THE processors ultra-low consumption constitute a real challenge far from chips integrating several dozen cores.
It is true that it is more exciting – more sales too – to talk about ever more powerful components and to highlight the GeForce RTX 4090 or the Core i9-14900K than the “small” chips.
However, in many uses, minimalism and energy efficiency are much more important assets and the Intel N250 “Twin Lake” comes at the right time to remind us of this.
Alder Lake-N for minimum consumption
We test them regularly at Clubic, mini-PCs are on the rise. As their name suggests, they are designed to occupy as little space as possible, nothing to do with our “maxi-towers”.
In the design of these small machines like the Beelink EQ12 N100, it is important to have a particularly economical processor: this is the case of the N100 from the Alder Lake-N range for example. With its four cores/four threads and a maximum frequency of 3.4 GHz, it is capable of providing many services, despite a ridiculously low TDP of only 6 watts.
Since the release of the N100, Intel has already confirmed the existence of the N200 whose frequency increases significantly and we have just learned of the imminent arrival of a third thief.
Always 4 cores/4 threads
Planned to complete this Alder Lake-N range – in which we also find the N50, N95 and N97 – the new addition would be called N250 and would therefore come at the top of the range.
“ Would be », because for the moment it is only a rumor reported by InstLatX64 on X.com and relayed by VideoCardz. A rumor which therefore evokes a chip with four cores/four threads like the N200, but of which we do not know the operating frequencies as much as the TDP. The only additional information we have is a base frequency of 1.2 GHz, an astonishing value given the propensity of Nxx to go particularly low.
Our colleagues from VideoCardz evoke a possible launch of this Alder Lake-N250 during the second half of 2024 with configurations using this chip from the beginning of next year.
2114.33€
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- Maddening performance!
- DLSS 3 very convincing
- Rather discreet ventilation
Is it the arrival of Intel in this competitive market or the successive releases of AMD’s RDNA solutions that encourage NVIDIA to push the limits? No doubt a little of both, surely also that the company’s engineers have many good ideas to improve their architectures. Yet while CPUs are no longer making massive progress, GPUs seem to have some room to spare.
It seems clear that the Lovelace architecture has a bright future as the improvements observed are decisive, starting of course with DLSS 3. NVIDIA having once again opted for a proprietary solution, it will however need to ensure follow-up with developers, who may be tempted by calls from AMD or Intel with solutions that are certainly less advanced – significantly less even – but also much more open.
Lovelace appears to be the most powerful, and also the most efficient, architecture. While energy sobriety is on everyone’s lips, it bodes well for the other variations of Lovelace. A powerful monster, it is oversized for video game use only unless you plan to play in 8K. On the other hand, its power reserve, its quantity of memory and its software environment make it a remarkable semi-professional tool.
Is it the arrival of Intel in this competitive market or the successive releases of AMD’s RDNA solutions that encourage NVIDIA to push the limits? No doubt a little of both, surely also that the company’s engineers have many good ideas to improve their architectures. Yet while CPUs are no longer making massive progress, GPUs seem to have some room to spare.
It seems clear that the Lovelace architecture has a bright future as the improvements observed are decisive, starting of course with DLSS 3. NVIDIA having once again opted for a proprietary solution, it will however need to ensure follow-up with developers, who may be tempted by calls from AMD or Intel with solutions that are certainly less advanced – significantly less even – but also much more open.
Lovelace appears to be the most powerful, and also the most efficient, architecture. While energy sobriety is on everyone’s lips, it bodes well for the other variations of Lovelace. A powerful monster, it is oversized for video game use only unless you plan to play in 8K. On the other hand, its power reserve, its quantity of memory and its software environment make it a remarkable semi-professional tool.
Source : VideoCardz
Having fallen into video games at a time when it took a great imagination to see here a football match, there a tank fight in these few bars represented on the screen, I have followed all the developments for forty years. Loyal to the PC, but a fan of all genres, I only have trouble with JRPGs. Otherwise, from the driest turn-based strategy to the most spectacular FPS, including sports simulations or musical games, I can do it all... with a preference for management and games combining several styles. My video game pantheon would consist of three series: Elite, Civilization and Max Payne.
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