Raptor Lake Refresh

Raptor Lake is Intel's codename for the 13th and 14th generations of Intel Core processors based on a hybrid architecture, utilizing Raptor Cove performance cores and Gracemont efficient cores. Like Alder Lake, Raptor Lake is fabricated using Intel's Intel 7 process. Raptor Lake features up to 24 cores (8 performance cores plus 16 efficiency cores) and 32 threads and is socket compatible with Alder Lake systems (LGA 1700, BGA 1744, BGA 1964). Like earlier generations, Raptor Lake processors also need accompanying chipsets. Raptor Lake CPUs have suffered issues with permanent damage from elevated voltage due to a vulnerable clock tree circuit, resulting in instability. Intel claims these issues have been since fixed in the latest microcode patches, which requires updating the motherboard's BIOS.

History

Raptor Lake launched on October 20, 2022. On January 3, 2023 at CES 2023, Intel announced additional desktop CPUs and mobile CPUs. The 14th generation was launched on October 17, 2023.

In September 2022, an Intel spokesman revealed that Raptor Lake was created to benefit from process improvements before Meteor Lake arrives since the next microarchitecture was likely to be delayed.

Raptor Lake competes with AMD's Ryzen 7000 series that was launched about one month earlier on September 27, 2022.

The 14th generation Raptor Lake Refresh is the last processor family to use the old "Core i" branding scheme in use since 2008. The Raptor Lake-U Refresh series is the first processor family to use the new "Core 3/5/7" branding scheme introduced in mid 2023.

On December 14, 2023, Intel announced the Raptor Cove-based Xeon E-2400 series for entry-level servers.

In the lower grades, there are several models that consistently use semiconductor dies manufactured with the previous generation Alder Lake architecture instead of Raptor Lake.
There are also models that are sold with both Raptor Lake and Alder Lake. Even in these cases, Intel's official names are "Raptor Lake" and "Raptor Lake Refresh".
Even if the new and old models are mixed, the L2 cache memory capacity has been reduced to a level equivalent to that of Alder Lake, and the upper limit of supported memory frequency is also equivalent to that of Alder Lake.

Features

CPU

* Up to 24 cores:
** Up to 8 Raptor Cove performance cores (P-core)
** Up to 16 Gracemont efficient cores (E-core) in 4-core clusters
* L2 cache for the P-core increased up to 2 MB and for the E-core cluster up to 4 MB
** As long as these: S model for desktops, HX model for mobiles, E model for servers.
* Up to 36 MB shared L3 cache

GPU

* Up to 96 execution units (EUs)
* Intel Xe-LP microarchitecture
* Up to 1.65 GHz frequency
* Up to 4 displays

I/O

* Up to DDR5-5600 and LPDDR5X-6400
* Dual-channel memory, 2 DPC, up to 4 DIMMs 256 GB total
* Support XMP 3.0
* Up to 28 PCI Express 5.0 lanes including 8 dedicated to Direct Media InterfaceIntel using its own system called Direct Media Interface (DMI) that's PCIe in all but name

** from CPU: x16 PCIe 5.0, x4 PCIe 4.0, x8 DMI 4.0 (16 GB/s total)
** from PCH: x8 PCIe 4.0
* Integrated Thunderbolt 4 and WiFi 6E support
** Supported via Platform Controller Hub (PCH) on desktop processors
** Directly supported by CPU on non-HX mobile processors
** No support on HX mobile processors, could be added via external controller

Technology

* Third-generation Intel SuperFin transistors
* Increased P- and E-cores maximum frequencies
* Increased power efficiency

List of 13th generation Raptor Lake processors

Desktop processors

Raptor Lake-S

On September 27, 2022 at their Innovation event, Intel officially revealed six unlocked Raptor Lake SKUs launching for desktop on October 20, 2022. The highest-end Raptor Lake SKU, the 13900KS, which can hit up to 6.0 GHz at stock configuration, debuted in 2023.

Common features of Raptor Lake desktop CPUs:
* Socket: LGA 1700.
* Memory support:
** All models support up to 128 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of DDR5 RAM after a BIOS upgrade.
** All models support DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel mode.
** All models support up to DDR4-3200 or DDR5-4800. The i5-13600 (K/KF/T) and all models above it support DDR5 speeds up to 5600 MT/s with max 2 DIMMs slotted, 4400 MT/s if 4 DIMMs are slotted.
* All models provide 28 PCI Express lanes:
** 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes
** 4 PCIe 4.0 lanes
** 8 DMI lanes
* Models without the F suffix feature either of the following integrated UHD Graphics GPUs, all with base frequency of 300 MHz:
** UHD Graphics 770 with 32 execution units, or
** UHD Graphics 730 with 24 execution units
* Max Turbo Power: the maximum sustained (> 1 s) power dissipation of the processor as limited by current and/or temperature controls. Instantaneous power may exceed Maximum Turbo Power for short durations (≤ 10 ms). Maximum Turbo Power is configurable by system vendor and can be system specific.
* CPUs in bold below feature vPro Enterprise and ECC memory support only when paired with a motherboard based on the W680 chipset. Other SKUs do not support ECC memory at all.

Suffixes to denote:
* T – Low power (TDP reduced to 35 W)
* F – No integrated graphics
* K – Unlocked clock multiplier
* KF – Unlocked clock multiplier + No integrated graphics
* KS – Unlocked clock multiplier + Special edition

Alder Lake and Raptor Lake mixed models:
*13400, 13400F
Alder Lake models:
*13600, 13600T, 13500, 13500T, 13490F, 13400T, 13100, 13100F, 13100T

Mobile processors

All mobile processors except for the HX series support the following types of memory: DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR5X-6400, LPDDR4X-4267. The HX processors only support: DDR5-4800 (DDR5-5600 for i7-13850HX and above), DDR4-3200.

The processors are connected to PCHs using an OPIO 2.0 x8 interface, except for the HX series which uses a DMI 4.0 x8 interface. Except for the HX series, the processor and PCH are packaged together on a multi-chip package.

The HX series uses 45x37.5mm BGA 1964, and the other mobile processors use 25x50mm BGA 1744, on a Type 3 or Type 4 HDI.

Raptor Lake-HX

The HX processors are desktop processors repurposed for mobile use, with all models unlocked for overclocking.
* CPUs in bold support vPro Enterprise and ECC memory support when paired with the WM790 mobile workstation chipset.
* i7-13650HX and above feature Turbo Boost 3.0, which is at the same speed as Turbo Boost 2.0.
* i9-13980HX supports Thermal Velocity Boost to 5.6 GHz
Alder Lake and Raptor Lake mixed models:
* 13700HX, 13450HX
Alder Lake models:
* 13600HX, 13500HX

Raptor Lake-H

* The iGPU of CPUs in ''italic'' is UHD, not Iris Xe.
* i7-13620H and above feature Turbo Boost 3.0, which is at the same speed as Turbo Boost 2.0.

Raptor Lake-PX

These CPUs use BGA1792.

Raptor Lake-P

Raptor Lake-U

The iGPU of CPUs in ''italic'' is UHD, not Iris Xe.

List of 14th generation Raptor Lake processors

Desktop processors

Raptor Lake-S Refresh

An iterative refresh of Raptor Lake-S desktop processors were launched as 14th Generation Core processors on October 17, 2023. Raptor Lake-S Refresh uses the same B0 and C0 silicon steppings as Raptor Lake with no physical changes. The most major change with Raptor Lake-S Refresh is that one fewer E-core cluster is disabled in silicon for Core i7 SKUs.
CPUs in bold below feature ECC memory support only when paired with a motherboard based on the W680 chipset according to each respective Intel Ark product page.
* Alder Lake and Raptor Lake mixed models:
** 14400, 14400F
* Alder Lake models:
** 14500, 14500T, 14490F, 14400T, 14100, 14100F, 14100T, 300, 300T

Embedded processors

Raptor Lake-E Refresh

Embedded Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs lack E-Cores and contain only P-Cores.

Mobile processors

Raptor Lake-HX Refresh

An iterative refresh of Raptor Lake-HX mobile processors, called the 14th generation of Intel Core, was launched on Jan 9, 2024.

Server processors

* CPUs support 2-channel DDR5-4800 ECC memory
* 48 PCI Express lanes total between CPU and chipset
** CPU: x16 PCIe 5.0, x4 PCIe 4.0
** C260 PCH: x20 PCIe 4.0, x8 PCIe 3.0
* LGA1700 socket

List of Core Series 1 processors

Mobile processors

These Raptor Lake-based processors are branded as "Core Series 1" vs. the Meteor Lake-based ones which are branded "Core Ultra Series 1."

Raptor Lake-U Refresh

List of Core Series 2 processors

Mobile processors

These Raptor Lake-based processors are branded as "Core Series 2", Unlike Arrow Lake's "Core Ultra Series 2".

Raptor Lake-U Re-refresh

Raptor Lake-H Re-refresh

Instability and degradation issue

In February 2024, reports had begun surfacing of users of K-versions of the 13th and 14th generation Core i7 and i9 desktop CPUs commonly experiencing crashing issues in certain workload scenarios, such as video games that use DirectX 12, and HandBrake. The issue was initially attributed to Nvidia GeForce graphics drivers; however, in a driver update published on April 13, 2024, Nvidia acknowledged the instability problem as being associated with the Intel 13th/14th generation CPUs, and that owners of them should contact Intel customer support for further assistance. Some users and game developers have worked around the problem by applying lower power limits, undervolting or underclocking the CPU.

As of April 18, 2024, according to Intel an investigation of the root cause of the instability issues was underway. It is believed by some hardware reviewers to be silicon degradation from power limits being set too high by the motherboard's default settings. Shortly thereafter, motherboard manufacturers began rolling out BIOS updates which provide an "Intel Baseline Profile" preset in the overclocking menu, which intends to enforce the power limits of the official Intel specification. Hardware reviewer ''Hardwareluxx'' had found that there is an average performance loss of 9% across a number of applications with the Baseline profile, compared to the motherboard's default profile, when tested using the i9-14900K.

However, ''TechSpot'' found that the Intel Baseline Profile is inconsistent between the motherboard manufacturers (Gigabyte and Asus in particular), with Gigabyte setting a PL2 of 188 W, while Asus sets a PL2 of 253 W which is the official Intel specification. TechSpot further criticized Intel, stating that they had claimed in the past several years that the motherboard manufacturers not adhering to Intel's official specification for power limits were considered normal and "within spec".

Despite the attempted fix through BIOS updates, instances of crashes still continue to be reported as of July 2024, now largely affecting game server providers equipped with server-grade LGA1700 motherboards. One datacenter service provider reported that it was switching some of its customers to AMD-powered game servers because of the severity of the problems and the lack of prompt fixes. Gaming laptops have also been found to be affected, although to a lesser degree.

A microcode update fixing a bug with the eTVB algorithm was published the previous month, but this was confirmed by Intel to not be the root cause of the problem, although it may have been a contributing factor.

Intel confirmed that there is no fix to the issue if it already affects a CPU, and any damage to the CPU is permanent. Intel has decided not to halt sales or recall any units.

In August 2024, motherboard manufacturers released BIOS updates to fix the issue. Users were advised to apply these updates and use the "Intel Default Settings" in their BIOS configuration.

In an Intel blog post dated September 25, 2024, the "root cause" was finally acknowledged to be due to a "clock tree circuit within the IA core which is particularly vulnerable to reliability aging under elevated voltage and temperature".

Two-year warranty extension for certain models

On August 2, 2024 Intel announced they would extend warranty for certain retail (boxed) 13th/14th generation Core CPUs by two years. On August 5, 2024 the company announced they would extend warranty to tray ( OEM) CPUs as well. The extended warranty will cover the following models:

See also

* Intel Core
* Raptor Cove
* Emerald Rapids, Intel's 5th generation Xeon server processors based on Raptor Cove microarchitecture and Intel 7 process
* List of Intel CPU microarchitectures

Notes

References

{{Intel processor roadmap

Intel x86 microprocessors
X86 microarchitectures
Computer-related introductions in 2022