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First Intel Skylake processors unveiled at Gamescom 2015

By Koh Wanzi - on 7 Aug 2015, 7:04pm

First Intel Skylake processors unveiled at Gamescom 2015

Image Source: Intel

Intel has released details on its first unlocked Skylake desktop processors, following news of new Intel Z170 motherboards from various manufacturers. These sixth-generation processors will be based on the same 14nm process node as Broadwell, but will feature a new CPU architecture.

The Intel Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K are clocked at 4.0GHz (Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz) and 3.5GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz) respectively. They are both quad-core CPUs, but HyperThreading on the Core i7 SKUs means it enjoys up to eight threads.

Both CPUs have 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes, and an extra four PCIe 3.0 lanes on the new Z170 Platform Controller Hub (PCH) means that users will have a total of 20 PCIe 3.0 lanes to play with. Triple-GPU setups will be able to run in x8/x8/x4 mode, instead of x8/x4/x4 on last year’s Z97 chipset.

Image Source: Intel

As expected, the higher-end Core i7 processor will cost more at US$350, while the Core i5 is more than US$100 cheaper at US$243.

Unlike Broadwell, which was lacking high-performance chips to really replace the Core i7-4790K, both Skylake chips have a 91 watt Thermal Design Power (TDP). Performance finally takes precedence over power efficiency here, and these chips will likely find their way into a new generation of gaming rigs and enthusiast systems.

After a focus on mobile in the past half a year or so, it’s good to see that Intel is finally giving the performance PC market some love. That’s not to say that mobile will be sidelined in Skylake though, and Intel has promised a K-class unlocked processor for notebooks later this year, in addition to more battery-friendly mobile chips.

Source: Intel

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