Intel 11th-gen CPUs might not all be based on Intel's latest architecture

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Intel’s 11th-generation CPU lineup will reportedly feature CPUs based on the current-gen Comet Lake-S architecture.

That’s according to website ijiandao.com, which claims the lineup, which is expected to be unveiled at CES next month, will feature higher-end processors based on Rocket Lake-S and  lower-end chips based on Comet Lake-S. 

According to the report, Intel’s 11th-gen Core lineup will feature Rocket Lake-S for its Core i5, i7, and i9 SKUs, while the Comet Lake-S Refresh would be used for Core i3, Pentium, and Celeron series variants. 

This split means we won’t see the new Cypress Cove core architecture and Xe-LP graphics on all 11th-gen Core SKUs. The Core i5, i7, and i9 CPUs will be powered by both technologies, but the lower-end SKUs will keep using the same core architecture as Intel's Skylake processors from 2016 and Intel UHD Graphics 600 series.

At the top-end, Intel’s 11th-generation Core i9 series will allegedly consist of the series will consist of the 11900K, 11900, and 11900T SKUs. 

At least Rocket Lake-S seems fast

Adding weight to this rumor, benchmark results have surfaced for Intel Core i9-11900 and i9-11900K engineering samples. The results, shared by TechPowerUp, seem to suggest that the CPUs will deliver on Intel’s promise of double-digit IPC gains, with the processors a single-core performance uplift of 12% compared to the Intel Core i9-10900 and i9-10900K.  

Elsewhere in Intel’s 11th-gen lineup, the Core i7 series will reportedly consist of the 11700K, 11700, and 11700T, all of which will feature 8 cores and 16 threads, 16MB of cache, and TDPs of 125W, 65W, and 35W, respectively. 

The Core i5 series is more extensive with the three 11600 SKUs (K, non-K, and T), two 11500 (non-K and T), and two 11400 (non-K and T). All of these processors feature6 cores, 12 threads, 12MB of cache, and Intel Xe Graphics. 

The i3 processors will consist of five Comet Lake-S refreshed SKUs: the 11100, 11100T, 11300, 11300T, and 11320. 

Intel is widely-expected to launch its 11th-gen CPU series at CES in January. There’s also a possibility that the 11th-gen desktop CPUs themselves might emerge not too long after that in February, according to a recent rumor

Carly Page

Carly Page is a Freelance journalist, copywriter and editor specialising in Consumer/B2B technology. She has written for a range of titles including Computer Shopper, Expert Reviews, IT Pro, the Metro, PC Pro, TechRadar and Tes.