Intel Meteor Lake-S CPU Test Tool Once Again Points To A Possible Desktop Launch

By: Jason R. Wilson
Source: https://wccftech.com/intel-meteor-lake-s-cpu-test-tool-once-again-points-to-a-possible-desktop-launch/

A test tool for Intel’s Meteor Lake-S CPUs has appeared on the blue team’s designintools portal which may indicate a desktop launch.

Intel Meteor Lake desktop series back to the table as a new CPU tool appears on the official Design-In-Tools webpage

Previously, there were rumors that Intel had canceled its Meteor Lake-S Desktop CPU family and instead focused on its refreshed Raptor Lake CPUs. Now, a new LGA1851-MTL-S CPU interposer discovered by momomo_us has appeared which is an internal testing tool provided to customers and partners who are receiving the first samples for testing. It was recently stated that Intel was sampling its first Meteor Lake-S Desktop CPUs to OEMs.

Current motherboards feature the  LGA1700 socket, featuring support for 12th Gen, Alder Lake, and the current 13th Gen Core Raptor Lake CPUs. The new interposer tool is labeled as “LGA1851-MTL-S, and is specifically designed for Meteor Lake-S CPUs and also future chips that utilize similar LGA contacts. It was previously pointed out that the LGA 1851 socket should span at least three desktop families with Arrow Lake and its refresh being one of them.

The below link, provided by hardware leaker momomo_us on Twitter, sends users to a page listing for the LGA1851-MTL-S Interposer for the Gen5 Voltage Regulation (VR) Test Tool (SKU Q6UB1851MTLS), which is only available to allowed users.

The image for the Intel Meteor Lake-S LGA 1851 Test Tool on the page is shown below:

Outside of the “Intel Confidential” at the bottom of the interposer above, it has the socket & CPU family listed, with “Revision A (REV A)” and a copyright of “2022.” The LGA 1851 socket listed explains that this interposer has 1,851 separate contacts. It is slightly larger than the current LGA socket requiring 1,700 contacts. A roadmap from Intel was to have confirmed this discovery, as shown below:

intel-desktop-workstation-cpu-roadmap-raptor-lake-refresh-sapphire-rapids-xeon-workstation-_1
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The above roadmap states that the Intel W680, Z790, 700 Series, and Q670 chipsets would be part of the Raptor Lake-S Refresh series, which is expected to launch in the third quarter of this year. The Meteor Lake series, listed as part of the Intel VPU Timeline, shows laptop and notebook manufacturers Microsoft, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer. A few months ago, we reported original Meteor Lake-S plans which include various SKUs for the desktop LGA 1851 platform. The SKUs list includes:

  • MTL-S 22 (6P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 125W TDP
  • MTL-S 22 (6P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 65W TDP
  • MTL-S 22 (6P + 16E) / 4 Xe Cores / 35W TDP
  • MTL-S 14 (6P + 8E) / 4 Xe Cores / 65WTDP
  • MTL-S 14 (6P + 8E) / 4 Xe Cores / 35WTDP
intel-vpu-for-13th-gen-raptor-lake-14th-gen-meteor-lake-cpus-_1

Yesterday, it was revealed that Intel’s Meteor Lake’s new L4 cache, “Adamantine,” will be on the latest mobile series chipset. We will have to continue to follow this new information with a fair amount of “rumor” until we see more validity to a desktop Meteor Lake line.

Intel Mainstream CPU Generations Comparison:

Intel CPU Family Processor Process Processor Architecture Graphics Architecture Processors Cores/Threads (Max) TDPs Platform Chipset Platform Memory Support PCIe Support Launch
Sandy Bridge (2nd Gen) 32nm Sandy Bridge HD3000 4/8 35-95W 6-Series LGA 1155 DDR3 PCIe Gen 2.0 2011
Ivy Bridge (3rd Gen) 22nm Ivy Bridge HD4000 4/8 35-77W 7-Series LGA 1155 DDR3 PCIe Gen 3.0 2012
Haswell (4th Gen) 22nm Haswell HD4600 4/8 35-84W 8-Series LGA 1150 DDR3 PCIe Gen 3.0 2013-2014
Broadwell (5th Gen) 14nm Broadwell Iris Pro 6200 4/8 65-65W 9-Series LGA 1150 DDR3 PCIe Gen 3.0 2015
Skylake (6th Gen) 14nm Skylake HD 500 Series 4/8 35-91W 100-Series LGA 1151 DDR4 PCIe Gen 3.0 2015
Kaby Lake (7th Gen) 14nm Skylake HD 600 Series 4/8 35-91W 200-Series LGA 1151 DDR4 PCIe Gen 3.0 2017
Coffee Lake (8th Gen) 14nm Skylake HD 600 Series 6/12 35-95W 300-Series LGA 1151 DDR4 PCIe Gen 3.0 2017
Coffee Lake (9th Gen) 14nm Skylake HD 600 Series 8/16 35-95W 300-Series LGA 1151 DDR4 PCIe Gen 3.0 2018
Comet Lake (10th Gen) 14nm Skylake HD 600 Series 10/20 35-125W 400-Series LGA 1200 DDR4 PCIe Gen 3.0 2020
Rocket Lake (11th Gen) 14nm Cypress Cove HD 700 Series 8/16 35-125W 500-Series LGA 1200 DDR4 PCIe Gen 4.0 2021
Alder Lake (12th Gen) Intel 7 Golden Cove (P-Core)
Gracemont (E-Core)
HD 700 Series 16/24 35-125W 600 Series LGA 1700/1800 DDR5 / DDR4 PCIe Gen 5.0 2021
Raptor Lake (13th Gen) Intel 7 Raptor Cove (P-Core)
Gracemont (E-Core)
HD 700 Series 24/32 35-125W 700-Series LGA 1700/1800 DDR5 / DDR4 PCIe Gen 5.0 2022
Raptor Lake Refresh (TBA) Intel 7 Raptor Cove (P-Core)
Gracemont (E-Core)
HD 700 Series 24/32 35-125W 700-Series LGA 1700/1800 DDR5 / DDR4 PCIe Gen 5.0 2023
Meteor Lake Intel 4 Redwood Cove (P-Core)
Crestmont (E-Core)
Xe1 (Alchemist) 22/28 35-65W 800 Series LGA 1851 DDR5 PCIe Gen 5.0 2024
Arrow Lake Intel 20A Lion Cove (P-Core)
Skymont (E-Core)
Xe1 (Alchemist) 24/32 TBA 800 Series LGA 1851 DDR5 PCIe Gen 5.0 2024
Arrow Lake Refresh (TBA) Intel 20A Lion Cove (P-Core)
Skymont (E-Core)
Xe1 (Alchemist) TBA TBA 800 Series LGA 1851 DDR5 PCIe Gen 5.0 2025
Lunar Lake Intel 18A TBD Xe2 (Battlemage) TBA TBA 900-Series? LGA 1851?? DDR5 PCIe Gen 5.0? 2025
Panther Lake (TBA) TBA TBD Xe3 (Celestial) TBD TBD 900-Series? LGA 1851? DDR5 PCIe Gen 6.0? 2026
Nova Lake (TBA) Intel 18A TBD TBA TBA TBA 1000-Series? TBA DDR5? PCIe Gen 6.0? 2026

Written by Jason R. Wilson