Intel Brands Haswell GT3 "Iris", Desktop Variants Planned

With its 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors, Intel is putting in a serious effort to improve integrated graphics (IGP) performance to catch up with AMD's Radeon HD 8600 series on its latest APUs. There are three classes of Intel IGPs for Haswell, the GT1, which features 10 execution units (EUs), and will feature on entry-thru-mainstream Pentium, Core i3, and Core i5 chips; GT2, which features 20 EUs, featuring on mainstream-thru-performance Core i5 and Core i7 chips; and GT3, a large 40-EU IGP, which uses an L4 eDRAM cache. Chips with GT3 graphics are multi-chip modules (MCMs) of the CPU die and this eDRAM due, as detailed earlier. It was earlier believed that Haswell chips with GT3 graphics cores will be confined to notebook and Ultrabook-specific CPU models, but it turns out that it will make an appearance on the desktop platform as well.Intel is carving out three further variants based on the GT3 IGP silicon, probably based on clock speeds. The top variant is named Intel Iris Pro 5200, the next one Intel Iris 5100, and the last Intel HD 5000. GT2-based IGPs follow an Intel HD 4600/4400/4200 nomenclature. Desktop processors with GT3 graphics will get the -R brand extension, for example, Core i7-4770R. These chips will probably lack unlocked base-clock multipliers of the -K chips, could feature different CPU clock speeds, and interestingly, feature lower overall chip TDP than the -K chips. The i7-4770R, for example, is rated at just 65W, compared to the 84W of the i7-4770K. Merely being on the desktop platform doesn't mean the chips will be "DIY" or based on the LGA1150, we won't be surprised if the chip comes in BGA packages, which are soldered to motherboards.