Get ready for a desktop battle next year. Intel plans to bring its 11th generation Rocket Lake desktop processors to market in Q1 2021, potentially pitting them against rival AMD.

When the new Rocket Lake desktop processors arrive, they will support PCIe 4.0 and include other features that will appeal to gamers. an article posted on Medium by Intel's John Bonini confirmed the launch, but additional information about the chips not much was provided.

In announcing Rocket Lake, Bonini stated that high processor frequency is an important metric when it comes to determining high performance in games and more demanding applications. However, apart from use cases, little was shown of what to expect from this generation of desktop processors.

According to Videocardz, the chip could be available as early as March 2021. It is also likely to be compatible with Intel 400 series motherboards. This should help avoid the problem of having to purchase a new model, which is common with new chipsets. The new lineup will also likely include integrated Thunderbolt 4 support and new Xe graphics.

According to Wccftech, the Rocket Lake processors will be 14-nanometer chips, which Intel has used for some time. The expectation at this time is that Intel Rocket Lake will launch with a different CPU core architecture and may backport the 10nm Willow Cove Sunny Cove design. There is not much material to determine if elements of both architectures will combine to make it more powerful.

Intel's announcement of its desktop processor comes as rival AMD is gearing up for its own announcement. AMD, a chipmaker, is about to announce its own CPU based on Zen 3, the next-generation architecture for desktop computers. With the added competition, the competition between the big players in the chip manufacturing field is likely to be intense.