Enlarge / This is a 10th-Gen Intel Core processor, code named Ice Lake. Ice Lake uses Intel's new 10nm process and offers more IPC (Instructions Per Clock) as well as greatly improved integrated graphics as compared to earlier models. (credit: Intel)

Yesterday, Intel launched its new 10nm Ice Lake mobility (read: notebook, ultraportable) processors. The launch consists of i3, i5, and i7 notebook parts, with TDP ranging from 9W to 28W, in considerably more separate SKUs than we're used to seeing in one generation.
This SKU list and specs for the new Ice Lake U-series and Y-series launch. (credit: Intel Corporation)

The first thing to understand about these parts is the difference between the U and Y series parts. U-series are standard mobile processors with TDP between 15-28W, and Y-series are low-voltage 9-12W TDP parts for ultraportable designs. The under 20W TDP niche that Ice Lake's Y-series fills was formerly occupied only by relatively sluggish dual-core parts, so seeing 4C/8T Core i7 parts like the i7-1060G7 with a TDP this low is a welcome change that should spell greatly improved battery life for thin-but-powerful designs such as Dell's XPS 13 or HP's Spectre x360 in the future.
Compared to 9th-generation Core mobile CPUs, Ice Lake features an 18% improvement in Instructions Per Clock cycle (IPC), but it offers a decrease in maximum clock rate. This means maximum performance is basically a wash, but we should expect substantial gains in battery life, assuming notebook manufacturers don't scale down battery capacities in response. TDP itself is also significantly improved: Coffee Lake mobile i5 CPUs were rated at 45W/35W, while the new Ice Lake U-series i5s and even i7s are down to 25W/15W.

Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments


More...