Intel launches 11th Gen Intel Core processors; 150 designs in pipeline

Intel has officially launched its first 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics for laptops.

Touted as the “best processor for thin and light laptops,” Intel said that 150 designs based on the 11th Gen Core processor are in the pipeline from companies such as Acer, Asus, Dell, Dynabook, HP, Lenovo, LG, MSI, Razer, and Samsung.

The earliest device powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core processors that have already been announced include Asus’ latest ZenBooks, Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 5G, and Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3. Devices may launch as early as this fall.

Nine new designs

Intel has launched nine new CPU designs across the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 families under two separate classes-- the U-series (which Intel now refers to as UP3) and Y-series (class chips which have been renamed UP4). The UP3 class of processors provide an operating range of 12-28W while the UP4 class of processors run at a 7-15W range.

Leading the UP3 series is the Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor which offer base speeds of 3.0GHz, 12MB cache and a maximum graphics frequency of 1.35 max graphics frequency.

Talking about the overall specs, the 11th Gen Intel Core processors integrate Intel’s latest technology from AI performance accelerators, Willow Cove CPU, its next-generation universal cable connectivity solution Thunderbolt 4 and most importantly, its Xe graphics architecture.

It is Intel’s first st mobile client SoC with CPU-attached PCIe Gen 4 interface and with up to four lanes.

Intel is banking highly on its new graphics architecture and the AI capabilities that the new processors provide.

AI-capabilities

The processors come with a promise of better performance on PCs across tasks. This means faster streaming on YouTube, gaming on PCs with better graphics and making noise-free video calls on a device with a high-resolution display.

The new processors support background noise suppression via Intel Gaussian and Neural Accelerator 2.0 (Intel GNA) along with AI-powered background blur and video super-resolution. It also has support for 8K HDR displays and up to four simultaneous 4K HDR displays along with hardware-supported Dolby Vision.

The processors can deliver double the speed in terms of content creation, gaming and streaming, Intel said. It has collaborated with various software partners including Google, Adobe and Microsoft to enhance the capabilities of the processors from making noise-free video calls, managing workflows on Office 365 to editing and uploading videos.

Better graphics

The Xe graphics architecture is only available with i5 and i7 processors, the i3 processors come with Intel UHD Graphics.

According to Intel, the Xe graphics architecture can 1.5 times the performance vs AMD’s 4800U. It provides a similar experience to NVIDIA’s MX350 across gaming titles, Intel said. The new graphics provide better performance and visuals as compared to its predecessor across titles such as Gears Tactics, CS: GO, Total War Saga: Troy, as demoed during Intel’s launch event.

The processors are also meant to be more energy efficient with a new “10nm SuperFin design. ” Intel has revamped the transistor as well as the metal stack to enable high-performance IPs with low power consumption, it said. It offers 20 per cent faster speeds for “office productivity” tasks with a similar increase in “system-level power.”

He system also comes with Intel’s recently announced connectivity solution Thunderbolt 4 which can provide up to 40Gb/s bandwidth on each port. It also supports Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+).

Intel Evo

Alongside the launch, Intel has rebranded itself with a new minimalistic log and has also introduced a new certification standard called ‘Intel Evo’ for its Project Athena which is aimed at providing a “high level of quality control.”

Project Athena is Intel’s innovation program which manages quality control across devices based on performance and battery life. Evo certified devices will have “consistent responsiveness on battery, system wake from sleep in less than 1 second, nine or more hours of real-world battery life on systems with FHD displays and fast charging with up to a four-hour charge in under 30 minutes on systems with FHD displays,” Intel said.

Intel has said that 20 new devices verified under Intel Evo Platform Brand will be available later this year.

Intel has also announced its new logo which will be used for branding various products, from Intel’s Xeon servers to its Optane memory chips.

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