Intel to Enable High-End Small PCs with Haswell Chips with Improved Graphics

From X-bit Labs: In a bid to promote various small form-factor systems, Intel Corp. has reportedly added BGA versions of its premium Core i-series code-named Haswell microprocessors into the lineup of chips that it will sell. The positioning of the central processing units is unknown, yet it is clear that they will be very powerful.

Based on a picture that resembles slides from Intel’s roadmap, which was published by the Chinese version of VR-Zone web-site, Intel has added three central processing units based on Haswell architecture into the so-called R-series of chips in BGA packaging: Core i7-4770R, Core i5-4670R and Core i5-4570R. The microprocessors have four cores (the i7 version even has Hyper-Threading activated) and the most powerful version of integrated graphics adapter than Intel has to offer: HD Graphics 5200 (40 execution units with on-package cache memory). The chips have 65W thermal design power.

The new Core i “Haswell” R-series microprocessors in ball-grid array packaging will offer two times more powerful graphics core than that in standard land-grid away form-factor. Intel Core i-series “Haswell” chips in LGA packaging will only feature HD Graphics 4600, which has 20 execution units and no on-package cache; the HD Graphics 5200 has 40 execution units and on-package cache to improve speed of memory bandwidth hungry graphics effects, such as multi-sample antialiasing (MSAA).

Those PC makers, who want to make powerful desktop PCs with integrated graphics will have to buy chips in BGA packaging along with mainboards, greatly improving Intel’s economy. Given the fact that all-in-one (AIO) PCs can sustain pretty high thermal designs, Intel will also offer a great performance improvement for AIO desktops. In addition, by adding improved graphics engine to chips in BGA packaging, the world’s largest chipmaker is essentially popularizing the un-upgradable form-factor.

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