Intel Arrow Lake CPUs: Increased Temperature and Power Ratings Compared to Raptor Lake

Intel’s upcoming Arrow Lake and Panther Lake CPUs are making waves with their higher temperature limits. Let’s dive into the details.

TJMax and Temperature Limits

TJMax, or the temperature junction maximum, is the officially rated safe limit for a CPU. Beyond this point, the processor will lower its clock speed to prevent silicon degradation. According to @Jaykihn, Intel’s Arrow Lake and Panther Lake CPUs will feature increased temperature limits of up to 105°C, which is 5°C higher than Raptor Lake CPUs (100°C). Lunar Lake CPUs, however, will retain the 100°C TJMax design.

Silicon Degradation and Density

Some argue that the increased temperatures will prevent silicon degradation and address issues seen in previous generations. However, the higher limit may be due to the TSMC N3B process node’s higher density. For comparison, AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs (based on the N4P node) have a maximum operating temperature of 95°C, making Intel’s 10°C higher rating noteworthy.

Power Specifications

In addition to temperature, let’s look at the Power Rails Electrical DC specs for Intel’s Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPUs. These specs include voltages and current for both CPU and GPU cores. Here’s how it stacks up:

Voltage (VccCore):
- Arrow Lake-S (125W): 1.77V (+2.9%)
- Arrow Lake-S (65W): 1.77V (+2.9%)
- Arrow Lake-S (35W): 1.77V (+2.9%)
- Raptor Lake-S (125W): 1.72V
- Raptor Lake-S (65W): 1.72V
- Raptor Lake-S (35W): 1.72V
Current (IccMax):
- Arrow Lake-S (125W): Up to 347 (+13.0%)
- Arrow Lake-S (65W): Up to 294 (+5.37%)
- Arrow Lake-S (35W): Up to 194 (+17.5%)
- Raptor Lake-S (125W): 307
- Raptor Lake-S (65W): 279
- Raptor Lake-S (35W): 165

Remember, these are not power limits (PL1/PL2/PL4) but rather specific voltage and current values for the cores.

Conclusion

Intel’s Arrow Lake CPUs promise higher temperatures and improved performance. Keep an eye out for their release, expected by the end of 2024. Stay tuned for more updates!