Intel Meteor Lake Desktop Processor Engineering Sample Emerges; 14 Cores and LGA 1851 Socket Compatibility Confirmed

While the Meteor Lake processors have not officially launched, early samples have surfaced, showcasing their potential capabilities on select motherboards. This article delves into the insights gathered from these samples.

Intel Core Ultra 9 185: Overview of Early Samples

Prior to their anticipated entry into mobile computing, there were numerous predictions regarding Intel’s plans for desktop variants of the Meteor Lake family. Although these processors did not officially debut in the marketplace, substantial quantities were produced, evident from recent leaks.

One notable sample, designated “Q46W, ” is part of the second engineering sampling stage, indicated by the ES2 label. This particular chip is understood to be the Core Ultra 9 185, a derivative of the mobile Core Ultra 9 185H model. Technical specifications reveal that the Core Ultra 9 185 contains a robust configuration of 14 cores: six dedicated performance cores and eight efficient cores.

Intel Core Ultra 9 185 sample — Image Credit: Ithome.com

One important caveat is the absence of hyperthreading, a feature typically found in higher-performing models. This aligns its functionality more closely with the mid-range Core Ultra 200S processors, designed for the LGA 1851 socket. The Meteor Lake Core Ultra 9 185 is indeed compatible with this socket, although it appears many current 800-series motherboards lack official support for this chip.

Intel Core Ultra 9 185 sample CPU-Z — Image Credit: Ithome.com

Testing results show that the sample functions correctly, as evidenced by screenshots and performance metrics obtained via CPU-Z. The processor delivers a thermal design power (TDP) ranging from 65W to 135W, coupled with a base and boost clock of 2.8 GHz and 4.5 GHz, respectively. Notably, the mobile variant can reach boost speeds of up to 5.1 GHz and features two additional low-power efficient cores equipped with hyperthreading.

In terms of performance, single-threaded and multi-threaded CPU-Z benchmarks yielded scores of 732.3 and 5750.2 points, respectively. For context, the mobile variant achieves scores of 734 and 8162 points in the same respective tests, benefiting from its hyperthreading capabilities.

Intel Core Ultra 9 185 sample CPU-Z Benchmark — Image Credit: Ithome.com

It’s important to note that Intel has changed its strategy regarding the Meteor Lake series as of early 2023. Initially designed as the company’s first multi-tiled architecture—comprising Compute, Graphics, SoC, and I/O Tiles—Meteor Lake marks a significant enhancement in graphics performance, thanks to the introduction of the Xe-LPG architecture.

In contrast to Gateway’s Lunar Lake, which was intended for specialized markets emphasizing high graphical performance and battery efficiency, Meteor Lake was originally aimed at delivering superior performance for both desktop and mobile computing environments.

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