Rumor has it that not all of Intel's next-generation desktop CPUs will be based on the same architecture that is supposed to bring double-digit improvements in IPC (instructions per clock) performance and other benefits. However, they all appear as 11th generation Core parts.

Rocket Lake-S is an entirely new architecture that could (and might) change things for Intel and take back the gaming performance crown from AMD. It is not yet another variation of Skylake, although it is built on a 14-nanometer manufacturing process. The codename may turn some heads, but Rocket Lake-S will feature up to eight Cypress Cove cores (and 16 threads), paired with Intel's Xe graphics.

In addition to delivering double-digit IPC improvements, Rocket Lake-S will support up to 20 lanes of PCIe 4.0. It will also feature new media encoders (HEVC, VP9, AVI, up to 4K60), an enhanced memory controller supporting speeds up to DDR4-3200, a Deep Learning Boost feature for improved AI performance, and several other features. [However, according to Expreview, Rocket Lake-S will be allocated to Intel's 11th generation Core i9, Core i7, and Core i5 SKUs. The Core i3 SKU, on the other hand, will be a refreshed version of Comet Lake-S (as will the upcoming Pentium and Celeron models) and will not support PCIe 4.0.

The Comet Lake Refresh CPUs will also not have Xe graphics. Instead, some models will be paired with Intel's UHD Graphics 630 solution with 24 execution units, while others will rely on the slower UHD Graphics 610 solution with 12 execution units.

I don't really like this approach. Intel's "Gen" labeling is already confusing. For example, Intel's 10th generation Core processors are split between 10nm (Ice Lake) and 14nm (Comet Lake) designs.

Intel is not alone. Rumors suggest that AMD will split its next-generation laptop CPUs into Zen 3 (Cezanne) and Zen 2 (Lucienne). If past leaks are accurate, the upcoming Ryzen 7 5800U will be a Zen 3 part and the Ryzen 7 5700U will be Zen 2 based. And that will continue to be the case.

What this ultimately means is that you need to pay attention to what you are buying and do a little extra research to ensure you get the architecture you want (and the performance and features that come with it).