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Intel bets on efficiency with the power-sipping Core Ultra 200S seriesWatt’s all this then
Watt’s all this then
Image credit:Intel
Image credit:Intel
However, this new chip also cuts its thread count to 24 (matching its physical core count but down on the i9-14900K’s 24 core/32 thread setup), while also stepping away from the i9-14900K’s maximum 6GHz clock speed to top out at 5.7GHz instead. It’s a similar story down the rest of the range, too: the Core 5 245K, successor to the more mainstream Core i5-14600K, drops from 20 threads to 14, and from a 5.3GHz max clock speed to 5.2GHz.
I’ve requested UK pricing, but haven’t heard back at the time of publishing. |Image credit:Intel
During a pre-reveal presentation, Intel showed off two PCs runningStar Wars Outlaws– both identical, save for one using a Core Ultra 9 285K and the other a Core i9-14900K. The former was pulling about 80W less than the latter, which is an awful lot of juice to save from a single component switch. And while we weren’t shown these tests in action, other games could benefit as much or more: supposedly, the power draw difference between these two CPUs is around 34W inBlack Myth: Wukong, 79W inAssassin’s Creed Mirage, and 169W (!) inWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, all in the newer model’s favour. Gulping down fewer watts should also help these chips beat the heat; Intel say that they run 13°c cooler, on average, than the equivalent 14th Gen chips.
Image credit:Intel
And yet, I do kinda see the point. For one thing, simply iterating on speeds hasn’t worked out for Intel; after all the innovation of the 12th Gen Alder Lake series, the two following generations didn’t try anything near as ambitious, resulting in three years’ worth of CPUs that all broadly performed the same. Clearly a change in design thinking was necessary. As was a rethink of Core power draws, especially for the Core i9 variants, which have recently been far too nonplussed about hitting 100°c under load. A 13°c reduction here could literally save your processor’s life.
Even if Core Ultra 200S doesn’t outmuscle the 3D V-Cache crew, then, it’s still a major course correction. And could still find an appreciative audience, whether they simply want to keep their electricity costs down, or have become more sensitive and aware of the environmental impact of their playing habits. Or, if nothing else, a few dozen watts saved on the CPU would allow for a beefier graphics card upgrade without needing to change PSUs.
A new motherboard will be in order, though, as well as a new cooler mounting kit, as the Core Ultra 200S is only compatible with the also-new LGA1851 socket. Nowthere’sthe Intel I know.
