Intel has officially announced its 8th Generation desktop CPU lineup, codenamed Coffee Lake. Intel already announced it 8th Generation mobile CPUs– AKA “Kaby Lake“– which included a for the first time quad-core processors with HyperThreading on the lower power TDP SKUs.
More Cores
Know that Intel has officially announced latest lineup of mainstream desktop CPUs, along with the associated Z370 chipset, what do we know. Well this destop chips are following the lead of their mobile counterparts and are move on up. In core count at least. Core i7 is moving to six cores with HyperThreading, Core i5 is moving to six cores, and Core i3 is moving to four cores. The latest Coffee Lake parts should provide a significant boost in performance for app that can use multiple threads effectively.
Relative to Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake still retains the same CPU and GPU architectures. Intel indicated that this 8th-generation part is built on what it calls a 14nm++ process. The company would not comment on the die size or transistor count at this time
New Chipset
Intel also is bringing a new chipset to market to support the new CPUs – Z370. Intel requires motherboards using the new chipset to have improved power delivery over the past models, due to the higher demands of more cores. Plus there is now official DDR4-2666 memory support now. It appears the new chipsset has integrated Thunderbolt 3 support. But you still may still need extra silicon on the motherboard to use Thunderbolt 3 devices. Also HDMI 2.0a will still require an extra LSPCon (Level Shifter – Protocol Converter) in the DP 1.2 path.
Overclocking
Intel is also touting the overclocking capabilities of the latest processors, which feature per-core overclocking, and other enhancements to let the end-user squeeze the last ounce of performance out of their purchase. Turbo Boost 2.0 is still supported, but you now get per-core overclocking, a maximum memory ratio up to 8,400 MT/s, memory latency control, and PLM Trim controls.
“We are laser-focused on giving the enthusiast community the ultimate desktop experience, from chart-topping performance to a platform that can flex with their needs,” said Anand Srivatsa, general manager of the Desktop Platform Group at Intel. “Our 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors deliver tremendous improvements across the board and – for gamers, in particular– offer an unbeatable experience.”
Optane Memory Support
Intel is also promoting its Optane Memory, which is the cache version of their Optane brand. Launch games and load media projects faster. Intel says adding Optane memory to desktop computer with an 8th Gen Intel Core processor will gain additional accelerated system responsiveness, up to 2.1 times faster compared with a 5-year-old desktop with HDD alone.
Price
The high-end Core i7 part is $20 higher than Kaby Lake pricing when launched ; the Core i5 sits $15 higherCache sizes are higher and base clocks are lower, comparatively, but the single-core max frequencies are higher. TDP is also higher, presumably to support the higher core count.
8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors will be available beginning Oct. 5, 2017.
This information was initially under embargo until October 5, but a media leak force Intel to let the rest of the media to publish their reports, as well.
