Intel Raptor Lake could launch in September to land first blow against AMD in next-gen CPU wars
13th-gen processors might be revealed at Innovation event which kicks off on September 27
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Intelhas announced that its Innovation event for this year will take place on September 27 and 28, swiftly fuelling the fires of speculation that this is where we could see the launch of next-genRaptor Lakedesktop processors.
Intel Innovation is a conference where developers and the ‘tech elite’ get together for a bunch of workshops, demos and so forth, mainly focused on AI, the cloud, computing, and future, well, innovations.
It is also our “chance to hear about the latest launches”, and as you may recall, at last year’s Intel Innovation, the chip giant launched freshprocessorsin the form of Alder Lake.
So, the obvious expectation is that we could well see Raptor Lake revealed at Innovation 2022, given that these next-gen CPUs are inbound and expected to release around about that timeframe.
Analysis: Off to the races with Raptor Lake at the start of October, then?
If you recall, the Alder Lake unveiling at last year’s Intel Innovation was quite a big thing, and involved showing off the flagship CPU, the 12900K, being overclocked (by ‘Splave’) and setting some new records in the process (hitting 6.8GHz). That happened at the event which ran from October 27 and 28, withAlder Lakedesktop chips actually going on sale come November 4, 2021 (officially, anyway, though some retailers jumped the gun a little).
We can then theorize that Raptor Lake processors could be revealed on September 27 and then go on sale in the first week of October. What makes this seem more likely is that we’ve seen quite a number of rumors popping up in recent times about Raptor Lake, which points to the launch coming closer, and some of that speculation has already suggested thatIntel is aiming for an October release datefor the 13th-gen chips; so this all ties neatly up. That doesn’t mean it’ll happen, of course, but there seems to be a convincing enough argument here in our books.
If Raptor Lake chips do hit shelves right at the beginning of October, that could beatAMDto the punch in terms of next-gen launch timing. Team Red does, of course, have itsRyzen 7000 CPUsinbound for later this year, and the current expectation is that these processors could also be launched in September, but that too is likely to be an initial reveal.And with chatter about AMD needing to clear ‘excess’ Ryzen 5000 stockbefore the Zen 4 launch, if Intel is moving to go on sale right at the start of October, there’s a possibility that Team Blue could land that all-important first blow in the battle of the next-gen CPUs.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Withplenty of rumors circulatingin recent times around theimpressive performance boost that could be ushered in by Raptor Lake, at this point, perhaps the main question that remains on the lips of many is: how will Intel pitch the price tags of 13th-gen silicon?
The buzz on the grapevine, worryingly, is that Team Blue may be looking to increase asking prices for its chips, and this might include Raptor Lake – although quite how well raised prices will go down with consumers getting squeezed by inflation and the rising cost of living, we shall have to see. If it happens at all, of course, and we should be very cautious around assuming anything on that front.
ViaVideoCardz
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).
AMD Ryzen 9800X3D overclocking potential shown: CPU hits jaw-dropping 6.9GHz, exceeds 1,200 fps in Counter-Strike 2
Gigabyte spoils AMD’s Ryzen 9000X3D surprise by leaking flagship 16-core CPU, which could be something special for gamers with X3D ‘turbo mode’
Apple iMac 24-inch M4 (2024) review: the best, and most colorful, all-in-one computer levels up
