Oct 11, 2024 12:17:00

Intel announces 'Core Ultra 200S' series of NPU-equipped desktop processors, significantly reducing power consumption and improving performance of AI applications

On October 10, 2024, Intel announced a new processor series for desktop AI PCs, the Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake-S). Compared to the previous 14th generation chips, it runs cooler and more efficiently and also has

an NPU to speed up AI tasks.

Intel Introduces First Intel® Core™ Ultra Desktop Processor for Intel AI PCs
https://www.intel.co.jp/content/www/jp/ja/newsroom/news/core-ultra-200s-series-desktop.html

Intel's new flagship CPUs will run cooler and more efficiently for PC gaming - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/10/24265928/intel-core-ultra-200s-series-specs-release-date-pricing

Intel Launches Arrow Lake Core Ultra 200S — big gains in productivity and power efficiency, but not in gaming | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-launches-arrow-lake-core-ultra-200s-big-gains-in-productivity-and-power-efficiency-but-not-in-gaming

Intel's Core Ultra 200S series is equipped with up to eight next-generation Performance-cores (P-cores) and up to 16 next-generation Efficient-cores (E-cores), and is said to achieve up to 14% performance improvement over the previous generation product in multi-threaded workloads. It is also the first desktop PC processor equipped with an NPU for enthusiasts (advanced users).

The Core Ultra 200S series includes the following five models: The 24-core (8 P cores, 16 E cores) 'Core Ultra 9 285K' is $ 589 (about 88,800 yen), the 20-core (8 P cores, 12 E cores) 'Core Ultra 7 265K' is $ 394 (about 58,600 yen), the 20-core (8 P cores, 12 E cores) 'Core Ultra 7 265KF' without GPU core is $ 379 (about 56,400 yen), the 14-core (6 P cores, 8 E cores) 'Core Ultra 5 245K' is $ 309 (about 46,000 yen), and the 14-core (6 P cores, 8 E cores) 'Core Ultra 5 245KF' without GPU core is $ 294 (about 43,700 yen).

If you want to install a separate GPU, you can save money by choosing the KF version without a GPU core. At the time of writing, the Core Ultra 9 285KF, a non-GPU version of the Core Ultra 9 285K, has not been announced, but Intel said it may appear as an option in the future.

The Core Ultra 200S series is notable for its significantly reduced power consumption compared to previous models. The 13th and 14th generation Intel Core CPUs consumed much more power than their AMD competitors, but Intel claims that the new Core Ultra 200S series consumes up to 58% less power when using everyday applications and up to 165W less power when gaming.

In addition, single-threaded performance is up to 6% faster than the previous generation product, and multi-threaded performance is up to 14% faster, and it has achieved up to 50% performance improvement in AI-enabled creator applications compared to major competing processors. Intel said, 'The new NPU can offload AI processing, for example, reducing the burden on the discrete GPU to improve frame rates in games, significantly reducing power usage in AI workloads, and enabling accessibility use cases such as face and gesture tracking in games with minimal impact on gameplay performance.'

At the press conference, Intel demonstrated

Assassin's Creed Mirage on the 14th generation processors Core i9-14900K and Core Ultra 9 285K, showing that the Core Ultra 9 285K delivers the same performance with 80W less power. The Core Ultra 9 285K also reduces power consumption by up to 58W in games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III , and in some cases reduces power consumption by as much as 165W in games such as Warhammer: Space Marines 2 .

While the Core Ultra 200S series excels in terms of power consumption, in terms of gaming performance it rivals AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D or lags behind in some games, and is clearly inferior to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. 'Compared to AMD's X3D series, I think it's about 5% behind,' said Robert Hallock, vice president of Intel's Client Computing Group, but added, 'Considering the cache built into the CPU and the excellent IPC of the product, (the Core Ultra 200S series) is a good product.'

'The new Intel Core Ultra Processor 200S Series aligns with Intel's goal of delivering outstanding gaming performance and industry-leading computing power while drastically reducing power consumption,' said Hallock. 'This will enable new AI gaming and creation capabilities to complement the NPU and ever-evolving media capabilities of Intel GPUs, delivering a cooler and quieter PC experience.'

The Core Ultra 200S series will be available for purchase online, in stores and through manufacturers from October 25, 2024.