Intel’s “Lunar Lake” teased to offer 1.5x MT boost in Cinebench over Meteor Lake-U
Intel next-gen low-power series “Lunar Lake” with a substantial performance increase over Meteor Lake.
As per reliable source “Bionic_Squash,” renowned for accurate Intel rumors, the upcoming Lunar Lake, part of the next-gen client platform, is expected to bring about a noteworthy 50% performance boost compared to Meteor Lake-U. This claim specifically refers to the Cinebench R23 release and Cinebench 5.4.5 multithreaded tests.
The Lunar Lake-MX platform is expected to showcase an octa-core CPU setup, featuring four P-Cores based on the Lion Cove architecture and an additional four E-Cores based on Skymont. It’s worth noting that Arrow Lake will utilize the same microarchitecture and is expected to be launched right along Lunar Lake, but aiming for mid- and high-end hardware.
MTL-U (15w)-> LNL(17w)
Almost 1.5x MT perf increase (CB23, GB 5.4.5)— Bionic_Squash (@SquashBionic) March 10, 2024
Intel did not reveal the full details of Lunar Lake, but the company was pretty clear from the very beginning that the architecture is for thin and low-power laptops. This was confirmed through leaked slides last year, which basically put Lunar Lake as a successor to Meteor Lake-U.
Now it is claimed that in comparison to 15W TDP Meteor Lake SKUs, which are offered with up to 12 cores (2P+8E+2LP), one should expect a 1.5x multithreaded increase, and that’s despite Lion Cove and Skymont cores lacking hyperthreading support. This would be achieved at 17W, the original TDP (PL1) setting, which may go up to 30W as per leaked slides. Intel is also planning an 8W TDP version for fanless designs.
Intel Lunar Lake, Source: YuuKi-AnS
In addition to the enhanced CPU performance, Intel’s Lunar Lake is set to feature a faster NPU, with Intel saying it has a threefold speed increase compared to its predecessor, Meteor Lake. Furthermore, the platform will introduce the new Xe2-LPG graphics architecture. This combination holds particular promise for handheld gaming systems, frequently designed with a 15W TDP in mind.
While the new Lunar Lake series is anticipated to make its debut later this year, volume production is projected to commence in 2025.
| RUMORED Intel Mainstream CPU Series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz | Alder Lake | Raptor Lake (Refresh) | Meteor Lake | Arrow Lake | Lunar Lake |
| Platform | Desktop/Mobile | Desktop/Mobile | Mobile | Desktop/Mobile | Mobile |
| CPU Node | Intel 7 | Intel 7 | Intel 4 | Intel 20A | TBC |
| Big Core µArch | Golden Cove | Raptor Cove | Redwood Cove | Lion Cove | Lion Cove |
| Small Core µArch | Gracemont | Gracemont | Crestmont | Skymont | Skymont |
| Graphics µArch | X e -LP | X e -LP | X e -LPG | X e -LPG | X e2 -LPG |
| Launch Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 |
Source: Bionic Squash