Intel Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPU Sample Features 24 Cores & 24 Threads, No AVX-512 Support

There might be a slight change with hyper-threading tech in the upcoming Intel Arrow Lake-S CPUs for desktop PCs as pointed out by a newly surfaced sample.

This rumor comes from InstaLatX64, who spotted an Intel Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPU on an Intel test machine with 24 cores and 24 threads running at 3 GHz. While the exclusion of hyperthreading isn't mentioned in the database, this analogy is made by the mentioned thread count, which is 24 threads. We know from a previous leak that Intel's Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPUs would feature up to 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores so that's 16 threads off of the E-Cores and 8 Threads off of the P-Cores. P-cores on the Arrow Lake-S CPUs may not feature hyper-threading support which has both, its ups & downs.

I spotted a new #ArrowLake-S (CPUID C0660, 24 threads, 3GHz, w/o #AVX512) among the #Intel test machines:https://t.co/xiSjhpEcPP https://t.co/X7iBnRq9gW pic.twitter.com/Dasjo0L6Fp

— InstLatX64 (@InstLatX64) February 1, 2024

This means we might see hyper-threading getting excluded from the upcoming Intel lineup. While there isn't a specific reason behind the removal of HT, it may be that Intel doesn't find it worthwhile for next-generation workloads. Or with the ever-increasing number of cores, there isn't a need for such high-threads for consumer-based PC applications.

We know that Intel spent a lot of time on its Thread Director technology with partners such as Microsoft to fine-tune the performance of its P-Core and E-Core architecture on the Windows operating systems. The company has also worked with game developers and released its Application Performance Optimization (APO) software that tunes the performance of CPUs across a select number of games and a select number of CPU SKUs which the company recently expanded upon.

Probably yes, but it is hard to decide if it is a bug or a feature. Advantages of disabled HTT: -Simpler Thread-Director-Better side-channel attack resistance-I can imagine such good branch prediction and reordering capabilities where HTT has just negligible advantage.

— InstLatX64 (@InstLatX64) February 3, 2024

Apart from that, it is disclosed that Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs might exclude AVX512 instruction support as well. Some reasons could be higher power usage or Intel making sure that AVX-512 is locked to the corporate and server segment rather than client platforms which are less expensive to purchase and can kill off other segments within its portfolio. Now, it's not like AVX-512 has entirely disappeared. The support for the instructions still exists on the HPC side with the Xeon chips. Moreover, AMD is already offering it on its Ryzen 7000 consumer processors, which have shown impressive performance capabilities. We will see the debut of AVX10 ISA support with the Arrow Lake-S, which is expected to be a decent alternative and offers much enhanced functionality.

For a quick recap on what to expect with Arrow Lake-S, it will feature the Lion Cove P-Core and Skymont E-Core architecture. These chips will feature up to 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores for a total of 24 cores. The CPUs will also get the latest GT1 Xe-LPG iGPU but with reduced Xe-cores compared to the ones featured on Meteor Lake CPUs. As for the platform, Intel will offer Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPUs on its brand new LGA 1851 socketed motherboards with the 800-series PCH, including the Z890, H870, B860, and H810 series. Here are the rumored SKUs that have surfaced, with their respective core/thread configurations.

Intel's Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPUs are positioned for launch on gaming platforms such as desktop PCs later this year.