Intel’s Raptor Lake processors have appeared in a new driver release that offers a hint that we may be seeing these next-gen CPUs in no time.
As VideoCardz (opens in new tab) In reports, support for Raptor Lake-S and P processors has been added to the new Intel Media Driver release (version 22.4.4, labeled Q2, although we are no longer in this quarter).
These CPU designations refer to Raptor Lake processors for desktop (S) and laptop (P – lower-powered mobile chips), and it’s interesting to see support for the latter, because so far the rumor has been relatively muted about what to expect. from Intel. 13th generation entry on the mobile front.
The broad expectation – in part due to the lack of news – is that laptop models could be released a little later for Raptor Lake, with desktop chips coming first.
Analysis: Is AMD at risk of being left behind?
As you may know, the latest rumors have pointed to a Raptor Lake release in October. We were wondering if Intel might feel the urge to pull the trigger for the release of 13th-gen processors a little earlier than that, as previous rumors indicated that September could be the month to watch the Raptor Lake silicon unleashed.
The fact that we’re seeing Raptor Lake appear in driver references now is at least a hint that the release might be closer than expected, but what also makes us wonder about 13th-gen chips appearing sooner rather than later. is what ‘ I heard about the next generation.
Intel’s Meteor Lake processors appear to be on track for what could be an early Q2 2023 debut, and given that, we think the chip giant would like to leave a decent amount of breathing room between the 13th and 13th. 14th generations. So releasing Raptor Lake in late 2022 seems like a less likely prospect in that regard.
Of course, this is all speculation based on rumours, so take it as such – with a skeptical view.
Another way of looking at this is – why doesn’t Intel want to move forward with Raptor Lake if possible? If Team Blue can actually release the 13th-gen chips early and get the drop on AMD’s next-gen Zen 4 CPUs – as we’ve also heard that Team Red could be withholding this to allow the stock Ryzen 5000 to be sold – this is going to look like a pretty punishing win in the desktop processor space.
Mind you, AMD is still counting on the Ryzen 5000 CPUs that were first released two years ago – and Alder Lake has already surpassed that silicon, certainly as popular choices for gamers, so Raptor Lake would absolutely seal Intel’s advantage in this one. respect. (Yes, we’re not forgetting that Team Red brought in 3D V-Cache technology, which is no doubt impressive, but it’s just one processor model – the 5800X3D – and so has limited impact across the CPU arena. ).
AMD could be in serious trouble, for our money, if Raptor Lake beats Zen 4 at launch, and Meteor Lake isn’t that far off either – even Ryzen 7000 CPUs with 3D V-Cache, which are said to be slightly below the line from the initial debut of Zen 4, it is unlikely to be able to save AMD against Intel’s 14th-gen models, which have dropped to 7nm. It’s true that Zen 4 is shaping up to be very strong, so maybe we’re surprised by that – but as things stand now, it looks like a pretty uncomfortable battle of release deadlines for AMD.
