On April 30th, Intel will launch Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake later this year, which will be classified under the second generation of Core Ultra processors. The former will re-enter the desktop high-performance market, with a maximum of 8P+16E 24 cores, but will lose hyper-threading, meaning a maximum of 24 cores and 24 threads.
Three K-series models have been known before, namely Core Ultra 9 290K, Core Ultra 7 270K, and Core Ultra 5 260K, expected to have 8+16 24 cores, 8+12 20 cores, and 6+8 14 cores respectively.
The "Cool Core Ultra 5 240F" has now been confirmed, targeting the mid-low-end market. What sets it apart is its unique feature of utilizing two chip configurations: 8+16 and 6+8, with an expected actual specification of 6+4 10 cores.
In other words, if the native 8+16 chip is used, it would require disabling 2 large cores and 12 small cores.
As for whether there is an entry-level Cool Core Ultra 3 series, it is currently uncertain. At least for the current generation, there is no Cool Core Ultra 3 series.
Of course, this practice is not uncommon, but what's intriguing is the rumor that the 6+8 version is manufactured using Intel 20A process, while the 8+16 version utilizes both Intel 20A and TSMC 3nm processes!
Following the usual pace, the Arrow Lake K series is expected to be launched this autumn, while mainstream versions like the Core Ultra 5 240F will likely debut early next year.
