Intel has canceled a promising configuration of its next-generation Meteor Lake processors for desktops, if a slide presumably from Intel's roadmap published by @OneRaichu is to be believed.
If the information is correct, the company no longer plans to offer 6P + 8E configuration of its Meteor Lake-S CPUs. Still, since it is a leak, it should be considered appropriately and things may change.
The alleged slide, which is heavily redacted, is said to represent Intel's plans for entry-level workstations, desktops, high-end gaming laptops, mainstream laptops, and inexpensive notebooks, through 2026 as of the 18th week of 2023 (early May). A bit that is not redacted purportedly says that Intel intends to 'remove productization' of MTL-S 6P + 8E configuration, which points to socketed desktop parts.
In recent years, Intel offered CPUs with six high-performance cores and eight energy-efficient cores for high-end notebooks, but not desktops. So not offering this configuration for desktops in 2023 – 2024 is hardly something that's shocking. However, rumor has it that Intel indeed wanted to offer something with such a config, but for some reason decided not to with its Meteor Lake-S lineup.
Intel's Meteor Lake, set to launch sometime in the second half of 2023, will be the company’s first multi-tile design for client PCs, and it will be powered by high-performance Redwood Cove and energy-efficient Crestmont CPU cores. Desktop and laptop CPUs will feature different configurations and will use slightly different pieces of silicon, so perhaps canceling some desktop-oriented SKUs based on laptop silicon makes sense since this cuts down testing that Intel needs to perform to ensure that these processors work fine in the desktop environment.
Meanwhile, a 6P + 8E design, when coupled with appropriate power supply circuitry and cooling, could perhaps offer superior overclockability for high-performance cores, though this thesis cannot be proven given the fact that Intel allegedly canceled this 6P + 8E product for desktops.
While OneRaichu is a reputable hardware leaker and does not tend to publish fakes, he is of course not an official source of Intel information, so take the slide with a huge pinch of salt. Furthermore, keep in mind that plans do change, so perhaps Intel will change its mind (assuming that the information about canceling of a 6P + 8E silicon for desktops is correct) once again and return this product to its roadmap.
