Intel Core i7-6700K, i5-6600K and Z170: Skylake test

Finally ! After Broadwell launched stealthily with months of delays on LGA 1150, the Skylake processors arrive with their share of novelties. Spearheading the range, it is the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K being launched initially. On the menu of this new “tock” found over the Haswell 14nm passage, improved side CPU architecture as iGPU and a new LGA 1151 platform associated Z170 Express chipset.

Before you get down to business, we want to do for once a little aside on behind the scenes. The launch of a new product is pretty run-in computer, including CPU and GPU side. Usually manufacturers provide upstream technical documentation and marketing in the press, as well as test samples, allowing it to give its opinion on products as they become available. A habit that is really for the benefit of the manufacturer if the product is good, although some think the key is to talk to them, be it good or bad.

It happens obviously not always so, and it may be necessary to obtain the information or material via other means, whether before or after the launch, which does not in this case to give notice before availability. There are some years when the competition was fiercer builders were going to make “paper launch”: the product and its specifications were announced, sometimes with test samples, but had to wait a few weeks for availability shop.

for Intel launch process so rather unusual. While we received a Core i7-6700K at the last minute (last Friday), no technical documentation available to date. The architecture Skylake will be unveiled to the press at IDF that takes place in two weeks, with an embargo until September. The launch of the Core i7-6700K, Core i5-6600K and Z170 Express has indeed been advanced compared to the rest of the range, so as to be synchronized with the Gamescom show dedicated to video games, gaming and overclocking being target announced by Intel for these products. A target for which the technical details seem accessories … from Intel.

We do not really agree with this approach and despite the very short time available to us we tried to do the best despite the circumstances to give you the maximum information as possible today. We will try in the coming weeks to bridge the dark dots left by Intel.

Enough chatter, let’s concrete!

From the first rumors about Broadwell, Intel’s 14nm found himself surrounded by many questions. For the first time, the manufacturer plans to launch a new generation of processors not only to the mobile platform , leaving aside the desktop platforms. What lay at the time many questions about a possible lack of interest of the manufacturer for these platforms in favor of a strategy focusing on mobility.

Looking back today, we can see that in practice the first delay rumors the 14nm were quickly followed in 2013 where Broadwell had started sliding slowly on roadmaps. In October 2013, Intel officially spoke of a delay of a quarter blaming the 14nm production difficulties, but ensured that this would have no impact on the next generation, Skylake. A surprising communication as Skylake uses the same 14nm process considered late.

A communication in late 2013 suggested between the lines that the delay would be more than six months, then finally mid-2014 nine while allowing us think that the builder was going to sacrifice its margins for absolutely launch a 14nm products in 2014 and meet the . promises to investors

confirmation will arrive soon: Intel launched late 2014 an ephemeral Core million, including the stepping has been announced end of life even before its release . Only beginning in 2015 we have seen happen the first “real” dual heart Broadwell , while it is only the end of the second quarter that the quad core models have landed.

The coming years will show whether Intel deliberately chose to limit the scope of Broadwell, not by a lack of interest desktop platforms, but rather by the realization that its 14nm process would not be able to deliver in 2014 – and volume – all markets. Conventional launches beginning in fact generally the desktop models with quad core, and therefore more complex diseases to occur when yields are low.

In the meantime the manufacturer has decided to take the margin as announced mid-July set aside the rate of Tick-Tock and the arrival of a third product in 2016 with 14nm Kaby Lake on which we do not know for the moment not much, except that he arrived on the roadmaps is due to the difficulty of rise in production of 10 nm. Cannonlake, 10nm Skylake declination only happen during the second half of 2017 (instead of 2016).

Stay in the middle of these previous delays and future architecture Skylake launched today is on time since launched about 26 months after Haswell!