont cores come with a new and improved Branch Prediction that is meant to boost performance in applications that rely heavily on branches.

ImprovedIntel’s Thread Director receives better feedback thanks to the Crestmont cores, which is intended to make work distribution more effective.

Up to 4 MB of L2 cache, 32 KB of data cache (with ECC), and 64 KB of I-cache are available on the Crestmont cores.

The performance and efficiency of Meteor Lake CPUs are anticipated to increase with the integration of e-cores with various power profiles. While non-LP E-Cores are better suited for more demanding jobs like gaming and video editing, low-power E-Cores can be used for simple chores like web browsing and email. A nice improvement in total power efficiency will also result from the Intel 4 process node itself.

A 4nm technique called Intel 4 provides better performance and efficiency. Meteor Lake CPUs will be available later this year in a variety of laptop and mobility form factors, as well as pre-built desktop PC models, claims ZDNet.

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