The CPU market is expected to usher in a cold winter year, with no 12-core or 16-core Zen4 X3D processors and no Meteor Lake in 2023. A reliable source of CPU and platform leaks, ECSM_Official, has some new predictions for the release schedule of upcoming desktop processors and what 2023 could hold for Intel and AMD.
2022 is coming to a close, and neither brand is expected to launch a new desktop processor SKU for the rest of the year. Intel expects to flesh out its 13th Gen Core “Raptor Lake” desktop processor family in the first quarter of 2023, adding frequency-locked non-K-class SKUs covering all four brand extensions (i3/i5/i7/i9).
In addition to these, Intel is expected to unveil its new flagship, the Core i9-13900KS, with a boost clock that hits the 6GHz mark in an attempt to fend off the threat from AMD’s “Zen 4” with 3D vertical cache, a technology that enables “Zen 4” 3″‘s gaming performance jumps to on par with “Alder Lake”.
The i9-13900KS and AMD Ryzen 7000X3D processors are expected to be launched in the first half of 2023 (March-April), and AMD is expected to launch only 6-core/12-thread and 8-core/16-thread SKUs with 3DV cache technology. These will be single CCD packages. There’s no word on a 12-core or 16-core dual CCD, so the Ryzen 9 7950X3D isn’t in the plan.
AMD is expected to debut its entry-level A620 motherboard chipset in the second quarter of 2023. The chipset reportedly does not offer CPU overclocking capabilities, nor does it support PCIe Gen 5, and cap memory speeds at DDR5-4800.
Intel is expected to refresh its 13th-generation Core processor lineup with new SKUs in the third quarter of 2023. Right now, all that’s known about these new “Raptor Lake” processors is that they’re a 100-200MHz speed boost over the 13th Gen Core SKUs that existed at the time. This also means that the LGA1700 platform and “Raptor Lake” will be Intel’s mainstream throughout 2023, while the 14th-generation “Meteor Lake” won’t launch until 2024.
While “Meteor Lake” will dominate Intel’s mobile processor lineup, it will have a limited impact on desktops due to its core count of 6P+16E, despite improved IPC for both P and E cores. However, these processors will first appear on the new generation Socket LGA1851 platform.
In 2024, Intel will launch “Meteor Lake” and 15th generation “Arrow Lake” processors. Arrow Lake SoC will restore the number of cores to the familiar 8P+16E, compared to “Meteor Lake”, at least the IPC of the P core has improved. All in all, 2023 will be a tepid year for new processor/platform releases, mainly due to the PC industry downturn. Intel and AMD will make some less risky bets.
