The rate of Intel Rocket Lake-S processor and platform leaks appears to be accelerating. This bodes well for a possible launch of the next gen desktop parts for DIYers and enthusiasts later this year. VideoCardz notes that it has recently seen RKL ES (Engineering Sample) chips running at a nippy 5GHz (fast for an ES), and MSI conformed its H410 motherboards will support the Rocket Lake-S series only last week.
Today, Twitter-based database miner Tum Apisak shared an interesting screenshot and link for a RKL system storage benchmark result. Firstly, it is good to see further tests of these systems in the wild, and secondly, the data appears to confirm that existing PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs will work on the platform.
Above you can see a screenshot from this SiSoft Sandra ranker page. This appears to be the result of an 'Intel Rocket Lake Client Platform Rocket Lake Client System', which features Intel Gen12 Mobile Graphics, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and runs Windows 10. Its headline transfer speed was 1,192MB/s, and it achieved 44,999 IOPS.
The PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD compatibility of RKL systems isn't a surprise, as we have previously seen platform leaked slides highlighting this upcoming feature, as far back as March this year. Nevertheless it is good to see some confirmation of this feature in the 'real world', especially as this will be one of the biggest upgrades in the next gen desktop processors from Intel.
Intel's 11th Gen Core Rocket Lake-S CPUs, the last 14nm processor family for desktops from the firm, is rumoured to come packing 'Cypress Cove' cores (rather than Willow Cove) as well as Gen12 graphics, sticking with the existing LGA1200 socket. Intel has provided an estimated launch date in H2 2021 for its 12th Gen Core hybrid Alder Lake-S processors (LGA1200), so it is reasonable to expect RKL to arrive towards the end of 2020 or very early 2021 to slot neatly into the schedule.
The next big launch event from Intel is scheduled for 2nd Sept. It is expected to be a Tiger Lake-U mobile chip launch event with laptop making partners, and with some further Xe GPU details. TGL has integrated Xe graphics, but we aren't sure if discrete Xe GPUs will feature at the event.
Sources: Tum Apisak, VideoCardz
