Currently, the most recent processor generation available for desktop PC is Arrow Lake. This series is based on socket LGA-1851 and will soon be getting a refresh. In fact, Arrow Lake refresh is scheduled for the end of the year, and will give the Blues a boost in performance. The question is how they’re going to do it.
Arrow Lake refresh = more frequency and new NPU?
Usually, to boost processor performance during refreshes, Intel simply increases operating frequencies. This is a quick and inexpensive way of boosting processor performance. But there are other ways of going about things, especially with this new generation of CPUs, and rumors are swirling that the NPU will be changed.
This will improve performance in the artificial intelligence sector. What’s more, this will be an interesting move on the part of the Blues, both in terms of performance and marketing, since by opting for an NPU4, the same one used in Lunar Lake, the processors will benefit from Copilot+ certification, which is not currently the case since Arrow Lake benefits from a 13 TOPS NPU.
Now, to boost performance at lower cost, we can still expect a slight increase in frequencies. It remains to be seen what these increases will be in MHz. In any case, the real novelties with Nova Lake-S is expected by the end of this year.
On the program, we can expect a significant increase in the number of processor cores, as well as improvements in cache memory with potential rivals to AMD’s X3D. What’s more, a new socket will come into effect, so it’s a shame to let the 1851 die after just one CPU generation, when the 1700 will have had two and a refresh.
