Intel has revealed new details about its upcoming Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake CPU architectures, showcasing improved I/O configurations and enhanced performance monitoring capabilities.
Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake I/O Configurations
The next-generation Intel CPUs will offer diverse I/O setups across different platforms:
-
Arrow Lake-S (Desktop):
- 16 PCIe Gen5 lanes for graphics
- 4 Gen5 + 4 Gen4 lanes for M.2 SSDs
- Up to 14 Gen4 lanes on the PCH
- 13 USB 2.0 and 10 USB 3.0 lanes
-
Arrow Lake-H (High-Performance Mobile):
- 12 PCIe Gen4 lanes on SOC
- 8 Gen5 lanes for graphics
- 8 Gen4 lanes for M.2 SSDs
- 10 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 lanes
-
Lunar Lake (Ultra-Mobile):
- All I/O on SOC
- UFS, PCIe Gen4/Gen5, USB 3.2 Gen2, and USB 2.0 support
LGA 1851 Socket
Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs will use a new LGA 1851 socket, featuring 51 additional pins compared to the current LGA 1700/1800 socket. The pinout layout shows significant changes, indicating potential improvements in power delivery and signal integrity.
Enhanced Performance Monitoring
Intel is implementing new performance monitoring capabilities for Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake:
- Three new fixed counters for E-cores
- Updated PEBS Data Source format for P-cores
- Increased number of general-purpose counters
- New Architectural Performance Monitoring V6
- PEBS format V6 with counter snapshotting
These enhancements will allow for more granular performance analysis, including branch-level CPU monitoring.
Release Timeline
- Lunar Lake CPUs: Expected launch in September
- Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPUs: Planned for October
- Remaining Core Ultra 200 CPUs: Early 2025
Intel is likely to provide more details at its Innovation event in September, with Linux 6.11 expected to fully support these new architectures upon release.
As Intel continues to push the boundaries of CPU design, these upcoming generations promise significant improvements in I/O capabilities and performance monitoring, potentially offering enhanced experiences for both desktop and mobile users.