Confusing Intel Arrow Lake desktop chip names revealed by new leak

On the laptop end, Intel's Arrow Lake processors will continue the Meteor Lake naming scheme, with a mix of Core 200 Ultra H and HX SKUs. The non-H parts, on the other hand, will be a second-generation Raptor Lake refresh. Meanwhile, things are about to get just as confusing on the Arrow Lake desktop platform. Until now, the K and non-K SKUs had the same model number (Core i9-14900, Core i9-14900K). That is set to change, according to information posted by X leaker @OneRaichu.

Overclockable Arrow Lake desktop processors will be called Core Ultra 9 285K, Core Ultra 7 265K and Core Ultra 5 245K. Their non-K variants will launch with a different number, namely Core Ultra 9 275, Core Ultra 7 255 and Core Ultra 5 240. Exactly what will happen of the F and KF SKUs is uncertain, and one can only hope that Intel doesn't obfuscate the lineup further.

Features-wise Arrow Lake desktop is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it could bring Thunderbolt 5.0 support for desktop PCs. On the other, it ditches hyperthreading and the Arc iGPU found on its laptop variant. As is the case with previous generations, the new processors will require a new motherboard with an LGA1851 socket. If everything goes according to plan, we could see Arrow Lake SKUs hit shelves late this year.