If the 22nm Intel Haswell Refresh processors appeared in some sense spontaneously, as a reaction to unforeseen delays with the commissioning of the 14nm technical process, then the 14nm Intel Kaby Lake processors have become quite a planned phenomenon. The launch of the first Kaby Lake models - officially announced yesterday afternoon - marked the introduction of Intel's new three-phase concept. Instead of a two-phase "tick-tock" strategy, when a new process technology and new cores appeared in stages over two years, a three-phase "tick-tock-tock +" strategy was launched. The third phase is the release of several improved processors on a more or less debugged architecture. In general, if you have been waiting for Intel Skylake processors, but still postponed the purchase, you can safely buy Skylake Refresh processors. Sorry Kaby Lake processors.

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The first models on the new cores were three Kaby Lake-Y and Kaby Lake-U processors. The former are for tablets and convertible laptops, the latter are for what used to be called an ultrabook. CPU models for regular laptops and Kaby Lake desktop processors will be available early next year. New items cannot be fully called SoC. The south bridge is made on a separate chip and placed on the same substrate with the processor. It should also be noted that the Kaby Lake-Y models have been upgraded in status. Of the three models presented, two belong to the high society in the form of the Core i5 and i7 lines. Only the younger one comes in the Core m3 line.

The end of Intel's tick-tock production rhythm means that Kaby Lake is the third architecture to be based on a 14nm processor. Starting with Broadwell (5th generation, "tick"), the manufacturer introduced the new Skylake microarchitecture (6th generation, "so"), which was optimized in the 7th generation. Improvements in energy efficiency and increased frequency have been achieved through less strenuous layout of the transistors. Intel has released a wide range of new Kaby Lake processors, ranging from mobile KBL-U at 15 and 28W and KBL-H at 45W to KBL-S workstation models rated at 35-91W. There are also 3 overclocking options, including the i3.

Lake Kaby

The first official launch of Kaby Lake was in September 2016 and included 6 mobile processors designed for use in premium laptops and mini PCs. They performed well, and Intel introduced over 25 new models in early 2017. The main feature of Kaby Lake processors is support for Optane Memory and 200-series chipsets. In addition, the Gen9 graphics have been updated by Main10 and other lower power video playback systems, and the circuitry has been tweaked to improve the voltage frequency curve.

Kaby Lake Processor Review

Intel defines its product lines in Y, U, H and S segments. Recent changes to the naming scheme have made it difficult to determine which segment a chip belongs to without knowing the TDP or core schematic.

Utilizing the Kaby Lake Pentium, Core m3, Core i5 / i7 and Core i5 / i7 vPro nomenclature, the Y-Series are 2- and 4-core hyper-threading processors with 4.5W TDP that are targeted at small and light mobile devices. PC. This low power consumption is achieved thanks to the ultra-low base frequency. This allows smaller batteries to be installed, providing light weight and long battery life.

The U series draws 28 and 15 watts, has 2 hyper-threaded cores, but at a much higher clock speed. Includes Kaby Lake Pentium, Celeron, Core і3 / і7 processors. They are often cheaper than the Y range because they are not constrained by stringent voltage and frequency requirements and are used in premium gaming laptops. Some processors are equipped with an additional 64 or 128 MB eDRAM chip, which serves as a DRAM buffer with the main memory and affects the graphics speed.

The H series chips have a rated power consumption of 45W and are designed to provide maximum mobile performance. Intel is promoting them under the VR Ready brand, which indicates their use in virtual reality systems. Available in various combinations of components and performance.

The S series is designed for desktop PCs. Not remarkable at all. There were released 3 modifications of Core i7 with 4 Kaby Lake processor cores and hyper-threading, one of which allows overclocking, and the other is low power. There are also several 4-core i5 chips in similar modifications and 2-core i3 chips.

In the new KBL-S lineup, you can highlight the overclocking capability of the Core і3-7350K, a 2-core processor with hyperthreading, 60 W, a base frequency of 4.2 GHz (without turbo mode) and a configurable multiplier. This is in response to enthusiasts' requests to achieve higher-end CPU performance.

Speed ​​Shift v2

One of Skylake's new features was the Speed ​​Shift feature. With the correct driver, the system may abandon the turbo control of the processor in favor of the processor itself. By using an internal metric collection combined with access to system sensors, the CPU can adjust frequency with greater precision and faster than the OS. The goal of Speed ​​Shift is to enable the system to respond more quickly to performance requests (such as interacting with a touchscreen or browsing the web), reduce lag, and improve the user experience. Therefore, when the operating system is constrained by predefined P-state parameters, a Speed ​​Shift-enabled processor with the correct driver is able to change CPU frequency multipliers almost continuously over a wide range of values.

The first iteration of Speed ​​Shift reduced the time to peak frequency from 100 ms to 30 ms. The only limitation was the driver that is now included with Windows 10 and comes by default.

With the advent of the new architecture, the hardware control of Speed ​​Shift has been improved. Intel did not change the name of the technology, but the improvements were substantial. The driver has not changed, so it works with all Speed ​​Shift modifications, but the processor can now reach the maximum frequency in 10-15 ms, not 30.

Optane memory

One of the goals of the memory industry is to create something at the speed of DRAM, but more resilient, so that data persists even when power is removed. DRAM uses energy to update data, but is the primary source of software data movement. Much of the acceleration of software depends on the speed of memory access or the ability to have data closer to the kernel when needed, so having large, nearby, non-volatile memory can increase performance and reduce power consumption. Most of the decade was spent on its creation. Intel (and Micron) officially announced their solution, 3D XPoint, a year ago, but there has been no official announcement of its implementation prior to that.

Media capabilities

Although Intel Kaby Lake does not differ much from Skylake in terms of functionality, there are clear improvements in the graphics. As with the CPU cores, the 14nm + process allowed for higher clocks and better GPU performance, but perhaps more impressive changes are the updated multimedia capabilities. The underlying architecture of the Gen9 GPU has not changed, but Intel has redefined the video processing units to add functionality and improve efficiency.

4K hardware acceleration

The main difference in the Kaby Lake-U / Y media engine is the full hardware acceleration to encode and decode 4K HEVC Main10 videos. This is in contrast to Skylake, which supports 4k p30, but does so using a hybrid process that balances the load between the CPU, media processors, and GPU shader cores. As a result, Kaby Lake not only handles more HEVC profiles, but only takes a fraction of the power to do so at much higher bandwidth. Also in the new architecture was implemented 8-bit encoding and 8/10-bit decoding of the VP9 codec from Google. Skylake offered hybrid codec decoding, which did not provide sufficient power efficiency. The new HEVC Main10 and VP9 hardware acceleration circuit is part of the MFX block. The video quality engine has received support for HDR and Wide Color Gamut.

According to Intel, Kaby Lake U / Y is capable of handling up to 6 4Kp30 AVC and HEVC codecs simultaneously. HEVC decoding support is rated for 4Kp60 up to 120Mbps, which is required for premium content and UHD Blu-ray playback. Thanks to process improvements, even 4.5-watt Y chips are capable of handling HEVC 4Kp30 in real time. Thus, the U and Y series resolved one of the main complaints about Skylake: the lack of hardware accelerated 4Kp60 HEVC Main10 decoding. There are other enhancements that provide a more satisfying multimedia experience for consumers.

Connectivity

The graphics thread of the Kaby Lake U / Y processor is the same as that of Skylake. This means the iGPU serves up to 3 displays at the same time.

One disappointing aspect of Skylake that hasn't been addressed in Kaby Lake-U / Y is the lack of its own HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP 2.2 support. Intel is in favor of adding LSPCon to DP 1.2. This approach has been used on several motherboards and even mini PCs such as the Skull Canyon NUC (NUC6i7KYK) and ASRock Beebox-S.

Chipsets

The new PCH controller hubs mate with LGA1151 sockets and thus support both Skylake and Kaby Lake. The 100-series chips such as the Z170 are also compatible with the new processors after a BIOS update.

Quite predictable today. The Z-series is focused on multi-graphics chips and overclocking, H is notable for the absence of the latter, Q is intended for platforms with vPro support, and B is aimed at cheaper solutions.

There are also 3 mobile chipsets available with similar differences, including a kit for Xeon in CM238, which allows the use of the new E3-1500 v6 processors.

Compatible boards

Motherboards for Kaby Lake processors - ASUS Maximus ІХ Code, GIGABYTE Z270X, Supermicro С7Z270-CG, ASRock Z270, MSI Z270, ECS Z270H4-І. They have new controllers, including USB 3.1 10 Gb / s ASMedia ASM2142, which uses two PCIe 3.0 lanes to support up to 2 ports. Previously, only 1 PCIe 3.0 slot was used for this.

The Realtek ALC1220 audio controller has also been updated: there is a 120 dBA output and a 113 dBA input. This should provide the best measurable quality. The network connection is still handled by the Intel I219-V Gigabit Ethernet Controller. The big change here should be the introduction of the multi-gigabit Aquantia 5G / 2.5G AQC107. New is the 10Gbps USB 3.1 front-panel interface in the MSI Z270 Gaming M7. It is currently being activated via ASM2142 using two PCIe lanes to provide one USB 3.1.

Technically all motherboards equipped with Kaby Lake should be able to support Optane Memory. LED backlighting also plays a big role in 200 series motherboards: only a few models in each price category lack it.

Performance

As you might expect, there is no performance gain. According to user feedback, the Kaby Lake i7-7700K 3GHz processor performs similarly to the 3GHz Core i7-6700K (with hyperthreading disabled). The only difference is memory support. While Skylake is DDR4-2133 compliant, Kaby Lake is DDR4-2400 compliant, but this does not significantly affect almost all benchmarks.

Power consumption

One of the main advantages of a Kaby Lake processor is the same frequency at less power, or more at the same power compared to Skylake. The i7-7700K supports 4.5 GHz turbo mode at 91 W. All the tested Kaby Lake processors, even with manual overclocking, have consumption close to the calculated one, although usually the CPU vendor significantly overestimates the voltage required for stable operation of the chip.

Overclocking

According to users, their perception of the clock speed increase in Kaby Lake has changed thanks to the new AVX Offset feature found in the BIOS of every Z270 motherboard. AVX instructions are known to be detrimental to overclocking by reducing stability and making it difficult to advance code without AVX. The user can now apply an offset (eg -10x) that will decrease the multiplier when the AVX command is encountered. This means that when overclocking the Kaby Lake processor to 4.8GHz with 8x AVX offset, the AVX command will execute at 4.0GHz, generating less heat and keeping the system stable.

According to users, the AVX's 4.8GHz frequency is easily achievable even with a reasonable voltage. The i7-7700K reaches 4.9 GHz with an AVX offset of -10, and the i5-7600K reaches 5.0 GHz, even with AVX enabled.

By and large, overclocking the i7-7700K from 4.2 to 4.8 GHz does not provide any practical advantage. The 600 MHz difference corresponds to a 13-14% increase in performance, which is not much. However, given the voltage profile of the chips, the 4.5GHz frequency provides good temperatures and voltages while still outperforming the і7-4790K or і7-6600K.

Test results

According to user reviews, the comparison of Kaby Lake processors confirms that the Core i7-7700K wins in almost every test (except a few, where the i7-5775C is still better due to the 128MB eDRAM).

The Core i5-7600K performs much the same except in low-thread scenarios (such as ray tracing), but the processor is certainly on par for day-to-day tasks. Core і5-7600K due to lack of growth of ІРС is essentially the basic і5-6600K, except for a few additional megahertz. The processor overclocks well - its temperature is much better than the і7-7700K, but it is nothing unusual.

The elephant in the china shop, however, is the Core i3-7350K. At $ 159, it's just $ 11 off the $ 170 Core i5-7400, but has 2 two full cores, albeit at a lower frequency (3 GHz versus 4.2 GHz).

Is Intel's new architecture a milestone?

For the most part, Kaby Lake doesn't offer much change. Optane memory support is a plus, but otherwise it's just a shift in the power and efficiency curve. The power consumed at 3.0 GHz last year now yields 3.3 GHz, which means time savings for work or electricity savings. Speed ​​Shift v2 is a really nice feature, but it's limited to Windows 10 users. More interesting is the set of new controllers (ALC1220, E2500, Aquantia). The optimization architecture comes as no surprise, but provides a 10% increase in efficiency.

In this article, we've made a comparison between Kaby Lake and Skylake, 6th and 7th generation Intel processors, to help you decide which processor is the best and which one to choose.

When Intel announced Kaby Lake, it quickly became apparent that the traditional upgrade cycle was over. Kaby Lake is just a "tweaked" version of Skylake, but it brings with it some important new features. For those unfamiliar, Intel used a tick-tock schedule, which meant that they (per tick) were introducing a new processor that had a new design and performance.

Then there was the next range of processors (tock) that specialized in improving and optimizing the same architecture to provide better performance. Kaby Lake is essentially a "tock" upgrade on Skylake. However, don't limit your choice to Intel. AMD Ryzen processors offer an unbeatable alternative these days.

What are the new features of the Kaby Lake processors

So we've found that 7th Gen Intel Core processors are basically just optimizing 6th Gen chips. For desktops, they both use the same LGA 1151 socket, so you can use Kaby Lake on a motherboard that has the Skylake chip installed (and use the same CPU cooler).

However, since Kaby Lake has a few new features that 100-series motherboards do not support them. The best package is a Kaby Lake chip and a motherboard with a 200 series chipset.

4K video

The new Kaby Lake has an updated graphics chip that supports HEVC encoding and decoding. This is the latest video codec that is designed for 4K video, which means the Kaby Lake chip will allow you to watch Netflix, Amazon or any other 4K HEVC video without stuttering. It also supports VP9 decoding, which is Google's codec designed to compete with HEVC.

Since the GPU handles the load, the processor cores can be used for other purposes, so your PC won't freeze while you're watching 4K video. Additionally, Kaby Lake supports HDCP 2.2, which is simply the copy protection used for 4K video, and you'll need it to connect to a compatible monitor and watch copy-protected UHD content.

This is a real advantage for laptops, as the built-in HEVC and VP9 support means the processor won't be overwhelmed by the Skylake chip - it will have to use its processor cores to decode the video, and therefore the battery life should be longer when watching videos. 4K. Intel says it could actually be 260 percent better.

Intel Optane Support

Support for Intel's new Optane memory. It's similar to an NVMe SSD but faster - and sits in a single M.2 slot on the motherboard. But it is only compatible with the Z270 chipset, which requires a Kaby Lake processor (you can run a Skylake processor on a Z270 board, but you won't be able to use Optane Memory).

Performance

Kaby Lake chips perform better than Skylake. Not really, but there is a slight improvement. The base clock speeds are higher compared to the equivalent Skylake processor, but the Turbo Boost frequencies are the same.

While you will need additional tools and programs to notice the difference in most applications, it shouldn't be difficult for you to spot an improvement in 3D graphics power, at least for mobile chips.

The Kaby Lake U series processors (we'll get to them later) have Intel Iris Plus graphics that promise 65% better performance than the GPU in equivalent Skylake chips.

Unfortunately, on desktop chips, the Intel HD Graphics 630 is largely identical to the 530 found in Skylake. The only real update here is HEVC and VP9 support.

PCIe lanes

Skylake processors have 20 connected lanes with PCH (Platform Controller Hub), but Kaby Lake adds four more. With 16 PCIe lanes on the processor itself, a Kaby Lake system can have 40 PCIe lanes.

USB and Thunderbolt

These additional connections are important, especially when PCIe is now being used for storage, as SATA speeds are becoming too limiting.

Kaby Lake also supports the latest USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2), which means speeds up to 10Gbps, not 5Gbps on Skylake. Again, this is built-in support without the need for a separate controller or additional motherboard board. Likewise, there is native Thunderbolt 3.0 support.
Kaby Lake systems can have up to 14 USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports and three PCIe 3.0 storage slots.

You can spend up to $ 750 on a Z270 motherboard like the Asus Maximus IX Extreme, although most are considerably less expensive.

Low-power Kaby Lake-Y processors

One confusing aspect is that Intel has renamed the ultra-low-power Kaby Lake chips, which you think will be called Core m, just like Skylake, to Core i3, i5, and i7.

These so-called Y-series chips have a TDP of just 4.5W and offer much lower performance than their U-series counterparts. These are typically found in thin and light hybrids like the Dell XPS 2-in-1, but the “Core i” branding might fool you into thinking you're getting the same chip found in the XPS 13 laptop.
So watch out for this.

Which is better to choose Kaby Lake or Skylake?

Obviously, when choosing two PCs or laptops for the same price - one with a Skylake processor and one with a Kaby Lake - you would choose a Kaby Lake machine.

For laptops with integrated graphics, you'll see better performance from the Kaby Lake chip thanks to the Iris Plus GPU, as well as better performance and battery life when watching 4K Netflix.

Indeed, a Skylake-based laptop might not even have the processor power to play 4K video. However, not many laptops are equipped with 4K screens.

Our verdicts

If you already own a computer with a 6th generation Skylake processor, there is no point in upgrading to Kaby Lake. You will miss out on most of the new features, and you won't see any performance gain unless you upgrade from older i5 processors like the Core i7-7700K. If you have an older computer with an Ivy Bridge (3rd generation) or Haswell (4th generation) processor, then it may be time to upgrade - unless it was a latest Core i7, in which case you may not notice a significant upgrade. productivity.

Video: Comparison of Intel processors, what's the best Kaby Lake vs Skylake?

Kaby Lake is the next generation of Intel processors. We are currently using the SkyLake generation. At least most of us, if you are not in a rush to buy an updated one.

You will still see laptops with previous generations of processors like Broadwell and Haswell on sale, but they are officially a thing of the past.

In this article, we've rounded up all the details you need to know about the upcoming Intel Core Kaby Lake processor revolution.

In pursuit!

• What is it? 7th Gen Intel Core processors;
• When to expect? Laptops are coming out now, PCs - Q1 2017;
• What is the price? Pricing is similar to modern Intel Skylakes;

ProcessorsIntelKabyLake: Release date

On July 22, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich confirmed that the Kaby Lake chipsets have gone from the fields of development to the conveyor belts of factories and then to personal computer manufacturers. In other words, Kaby Lake processors are officially on the cusp.

This means that we could expect some Kaby Lake (PC) as early as the end of 2016. However, at the moment it is not known exactly which chipsets will arrive in the first wave.

Intel Kaby Lake includes Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 desktop and laptop processors and new Core M.

Even after Intel's keynote at Intel's own Developer Forum in San Francisco, California, we don't know when Intel's 7th Gen desktop processors will be released, but all signs point to CES in January, or so they think. some editions, and we agree with them.

At the same time, we have not experienced a lack of information leaks on new Kaby Lake processors and release dates. Some tech outlets like WCCFtech have found documents that point to pricing and specs, while Tom's Hardware claims to have bought their own (possibly retail) Kaby Lake processor.

ProcessorsIntelKabyLake

In addition to the mobile series, 20 Kaby Lake processors are waiting for their users on sale. From Pentium G3930 to Core i7-7700K, almost a complete selection available with the latest generation.

The Kaby Lake Core i7-7700K processor is the flagship processor this time, unlocked for overclocking, as indicated by the “K” in the name. The new Kaby Lake series continues to use the company's serial names: "7" indicates the Kaby Lake series of processors, as it is the seventh generation, and Skylake is the 6th generation with the numbers "6" in the number.

The Core i7-7700K is a 4-core hyper-threaded processor, and while early benchmark results (in March) promised us a clock speed of between 3.6 GHz and 4.2 GHz (Turbo Boost), the latest reports are teasing fans a lot more fruitful 4.2GHz / 4.5GHz. Of course, actual results may vary.

The original leaks stem from SiSoft's benchmark benchmark database, but unfortunately this data is significantly worse than the current generation i7-6700K. The positive side of the rumors promises us a more reliable "boost" to the core, at 200 MHz / 500 MHz (Boost), respectively, in comparison with its predecessor.

The leaks also hint at a price tag of $ 350 (RUR 22,000), which is very close to the costs that we expected with an equivalent Skylake generation processor at the time of release.

This is followed by the Core i7-7500U, which went online side by side with the i7-7700K. This is the CPU that we ultimately expect to see on high-end Ultrabooks. This is a relatively high performance chipset, but it still carries the "U" in its name, meaning it belongs to the ultra-low voltage family.

It has two cores, four threads and is clocked at 2.7GHz - 2.9GHz (Turbo). Some of you may turn your nose up at 2-core chipsets on laptops, but they play an important role.

On the mobile front, the previous generation Core M5 and M7 now integrate the "Y" in the Core M family. These include the Core m3-7Y30, Core i5-7Y54 and Core i7-7Y75, which are used in leading fanless notebook designs and convertible formats. addition to the U-series processors.

The first laptops onIntelKabyLake

Where will we see these chipsets end up? Well, they are currently featured on a short list of laptops, some of which have already gone through our reviews. The new chips are featured on the Razer Blade Stealth and HP Specter x360, along with a host of other ultrabooks, 2-in-1 hybrids and traditional laptops.

If you're wondering why the latest MacBook Pro still clings to Skylake, the answer is simple: At the time of the laptop's release, the required Kaby Lake series of processors did not yet exist. Fortunately, DigiTimes is reporting that we will see high-end laptops with these chips at CES in January.

Some say Apple may skip Kaby Lake altogether, but that seems unlikely since the next generation of Cannonlake is not expected until the second half of 2017. According to the schedule, the 12-inch MacBook should receive 7th generation Intel processors this spring.

ArchitectureIntel Kaby Lake

Cannonlake will likely prove to be much more exciting than the Caby Lake update. You see, Kaby Lakes are very similar to the Skylake family. This is not what we expected from the successor to Skylake, but Intel has changed its processor strategy.

Since 2007, Intel has adopted a "tick, tock" upgrade mode, where one generation shrinks the processor and the next generation changes the architecture. The situation has changed this year. As of 2016, Intel is using Process, Architecture, Optimization as their approach, and KabyLake is, frankly, not the most interesting stage.

It is still a 14nm processor that is all-round similar to Skylake, and desktop processor models will use the same LGA 1151 socket. If all goes well, Cannonlake promises to cut processor sizes to the long-promised 10nm in 2017.

While there are likely to be some performance and overall efficiency improvements ahead of us, it seems to us that there is no need for Skylake owners to upgrade to a KabyLake of the same level.

UpdateIntelKabyLake

There are a few different improvements specific to Kaby Lake, though. The first is fully integrated USB-C Gen 2 support. Skylake offers support now, but requires additional hardware. Soon the technology will become "native". Again, an interesting solution, but not necessary.

Gen 2 USB 3.1 delivers 10 Gbps of bandwidth instead of 5 Gbps. Thunderbolt 3 support ibid. In the same vein comes HDCP 2.2 support. This is digital copy protection, the new version is designed for specific 4K video standards. Ultra HD Blu-Ray is becoming key, although 4K Netflix videos also require Kaby Lake processors.

It is also true that Kaby Lake also offers integrated GPUs that are better suited for 4K video. Thanks to the new media engine based on the Gen9 graphics architecture, users will be able to edit 4K video in real time using nothing more than integrated graphics. In terms of video consumption, the new VP9 and HVEC 10-bit decryptor will allow you to watch streaming 4K video all day on a single charge.

Kaby Lake processors also officially support Windows 10 among Microsoft operating systems. This is another attempt by Microsoft to nudge those stuck with Windows 7 and other operating systems.

Apollo Lake: Poor RelativeKabyLake

Also worth considering are the Atom chipsets, which are at the bottom of the series and will be used in very cheap Windows 10 laptops and tablets. Despite not being part of the Kaby Lake series, the latest "Apollo Lake" chips began to appear in late November. ASUS and HP are among the first to introduce new processors.

They are also capable of accelerating 4K video playback thanks to the HEVC and VP9 codecs. This is due in part to the move from Gen8 graphics to Gen9 graphics, just like the Skylake processors.

KabyLake-X: Best Last

If you're only interested in the mainstream Kaby Lake processors, the future doesn't look too complicated. They will be serialized before a replacement arrives at Cannonlake at the end of 2017. However, the prospects for serious high-end chips are much more confusing.

Intel's latest high-end processors are now part of the Broadwell-E series, although among the mainstream processors, Broadwell is outdated. Simply put, the real high-end hardware will come later. We're talking about processors like the $ 100,000 Core i7-6900K.

The Kaby Lake alternative will not be called Kaby Lake-E, instead we are waiting for Kaby Lake-X, which is expected to launch in the second half of 2017, alongside Skylake-X. That's right: two generations at the same time.

Intel's Kaby Lake-X will be tentatively a 4-core processor, while Skylake-X will be a rather perplexing 10-core processor.

What mortal laptop and desktop buyers should know about Kaby Lake, however: a) we'll see even more machines using the new chipset kits very soon and b) if you don't need an update right now, 2017 brings Cannonlake with interesting enhancements. ...

On January 3, the birthday of the company's founding father Gordon Moore (born January 3, 1929), Intel announced a family of new 7th generation Intel Core processors and new Intel 200 series chipsets. We have the opportunity to test the Intel Core i7-7700 and Core i7-7700K processors and compare them with the previous generation processors.

7th Gen Intel Core Processors

The new 7th Gen Intel Core processor family is codenamed Kaby Lake, and these processors are a bit of a stretch new. They, like the 6th generation Core processors, are manufactured using a 14nm process technology and are based on the same processor microarchitecture.

Recall that earlier, before the release of Kaby Lake, Intel released its processors in accordance with the "Tick-Tock" algorithm: the processor microarchitecture changed every two years and the production process changed every two years. But the change of microarchitecture and technical process was shifted relative to each other by a year, so that the technical process changed once a year, then, a year later, the microarchitecture changed, then, again a year later, the technical process changed, etc. However, the company has to maintain such a fast pace for a long time could not and eventually abandoned this algorithm, replacing it with a three-year cycle. The first year is the introduction of a new technical process, the second year - the introduction of a new microarchitecture based on the existing technical process, and the third year - optimization. Thus, another year of optimization was added to "Tick-Tock".

The 5th generation Intel Core processors, codenamed Broadwell, ushered in the 14nm ("Tick") process technology. These were processors with the Haswell microarchitecture (with minor improvements), but produced using a new 14-nanometer process technology. The 6th generation Intel Core processors, codenamed Skylake ("Tock"), were manufactured using the same 14nm process technology as Broadwell, but with a new microarchitecture. And the 7th generation Intel Core processors, codenamed Kaby Lake, are manufactured according to the same 14nm process technology (although now it is designated "14+") and are based on the same Skylake microarchitecture, but everything is optimized and improved. What exactly optimization and what exactly improved - so far it is a mystery shrouded in darkness. This review was written before the official announcement of the new processors, and Intel could not provide us with any official information, so there is still very little information about the new processors.

In general, at the very beginning of the article, it was not by chance that we remembered about the birthday of Gordon Moore, who in 1968 together with Robert Noyce founded the Intel company. Over the years, this legendary man has been credited with many things that he never said. First, his prediction was elevated to the rank of law ("Moore's law"), then this law became the fundamental plan for the development of microelectronics (a kind of analogue of the five-year plan for the development of the national economy of the USSR). However, Moore's law had to be rewritten and corrected several times, since reality, unfortunately, cannot always be planned. Now you need to either rewrite Moore's law once again, which, in general, is already ridiculous, or simply forget about this so-called law. Actually, Intel did just that: since it no longer works, they decided to gradually consign it to oblivion.

However, back to our new processors. It is officially known that the Kaby Lake processor family will include four separate series: S, H, U and Y. In addition, there will be an Intel Xeon series for workstations. Kaby Lake-Y processors targeted at tablets and thin laptops, as well as some models of Kaby Lake-U series processors for laptops, have already been announced. And at the beginning of January, Intel introduced only a few models of the H- and S-series processors. The S-series processors are oriented towards desktop systems, which have an LGA design and which we will talk about in this review. Kaby Lake-S has an LGA1151 socket and is compatible with motherboards based on Intel 100 series chipsets and the new Intel 200 series chipsets. We do not know the release plan for Kaby Lake-S processors, but there is information that a total of 16 new models for desktop PCs are planned, which will traditionally make up three families (Core i7 / i5 / i3). All Kaby Lake-S desktop processors will use only Intel HD Graphics 630 (codenamed Kaby Lake-GT2).

The Intel Core i7 family will consist of three processors: 7700K, 7700 and 7700T. All models in this family have 4 cores, support simultaneous processing of up to 8 threads (Hyper-Threading technology) and have an 8 MB L3 cache. The difference between the two lies in power consumption and clock frequency. In addition, the top-end Core i7-7700K has an unlocked multiplier. A summary of the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 processor family is shown below.

The Intel Core i5 family will comprise seven processors: 7600K, 7600, 7500, 7400, 7600T, 7500T, and 7400T. All models in this family have 4 cores, but do not support Hyper-Threading technology. Their L3 cache size is 6MB. The top model, the Core i5-7600K, has an unlocked clock multiplier and a TDP of 91W. “T” models have a TDP of 35W, while regular models have a TDP of 65W. The 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor family briefs are listed below.

The Intel Core i3 family will consist of six processors: 7350K, 7320, 7300, 7100, 7300T and 7100T. All models in this family have 2 cores and support Hyper-Threading technology. The "T" in the model name indicates that its TDP is 35 watts. Now in the Intel Core i3 family there is also a model (Core i3-7350K) with an unlocked multiplier factor, the TDP of which is 60 W. A summary of the 7th Gen Intel Core i3 processor family is listed below.

Intel Chipsets 200 Series

Along with the Kaby Lake-S processors, Intel has announced new Intel 200-series chipsets. More precisely, so far only the top-end Intel Z270 chipset has been presented, and the rest will be announced a little later. All in all, the Intel 200 series chipset family will include five options (Q270, Q250, B250, H270, Z270) for desktop processors and three solutions (CM238, HM175, QM175) for mobile processors.

If we compare the family of new chipsets with the family of 100-series chipsets, then everything is obvious: Z270 is a new version of Z170, H270 is replacing H170, Q270 is replacing Q170, and Q250 and B250 chipsets are replacing Q150 and B150, respectively. The only chipset that hasn't been replaced is the H110. There is no H210 chipset or similar in the 200 series. The positioning of the 200-series chipsets is exactly the same as of the 100-series chipsets: the Q270 and Q250 are targeted at the enterprise market, the Z270 and H270 are targeted at consumer PCs, and the B250 is targeted at the SMB sector of the market. However, this positioning is very arbitrary, and motherboard manufacturers often have their own vision of chipset positioning.

So what's new in the Intel 200-series chipsets and how are they better than the Intel 100-series chipsets? The question is not idle, because Kaby Lake-S processors are compatible with Intel 100-series chipsets. So is it worth buying a motherboard based on Intel Z270 if, for example, a motherboard based on Intel Z170 chipset turns out to be cheaper (all other things being equal)? Alas, there is no need to say that the Intel 200 series chipsets have serious advantages. Almost the only difference between the new chipsets and the old ones is the slightly increased number of HSIO ports (high-speed input / output ports) due to the addition of several PCIe 3.0 ports.

Next, we will take a closer look at what and how much is added in each chipset, but for now we will briefly consider the features of the Intel 200 series chipsets as a whole, focusing on the top-end options, in which everything is implemented to the maximum.

To begin with, like the Intel 100-series chipsets, the new chipsets allow 16 PCIe 3.0 processor ports (PEG ports) to be combined to implement various PCIe slot options. For example, Intel Z270 and Q270 chipsets (like their counterparts Intel Z170 and Q170) allow you to combine 16 PEG processor ports in the following combinations: x16, x8 / x8 or x8 / x4 / x4. The rest of the chipsets (H270, B250 and Q250) only allow one possible combination of PEG port allocation: x16. Also, Intel 200-series chipsets support dual-channel DDR4 or DDR3L memory operation. In addition, Intel 200-series chipsets support the ability to simultaneously connect up to three monitors to the processor graphics core (just like in the case of 100-series chipsets).

As for the SATA and USB ports, nothing has changed here. The integrated SATA controller provides up to six SATA 6Gb / s ports. Naturally, Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology) technology is supported, which allows you to configure a SATA controller in RAID controller mode (albeit not on all chipsets) with support for levels 0, 1, 5, and 10. Intel RST technology is supported not only for SATA -port, but also for drives with PCIe interface (x4 / x2, M.2 and SATA Express connectors). Perhaps, speaking of Intel RST technology, it makes sense to mention the new technology for creating Intel Optane drives, but in practice there is nothing to talk about yet, there are no ready-made solutions yet. The top models of Intel 200 series chipsets support up to 14 USB ports, of which up to 10 ports can be USB 3.0, and the rest - USB 2.0.

Like the Intel 100 series chipsets, the Intel 200 series chipsets support Flexible I / O technology, which allows you to configure High Speed ​​Input / Output (HSIO) PCIe, SATA, and USB 3.0 ports. Flexible I / O technology allows some HSIO ports to be configured as PCIe or USB 3.0 ports, and some HSIO ports as PCIe or SATA ports. In the Intel 200 series chipsets, a total of 30 high-speed I / O ports can be implemented (the Intel 100 series chipsets had 26 HSIO ports).

The first six high-speed ports (Port # 1 - Port # 6) are strictly fixed: these are USB 3.0 ports. The next four high-speed ports on the chipset (Port # 7 - Port # 10) can be configured as either USB 3.0 or PCIe ports. Port # 10 can also be used as a GbE network port, that is, the GbE MAC controller is built into the chipset itself, and the PHY controller (the MAC controller in conjunction with the PHY controller forms a full-fledged network controller) can only be connected to specific high-speed ports on the chipset. In particular, these can be ports Port # 10, Port # 11, Port # 15, Port # 18 and Port # 19. Another 12 HSIO ports (Port # 11 - Port # 14, Port # 17, Port # 18, Port # 25 - Port # 30) are assigned to PCIe ports. Four more ports (Port # 21 - Port # 24) are configured as either PCIe or SATA 6Gb / s ports. Ports Port # 15, Port # 16 and Port # 19, Port # 20 have a feature. They can be configured as either PCIe ports or SATA 6Gb / s ports. The peculiarity is that one SATA 6 Gb / s port can be configured on either Port # 15 or Port # 19 (that is, this is the same SATA port # 0, which can be routed out either to Port # 15 , or at Port # 19). Likewise, another SATA 6Gb / s port (SATA # 1) is routed to either Port # 16 or Port # 20.

As a result, we find that the chipset can accommodate up to 10 USB 3.0 ports, up to 24 PCIe ports and up to 6 SATA 6 Gb / s ports. However, one more circumstance should be noted here. A maximum of 16 PCIe devices can be connected to these 20 PCIe ports at the same time. Devices in this case refers to controllers, connectors and slots. One PCIe device may require one, two, or four PCIe ports to connect. For example, if we are talking about a PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot, then this is one PCIe device, which requires 4 PCIe 3.0 ports to connect.

The diagram of the distribution of high-speed I / O ports for the Intel 200-series chipsets is shown in the figure.

Compared to what was in the Intel 100 series chipsets, there are very few changes: we added four strictly fixed PCIe ports (HSIO ports of the chipset Port # 27 - Port # 30), which can be used to combine Intel RST for PCIe Storage ... Everything else, including the numbering of the HSIO ports, remained unchanged. The diagram of the distribution of high-speed I / O ports for the Intel 100-series chipsets is shown in the figure.

Until now, we have considered the functionality of the new chipsets in general, without being tied to specific models. Further, in the summary table, we present brief characteristics of each Intel 200 series chipset.

And for comparison, here are the brief characteristics of the Intel 100 series chipsets.

A diagram of the distribution of high-speed I / O ports for five Intel 200-series chipsets is shown in the figure.

And for comparison, a similar diagram for five Intel 100-series chipsets:

And the last thing worth noting when talking about the Intel 200 series chipsets: only the Intel Z270 chipset has support for overclocking the processor and memory.

Now, after our quick review of the new Kaby Lake-S processors and Intel 200-series chipsets, let's move on to testing new products.

Performance research

We were able to test two new items: the top-end Intel Core i7-7700K processor with an unlocked multiplier factor and the Intel Core i7-7700 processor. For testing, we used a stand with the following configuration:

In addition, in order to evaluate the performance of the new processors in relation to the performance of the previous generations, we also tested the Intel Core i7-6700K processor on the described stand.

Brief specifications of the tested processors are given in the table.

To evaluate performance, we used our new methodology using the iXBT Application Benchmark 2017. The Intel Core i7-7700K processor was tested two times: with default settings and in a state of overclocking to 5 GHz. Overclocking was carried out by changing the multiplication factor.

Results were calculated for five runs of each test with a 95% confidence level. Please note that the integral results in this case are normalized relative to the reference system, which also uses an Intel Core i7-6700K processor. However, the configuration of the reference system differs from the configuration of the bench for testing: the reference system uses the Asus Z170-WS motherboard on the Intel Z170 chipset.

The test results are presented in the table and in the diagram.

If we compare the test results of processors obtained at the same bench, then everything is very predictable. The Core i7-7700K processor at default settings (no overclocking) is slightly faster (by 7%) than the Core i7-7700, which is explained by the difference in their clock frequency. Overclocking the Core i7-7700K to 5GHz allows you to achieve up to 10% better performance than this processor without overclocking. The Core i7-6700K processor (without overclocking) is slightly more efficient (4% more) than the Core i7-7700 processor, which is also explained by the difference in their clock frequency. At the same time, the Core i7-7700K model is 2.5% more productive than the previous generation Core i7-6700K model.

As you can see, the new 7th generation Intel Core processors do not provide any performance jump. In fact, these are the same 6th generation Intel Core processors, but with slightly higher clock speeds. The only advantage of the new processors is that they run better (of course, we are talking about K-series processors with an unlocked multiplier). In particular, our copy of the Core i7-7700K processor, which we did not choose on purpose, overclocked to 5.0 GHz without any problems and worked absolutely stable when using air cooling. It was possible to run this processor at 5.1 GHz, but in the stress test mode of the processor, the system freezes. Of course, it is incorrect to draw conclusions on a single processor instance, but the information of our colleagues confirms that most Kaby Lake K-series processors run better than Skylake processors. Note that our sample of the Core i7-6700K processor overclocked at best to 4.9 GHz, but only stably worked at 4.5 GHz.

Now let's look at the power consumption of the processors. Recall that we connect the measuring unit in the break of the power supply circuits between the power supply and the motherboard - to the 24-pin (ATX) and 8-pin (EPS12V) connectors of the power supply. Our measuring unit is capable of measuring voltage and current on the 12V, 5V and 3.3V buses of the ATX connector, as well as the supply voltage and current on the 12V bus of the EPS12V connector.

The total power consumption during the test is understood as the power transmitted over the 12 V, 5 V and 3.3 V buses of the ATX connector and the 12 V bus of the EPS12V connector. The power consumed by the processor during the test is the power transmitted through the 12 V bus of the EPS12V connector (this connector is used only for powering the processor). However, it should be borne in mind that in this case we are talking about the power consumption of the processor together with the converter of its supply voltage on the board. Naturally, the processor supply voltage regulator has a certain efficiency (obviously lower than 100%), so that part of the electrical energy is consumed by the regulator itself, and the real power consumed by the processor is slightly lower than the values ​​we measure.

The measurement results for the total power consumption in all tests, except for the drive performance tests, are presented below:

Similar results of measuring the power consumption of the processor are as follows:

Of interest is, first of all, a comparison of the power consumption of the Core i7-6700K and Core i7-7700K processors in the operating mode without overclocking. The Core i7-6700K processor has lower power consumption, that is, the Core i7-7700K processor is slightly more productive, but it also has a higher power consumption. Moreover, if the integrated performance of the Core i7-7700K processor is 2.5% higher in comparison with the performance of the Core i7-6700K, then the average power consumption of the Core i7-7700K processor is already 17% higher!

And if we introduce such an indicator as energy efficiency, determined by the ratio of the integral performance indicator to the average power consumption (in fact, performance per watt of energy consumed), then for the Core i7-7700K processor this figure will be 1.67 W -1, and for the processor Core i7-6700K - 1.91 W -1.

However, such results are obtained only if we compare the power consumption over the 12 V bus of the EPS12V connector. But if we consider the full capacity (which is more logical from the user's point of view), then the situation is somewhat different. Then the energy efficiency of a system with a Core i7-7700K processor will be 1.28 W -1, and with a Core i7-6700K processor - 1.24 W -1. Thus, the energy efficiency of the systems is practically the same.

conclusions

We have no disappointments about the new processors. Nobody promised what is called. Let us remind once again that we are not talking about a new microarchitecture or a new technical process, but only about optimizing the microarchitecture and technical process, that is, about optimizing Skylake processors. Of course, there is no reason to expect that such an optimization can give a serious performance gain. The only observed optimization result is that we managed to slightly increase the clock speeds. In addition, the K-series processors in the Kaby Lake family have better overclocking than their Skylake counterparts.

If we talk about the new generation of Intel 200-series chipsets, then the only thing that distinguishes them from the Intel 100-series chipsets is the addition of four PCIe 3.0 ports. What does this mean for the user? And it doesn't mean anything at all. There is no need to wait for an increase in the number of connectors and ports on motherboards, since there are already too many of them. As a result, the functionality of the boards will not change, except that they will be able to simplify a little during design: you will have to come up with less sophisticated separation schemes to ensure the operation of all connectors, slots and controllers in the face of a shortage of PCIe 3.0 lanes / ports. It would be logical to assume that this will lead to a decrease in the cost of motherboards based on 200 series chipsets, but it's hard to believe in it.

And in conclusion, a few words about whether it makes sense to change the awl for soap. There is no point in changing a computer based on a Skylake processor and a motherboard with a 100-series chipset to a new system with a Kaby Lake processor and a motherboard with a 200-series chipset. It's just throwing money down the drain. But if the time has come to change the computer due to the moral obsolescence of the hardware, then, of course, it makes sense to pay attention to Kaby Lake and a motherboard with a 200 series chipset, and you should look first of all at the prices. If the system on Kaby Lake turns out to be comparable (with equal functionality) in cost to the system on Skylake (and a board with the Intel 100 series chipset), then it makes sense. If such a system turns out to be more expensive, then it makes no sense.