Corsair Struts Its Vengeance DDR5 RAM Ahead Of Intel Alder Lake Launch

As the launch of Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake CPU lineup edges closer, it’s about that time when the manufacturers of high-end components, chief among them being the memory makers. begin to give fans teasers of their next-generation products. In this case, memory and accessories maker Corsair is wasting no time on the matter and recently posted an image of Vengeance-themed DDR5 RAM.

Posted via Corsair’s official Twitter account, the image gives us a clear look at the memory’s heatsink design. In comparison, it doesn’t stray from the brand’s current design language for its DDR4 RAM, the only difference being that the DDR5 memory modules in the image aren’t fitted with an RGB strip in their spine. That said, it is likely that the company will offer variants of its next-generation memory with the multi-coloured LED aesthetic.

It is also worth noting that Corsair has also begun teasing the imminent arrival of its Dominator DDR5 series RAM on the product’s landing page, albeit simply being an outline of the module. On top of that, the brand has also started supplying engineering samples of DDR5 memory kits to reviewers.

As for their speeds, neither the tweet nor the images shares any details on that, but JEDEC specifications state that the new memory standard’s default speed should start at 4800MHz and run with 1.1V, across the board. Of course, how well Corsair’s new DDR5 RAM will handle overclocking will eventually boil down to several factors, such as whether or not the brand is using binned chips or a PMIC. 

MSI Seemingly Confirms Launch Date of Intel Alder Lake CPU Lineup

During its Architecture Day in August, Intel has promised that its 12th generation Alder Lake CPU lineup will launch this year, but fell short of providing a solid date for the event. Well, thanks to MSI, it appears that the date seems to be set for 4 November.

The alleged confirmation date stems from the Taiwanese PC components and laptop maker’s press release, announcing that it would be providing a free upgrade kit for Intel LGA1700 CPUs, along with their Coreliquid CPU coolers. More specifically, consumers will need to fill up a form in order to receive the upgrades but as of this publication, the button that would usually take them to the necessary portal is greyed out and sporting the words “Coming Soon”.

More to the point, the availability date of 4 November initially drew suspicions from Videocardz, whom after reaching out to what it says were reliable sources, was confident that the date is when Intel plans to launch its Alder Lake-S desktop CPU lineup. Further, that date reportedly coincides with the product’s sales and review embargo.

Intel is expected to launch three SKUs under the Alder Lake-S series, including the Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K, and Core i5-12600K. As it stands and given how these things usually go, Intel has yet to officially confirm anything, so take this news with a pinch of salt.

Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake CPU Samples Allegedly Being Sold Early In China

It seems that the wait for Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake-S desktop CPUs may not be as long as we initially expected. According to prominent hardware blogger and leakster, YuuKi_AnS, early samples of the unreleased CPU lineup are currently being sold in China.

According to their sources, samples of the top-of-the-line Core i9-12900K were being sold between 6900 Yuan (~RM4516) and 7500 Yuan (~RM4909). Bear in mind, these prices are not reflective of the product’s final SRP, which we’re certain will be different once the lineup officially launches.

That said, the early sales of qualification samples also point towards Intel’s progression with the chips; if samples are already out this early on the market, it’s clear that the chipmaker’s development of its 12th generation desktop CPUs is ahead of schedule.

As pointed out by PCGamer, one of the more interesting aspect of Alder Lake-S is its unique and uneven core-to-thread ratio, brought about through the “big.LITTLE” combination of Golden Cove and Gracemont cores. For example, the Core i9-12900K is expected to feature 16-cores, 24-threads, while the Core i7-12700K will reportedly have a 12-cores, 20-threads layout.

It’s also been somewhat confirmed the upcoming 12th generation CPU lineup will support next-generation features, such as PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory, all through a new 600 series chipset that, surprisingly, will also be backwards compatible with the following 13th generation Raptor Lake-S CPU lineup.

Intel To Discontinue Production of 10th Generation Ice Lake Laptop CPUs

Intel has announced that it is discontinuing the production of its 10th generation Ice Lake-U series CPU lineup. The news is a little surprising, especially given the fact that some of the CPUs have only been around for a little more than two years.

To be precise, the discontinuation of its 10th generation CPUs isn’t just limited to its Core series lineup, but also its Lakefield, Pentium, and Celeron lineup. The list of the affected CPUs is as below:

• Intel Core i3-10110U
• Intel Core i3-10210U
• Intel Core i5-10210U
• Intel Core i5-10310U
• Intel Core i7-10510U
• Intel Core i7-10610U
• Intel Core i7-10710U
• Intel Core i7-10810U
• Intel Core i3-1005G1
• Intel Core i5-1035G1
• Intel Core i5-1035G4
• Intel Core i5-1035G7
• Intel Core i7-1065G7
• Intel Core i3-L13G4
• Intel Core i5-L16G7
• Intel Celeron 5205U
• Intel Celeron 5805
• Intel Celeron 6805

As to why Intel is discontinuing its Ice Lake-U series, it is probably due to the fact that its current 11th generation Tiger Lake-U CPU series is obviously faster and more powerful. Due to their generally higher base and boost clocks.

On that note, manufacturers will still continue to accept orders for the listed CPUs until 22 October. After that, the last batch of these processors will then be sent off by 29 April 2022. Exceptions to the rule are the Core i7-10810U, Core i7-10610U, Core i5-10310U, and Celeron 5205U. Orders for these CPUs will still be fulfilled until 28 January 2022, and the final batch to be shipped out by 29 July the same year.

Intel 11th Generation Tiger Lake H-Series Now Official

Intel’s 11th generation mobile CPUs are officially here. As previously reported, the chipmaker’s new processors, also known as Tiger Lake-H, are the chipmaker’s latest laptop CPU that is also based on a brand new architecture.

As a quick primer, the new CPUs are based on Intel’s new 10nm Willow Cove SuperFIN die lithography, which the company describes as being leaps and bounds ahead of its already old 14nm process node. As usual, the new lineup features improved single-threaded performance and is made to help laptop brands to balance both gaming and productivity with mobility.

Moving, the new 11th generation CPUs also bring about long-awaited support for other features, including PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, and Intel’s Killer AX1675 Wi-Fi 6E modem,. Further, the new lineup also supports Intel’s new Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 that, among other features, helps the lineup achieve up to 19% gen-on-gen multi-threaded performance.

Breaking down the specifications further, Intel says the new architecture allows the lineup to achieve up to 5GHz on two cores and up to 4.5 on all eight cores. At least, for its top-of-the-line Core i9-11980HK mobile CPU. Moving on, the lineup also supports up to 44 platform PCIe lanes, as well as up to 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes that can also be combined with Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology’s (RST) RAID 0 feature.

Intel’s 11th generation laptop CPUs will be hitting the markets today, with their availability for laptops left to the discretion of the brand’s AiB partners. The list includes brands such as ASUS, MSI, and Lenovo, to name a few.

Intel 7nm Meteor Lake CPU Architecture Confirmed; Tape-In Begins Second Quarter 2021, Launch In 2023

Pat Gelsinger, CEO at Intel, announced the chipmaker’s next-generation CPU architecture, Meteor Lake, during yesterday’s livestream. The future lineup will be based on the same Intel 7nm CPU architecture that was initially reported as “broken” back in July last year.

As per the announcement, Meteor Lake will utilise the x86 architecture and tile design, as well as multiple manufacturing processors made from Intel’s Foveros packaging technology. On a side note, Meteor Lake will not be the only CPU to be based on the 7nm process node; on the datacentre spectrum, Intel’s “Granite Rapids” datacentre processors will also be based on the 7nm architecture.

As to when we can see Meteor Lake CPUs, Intel says that the earliest 7nm architecture will be made available to the masses is sometime in 2023, but the tape-in for it is set to be completed within the second quarter of this year. In the mean time, the chipmaker already has plans to launch Raptor Lake, its 13th generation CPU lineup and successor to the upcoming 12th generation Alder Lake lineup, before the arrival of what is clearly set to be its 14th generation of CPUs.

While details for Meteor Lake are scarce, we can at least draw upon certain expectations based on what is expected to the debut with Alder Lake; as per earlier reports, the new lineup is expected to be one of the first to support the PCIe 5.0 interface, as well as the upcoming DDR5 memory standard. Further, it is also the first CPU to truly be based on Intel’s 10nm Enhanced SuperFIN process node.