Intel Bartlett Lake Benchmarks Reveal 10-Core Performance Leap, Hint at Imminent 12-Core Launch

The first performance metrics for Intel's unreleased Bartlett Lake processors have surfaced, revealing significant multi-threaded performance gains in a unique core configuration. According to benchmarks shared by hardware leaker 'X86 is dead&back', a 10-core, performance-core-only engineering sample (reportedly named Core 7 253PE) achieved remarkable results in PassMark testing.

This Bartlett Lake prototype scored 31,802 points in PassMark's CPU Mark benchmark, outpacing Intel's mainstream Core i5-14400 (25,236 points) by 26% despite having four fewer physical cores. The comparison highlights Intel's architectural efficiency improvements, particularly notable given the Core i5-14400 utilizes a hybrid design with six performance cores and eight efficiency cores.

The Bartlett Lake chip also edged out the higher-clocked Core i5-14500 (31,121 points) by 2% in multi-threaded workloads. However, the prototype showed trade-offs in single-core performance, trailing the i5-14500 by 8% and the i5-14400 by 3%, suggesting potential clock speed optimizations remain.

Bartlett Lake represents Intel's embedded Core 200 series processors, sharing architectural DNA with consumer 13th/14th-Gen Raptor Lake CPUs. These chips utilize the same performance (P-core) and efficiency (E-core) designs while maintaining compatibility with existing LGA 1700 motherboards. Unlike consumer models though, Bartlett Lake targets networking and edge computing applications.

Recent leaks suggest Intel is preparing a more powerful variant. Hardware detective 'Vectral555' uncovered European retailer listings for three unreleased 12-core Bartlett Lake SKUs: the Core 9 273PTE (5.5GHz boost), 273PE (5.7GHz), and 273PQE (5.9GHz). All models feature 36MB of cache and appear on Mouser Electronics' database, signaling imminent launch readiness.

The potential arrival of 10-core and 12-core P-core-only configurations creates intriguing possibilities for desktop users. Since no current 13th or 14th-Gen consumer CPUs offer more than eight P-cores, these chips could provide meaningful upgrades for workloads that scale poorly with efficiency cores—including specialized applications like high-frequency trading, industrial control systems, and latency-sensitive workloads.

While officially targeting embedded markets, Bartlett Lake's LGA 1700 compatibility means enthusiasts could potentially deploy them in standard motherboards. This positions Intel to serve niche performance segments without requiring new platforms, offering alternatives to AMD's all-performance-core offerings in specialized computing scenarios.