Intel is getting ready to release it's brand new Skylake micro architecture in the coming month of August and will do so by launching a new lineup of multiplier unlocked processors. Rated at 95W TDP, these processors are going to form a major uArch update on the 14nm process and if early reports are anything to be believed, will be quite decent in terms of IPC upgrade.
Intel Skylake-S preliminary pricing revealed by online retailer
The online retailer PC Connection has recently listed 6 SKL-S SKUs including the flagship Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The total price range is $211 to $394, which is more than the standard range of Intel's desktop processor. SKL-S is around 15-20% higher than the previous lineup of commercial desktop processors but after adjusting for the retailer markup the official MSRP shouldn't be much higher than 10% of last generation.
| Skylake model | Box part number | Pre-order price | Predecessor model | Predecessor's official price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i5-6400 | BX80662I56400 | $211.06 | i5-4460 | $182 |
| i5-6500 | BX80662I56500 | $227.86 | i5-4590 | $192 |
| i5-6600 | BX80662I56600 | $251.87 | i5-4690 | $213 |
| i5-6600K | BX80662I56600K | $273.48 | i5-4690K | $242 |
| i7-6700 | BX80662I76700 | $351.52 | i7-4790 | $303 |
| i7-6700K | BX80662I76700K | $393.53 | i7-4790K | $339 |
Skylake’s enthusiast desktop side should come in two flavors: namely the Core i5 6600K and the Core i7 6700K. Both chips will be Quad core, with the later supporting Hyper Threading. The socket in question is the LGA 1151 socket with Intel’s Z170 Express chipset to allow CPU oveclocking. Both DDR3 and DDR4 will be supported making Skylake serve as the trasition point between the two memory standards. Other SKUs that are thought to be launched soon after include include i7-6700/6700T, Core i5-6600, 6500, 6400, 6600T, 6500T and 6400T, and H170, B150 chipsets and H110 chipset.
The Skylake uArch will succeed the Broadwell micro-architecture on the 14nm process. It will be the tock step in Intel’s tick tock cycle and the 10nm die shrink will be codenamed Canonlake. The H110 chipset is expected to arrive by 27th September while the H170 and B150 chipsets will follow shortly after the official release of Z170. Intel will be introducing the PCG 2015D high performance air and water cooling solutions separately for enthusiasts that are interested in them. The processor itself will however not be boxed with any thermal cooling solution. Interestingly, the standard HSF (PCG 2013D) is capable of 90W heat dissipation while as the new air and water cooling solutions tagged as 2015 PCD are 130W TDP capable.
