Intel slips out new 14-core i7 "Raptor Lake-HX" CPU aimed at affordable gaming laptops

Intel has quietly released a powerful new laptop CPU aimed at affordable mid-range laptops, dubbed the Core i7 13645HX. As the name clearly suggests, the chip belongs to the Raptor Lake lineup, and features an almost identical performance profile as the Core i7 13650HX.

Intel Core i7 13645HX: Raptor Lake-HX lives on

The layout is the exact same, featuring a 14-core setup consisting of six high-performance and eight high-efficiency cores. The maximum P-core clock speed has also been left unchanged, with a max turbo frequency of 4.9 GHz. The E-core boost clock has been reduced by 100 MHz, which now maxes out at 3.5 GHz. The CPU sticks with 24 MB of smart cache, as well as 157-watt peak TDP.

However, the iGPU has received a major upgrade. While the 13650HX features an Intel UHD iGPU with 16 EUs, the new 13645HX features an iGPU with a whopping 32 EUs. Of course, performance will still be about as modest as one might expect from an entry-level integrated graphics unit.

Moreover, the new CPU also supports DDR5-5600, while the 13650HX topped out at DDR5-4800. Unsurprisingly, this also increases the maximum memory bandwidth, which has now been upped to 89.6 GB/s from 76.8 GB/s. This should aid the iGPU as well, allowing for much better overall performance. However, most laptops with this chip are likely to boast discrete GPUs, which makes the upgrade far less useful for most people.

Raw multithread performance should also be identical between the Core i7 13645HX and 13650HX. We do know that the latter trades blows with the 25-watt Intel Core Ultra X9 388H "Panther Lake" in multicore benchmarks, which is quite impressive considering that the i7 is almost three years old as of this writing.

Gamers who'd prefer gaming laptops with more modern CPUs, can check out the Core Ultra 7-powered Legion 5i from Lenovo.com, currently available with a 22% discount for a limited time.