I'm considering upgrading my system and I'm torn between getting the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285k or sticking with an older generation. The determining factor for me is whether this new CPU includes Intel Processor Trace. Despite Intel's resources being pretty vague, I've noticed that while their mobile documentation lists this feature, the desktop version documentation is lacking. I'm skeptical that they would include it in the mobile CPUs and not the desktop ones, but I need confirmation. If anyone has the Core Ultra 9 285k, it would be really helpful if you could check if it supports Intel Processor Trace. I can provide you with an executable for testing or the source code if you prefer compiling it yourself—it's ready in C#. If needed, I can convert it to C++ or x86_64 assembly. Specifically, I need you to check `CPUID` leaf 7, subleaf 0, bit 25 of `EBX`. The command you need to run is simple. Just use the following in assembly: `mov eax, 7h; xor ecx, ecx; cpuid;` After running that, please let me know what value is in `EBX`.
3 Answers
I can't directly test that for you, but I’m really intrigued about what Intel Processor Trace does. I've heard about it but never really looked into it. Can you fill me in on why it's such an important feature for you?
According to some Intel community threads, unfortunately, the Core Ultra 9 285k does NOT support Intel Processor Trace. You can check out this source for more details: [link](https://community.intel.com/t5/Mobile-and-Desktop-Processors/Does-Intel-Core-Ultra-9-285K-support-Intel-Processor-Trace-Intel/m-p/1725088).
So are you saying that their support team just assumes based on what's listed in public docs? Their documentation seems pretty incomplete when it comes to this detail.
Just so you know, you can get this information using the `cpuid` command in a Linux environment. I couldn’t find a solid method for Windows, but running it in Linux should do the trick!
Intel Processor Trace is quite useful! It allows you to record executed instructions, which is great for debugging or even modifying software. While you could trace without it by using a virtual machine, the performance would be terrible. Intel PT is integrated into the hardware, making it much lighter on resources.