Intel processor markings. How to decrypt. Lines and markings of modern Intel processors

This article will take a detailed look at the latest generations of Intel processors based on the Kor architecture. This company occupies a leading position in the computer systems market, and most PCs are currently assembled on its semiconductor chips.

Intel's development strategy

All previous generations of Intel processors were subject to a two-year cycle. This company’s update release strategy is called “Tick-Tock”. The first stage, called "Tick", consisted of converting the CPU to a new technological process. For example, in terms of architecture, the Sandy Bridge (2nd generation) and Ivy Bridge (3rd generation) generations were almost identical. But the production technology of the former was based on 32 nm standards, and the latter - 22 nm. The same can be said about HasWell (4th generation, 22 nm) and BroadWell (5th generation, 14 nm). In turn, the “So” stage means a radical change in the architecture of semiconductor crystals and a significant increase in performance. Examples include the following transitions:

1st generation Westmere and 2nd generation Sandy Bridge. The technological process in this case was identical - 32 nm, but the changes in terms of chip architecture were significant - the north bridge of the motherboard and the built-in graphics accelerator were transferred to the CPU.

3rd generation "Ivy Bridge" and 4th generation "HasWell". The power consumption of the computer system has been optimized and the clock frequencies of the chips have been increased.

5th generation "BroadWell" and 6th generation "SkyLike". The frequency has been increased again, power consumption has been further improved, and several new instructions have been added to improve performance.

Segmentation of processor solutions based on the Kor architecture

Intel's central processing units have the following positioning:

The most affordable solutions are Celeron chips. They are suitable for assembling office computers that are designed to solve the most simple tasks.

One step higher are the Pentium series CPUs. Architecturally, they are almost completely identical to the younger Celeron models. But the larger L3 cache and higher frequencies give them a definite advantage in terms of performance. The niche of this CPU is entry-level gaming PCs.

The middle segment of CPUs from Intel is occupied by solutions based on Cor I3. The previous two types of processors, as a rule, have only 2 computing units. The same can be said about Kor Ai3. But the first two families of chips do not have support for HyperTrading technology, while Cor I3 does have it. As a result, at the software level, 2 physical modules are converted into 4 program processing threads. This provides a significant increase in performance. Based on such products, you can already build a mid-level gaming PC, or even an entry-level server.

The niche of solutions above the average level, but below the premium segment, is filled with chips based on Cor I5. This semiconductor crystal boasts the presence of 4 physical cores at once. It is this architectural nuance that provides an advantage in terms of performance over the Cor I3. Newer generations of Intel i5 processors have higher clock speeds and this allows for constant performance gains.

The niche of the premium segment is occupied by products based on Cor I7. The number of computing units they have is exactly the same as that of the Cor I5. But they, just like Cor Ai3, have support for technology codenamed “Hyper Trading”. Therefore, at the software level, 4 cores are converted into 8 processed threads. It is this nuance that provides a phenomenal level of performance that any of these chips can boast of. The price of these chips is appropriate.

Processor sockets

Generations are installed on different socket types. Therefore, it will not be possible to install the first chips on this architecture into a motherboard for a 6th generation CPU. Or, conversely, a chip codenamed “SkyLike” cannot be physically installed on a motherboard for 1st or 2nd generation processors. The first processor socket was called "Socket H", or LGA 1156 (1156 is the number of pins). It was released in 2009 for the first CPUs manufactured to tolerance standards of 45 nm (2008) and 32 nm (2009), based on this architecture. Today it is outdated both morally and physically. In 2010, LGA 1155, or “Socket H1,” replaced it. Motherboards in this series support Kor chips of the 2nd and 3rd generations. Their code names are "Sandy Bridge" and "Ivy Bridge" respectively. 2013 was marked by the release of the third socket for chips based on the Kor architecture - LGA 1150, or Socket H2. It was possible to install CPUs of the 4th and 5th generations into this processor socket. Well, in September 2015, LGA 1150 was replaced by the latest current socket - LGA 1151.

First generation of chips

The most affordable processor products of this platform were Celeron G1101 (2.27 GHz), Pentium G6950 (2.8 GHz) and Pentium G6990 (2.9 GHz). All of them had only 2 cores. The niche of mid-level solutions was occupied by “Cor I3” with the designation 5XX (2 cores/4 logical information processing threads). One step higher were the “Cor Ai5” labeled 6XX (they have parameters identical to the “Cor Ai3”, but the frequencies are higher) and 7XX with 4 real cores. The most productive computer systems were assembled on the basis of Kor I7. Their models were designated 8XX. The fastest chip in this case was labeled 875K. Due to the unlocked multiplier, it was possible to overclock such a device. The price was appropriate. Accordingly, it was possible to obtain an impressive increase in performance. By the way, the presence of the prefix “K” in the designation of the CPU model meant that the multiplier was unlocked and this model could be overclocked. Well, the prefix “S” was added to designate energy-efficient chips.

Planned architectural renewal and Sandy Bridge

The first generation of chips based on the Kor architecture was replaced in 2010 by solutions codenamed Sandy Bridge. Their key features were the transfer of the north bridge and the built-in graphics accelerator to the silicon chip of the silicon processor. The niche of the most budget solutions was occupied by the Celerons of the G4XX and G5XX series. In the first case, the level 3 cache was trimmed and there was only one core. The second series, in turn, could boast of having two computing units at once. The Pentium models G6XX and G8XX are located one step higher. In this case, the difference in performance was provided by higher frequencies. It was the G8XX that, because of this important characteristic, looked preferable in the eyes of the end user. The Kor I3 line was represented by 21XX models (it is the number “2” that indicates that the chip belongs to the second generation of the Kor architecture). Some of them had the index “T” added at the end - more energy-efficient solutions with reduced performance.

In turn, the “Kor Ai5” solutions were designated 23ХХ, 24ХХ and 25ХХ. The higher the model marking, the higher the level of CPU performance. The "T" at the end is the most energy efficient solution. If the letter “S” is added at the end of the name, it is an intermediate option in terms of power consumption between the “T” version of the chip and the standard crystal. Index “P” - the graphics accelerator is disabled in the chip. Well, chips with the letter “K” had an unlocked multiplier. Similar markings are also relevant for the 3rd generation of this architecture.

The emergence of a new, more advanced technological process

In 2013, the 3rd generation of CPUs based on this architecture was released. Its key innovation is an updated technical process. Otherwise, no significant innovations were introduced into them. They were physically compatible with the previous generation of CPUs and could be installed in the same motherboards. Their notation structure remains identical. Celerons were designated G12XX, and Pentiums were designated G22XX. Only at the beginning, instead of “2” there was already “3”, which indicated belonging to the 3rd generation. The Kor Ai3 line had indexes 32XX. More advanced "Kor Ai5" were designated 33ХХ, 34ХХ and 35ХХ. Well, the flagship solutions of “Kor I7” were marked 37XX.

The fourth revision of the Kor architecture

The next stage was the 4th generation of Intel processors based on the Kor architecture. The marking in this case was as follows:

Economy class Celerons CPUs were designated G18XX.

"Pentiums" had the indexes G32XX and G34XX.

The following designations were assigned to “Kor Ai3” - 41ХХ and 43ХХ.

“Kor I5” could be recognized by the abbreviations 44ХХ, 45ХХ and 46ХХ.

Well, 47XX were allocated to designate “Kor Ai7”.

Fifth generation chips

The most recent and promising solutions

The 6th generation of Intel processors debuted in early autumn 2015. This is the most current processor architecture at the moment. Entry-level chips are designated in this case as G39XX (“Celeron”), G44XX and G45XX (as “Pentiums” are labeled). Core I3 processors are designated 61XX and 63XX. In turn, “Kor I5” is 64ХХ, 65ХХ and 66ХХ. Well, only the 67XX marking is allocated to designate flagship solutions. The new generation of Intel processors is only at the beginning of its life cycle and such chips will be relevant for quite a long time.

Overclocking Features

Almost all chips based on this architecture have a locked multiplier. Therefore, overclocking in this case is possible only by increasing the frequency. In the latest, 6th generation, even this ability to increase performance will have to be disabled by motherboard manufacturers in the BIOS. The exceptions in this regard are the processors of the “Kor Ai5” and “Cor Ai7” series with the “K” index. Their multiplier is unlocked and this allows you to significantly increase the performance of computer systems based on such semiconductor products.

Owners' opinion

All generations of Intel processors listed in this material have a high degree of energy efficiency and a phenomenal level of performance. Their only drawback is their high cost. But the reason here lies in the fact that Intel’s direct competitor, represented by AMD, cannot oppose it with more or less worthwhile solutions. Therefore, Intel, based on its own considerations, sets the price tag for its products.

Results

This article examined in detail generations of Intel processors only for desktop PCs. Even this list is enough to get lost in the designations and names. In addition, there are also options for computer enthusiasts (2011 platform) and various mobile sockets. All this is done only so that the end user can choose the most optimal one to solve their problems. Well, the most relevant now of the options considered are 6th generation chips. These are the ones you need to pay attention to when buying or assembling a new PC.

When purchasing a flash drive, many people ask the question: “how to choose the right flash drive.” Of course, choosing a flash drive is not so difficult if you know exactly for what purpose it is being purchased. In this article I will try to give a complete answer to the question posed. I decided to write only about what to look for when buying.

A flash drive (USB drive) is a drive designed for storing and transferring information. The flash drive works very simply without batteries. You just need to connect it to the USB port of your PC.

1. Flash drive interface

3. Housing material

4. Data transfer rate

6. Password protection

Conclusion

Good afternoon, my dear friends. In today's article I want to talk about how to choose the right mouse pad. When buying a rug, many people do not attach any importance to this. But as it turned out, this point needs to be given special attention, because... The mat determines one of the indicators of comfort while working at a PC. For an avid gamer, choosing a rug is a completely different story. Let's look at what types of mouse pads have been invented today.

Mat options

And now I would like to talk about each type in more detail.

1. First I want to consider three options at once: plastic, aluminum and glass. These rugs are very popular among gamers. For example, plastic mats are easier to find on sale. The mouse glides quickly and accurately on these mats. And most importantly, these mouse pads are suitable for both laser and optical mice. Aluminum and glass mats will be a little harder to find. Yes, and they will cost a lot. True, there is a reason for this - they will serve for a very long time. These types of rugs have minor flaws. Many people say that they rustle when operating and are a little cool to the touch, which may cause discomfort for some users.

2. Rubberized (rag) mats have soft sliding, but the accuracy of their movements is worse. For ordinary users, such a mat will be just right. And they are much cheaper than the previous ones.

3. Double-sided mouse pads, in my opinion, are a very interesting type of mouse pad. As the name suggests, these rugs have two sides. Typically, one side is high-speed and the other is high-precision. It happens that each side is designed for a specific game.

4. Helium mats have a silicone cushion. She supposedly supports the hand and relieves tension from it. For me personally, they turned out to be the most inconvenient. According to their intended purpose, they are designed for office workers, since they sit at the computer all day long. These mats are not suitable for casual users and gamers. The mouse glides very poorly on the surface of such mouse pads, and their accuracy is not the best.

Mat sizes

Rugs design

This is where I want to end the article. On my own behalf, I wish you to make the right choice and be satisfied with it.
For anyone who doesn’t have a mouse or wants to replace it with another one, I advise you to look at the article:.

Microsoft's all-in-one PCs have been replenished with a new all-in-one model called Surface Studio. Microsoft recently presented its new product at an exhibition in New York.

Note! I wrote an article a couple of weeks ago where I reviewed the Surface all-in-one. This candy bar was presented earlier. To view the article, click on.

Design

Note! The display resolution of 4500x3000 pixels corresponds to 13.5 million pixels. This is 63% more than 4K resolution.

Note! For people in creative professions, I advise you to look at the article where I reviewed all-in-one computers with similar functionality. Click on the highlighted one: .

Note! By the way, Microsoft has another amazing candy bar. To find out about it, go to.

Specifications

From the periphery, I note the following: 4 USB ports, Mini-Display Port connector, Ethernet network port, card-reader, 3.5 mm audio jack, 1080p webcam, 2 microphones, 2.1 Dolby Audio Premium audio system, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. The candy bar also supports Xbox wireless controllers.

Price

OCZ demonstrated the new VX 500 SSD drives. These drives will be equipped with a Serial ATA 3.0 interface and are made in a 2.5-inch form factor.

Note! Anyone interested in how SSD drives work and how long they last can read in an article I wrote earlier:.

The number of input/output operations per second (IOPS) with data blocks of 4 KB in size can reach 92,000 when reading, and 65,000 when writing (this is all at random).
The thickness of OCZ VX 500 drives will be 7 mm. This will allow them to be used in ultrabooks.

The prices of the new products will be as follows: 128 GB - $64, 256 GB - $93, 512 GB - $153, 1 TB - $337. I think in Russia they will cost more.

Lenovo presented its new gaming all-in-one IdeaCentre Y910 at Gamescom 2016.

Note! Previously, I wrote an article where I already reviewed gaming monoblocks from different manufacturers. This article can be viewed by clicking on this one.

The monoblock will have several configurations. The maximum configuration includes a 6th generation Intel Core i7 processor and a hard drive capacity of up to 2 TB or 256 GB. The amount of RAM is 32 GB DDR4. The graphics will be provided by an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or GeForce GTX 1080 video card with Pascal architecture. Thanks to such a video card, it will be possible to connect a virtual reality helmet to the candy bar.
From the periphery of the candy bar, I would highlight the Harmon Kardon audio system with 5-watt speakers, the Killer DoubleShot Pro Wi-Fi module, a webcam, USB ports 2.0 and 3.0, and HDMI connectors.

In its basic version, the IdeaCentre Y910 monoblock will go on sale in September 2016 at a price of 1,800 euros. But the candy bar with the “VR-ready” version will appear in October at a price of 2,200 euros. It is known that this version will have a GeForce GTX 1070 video card.

MediaTek has decided to upgrade its Helio X30 mobile processor. So now the developers from MediaTek are designing a new mobile processor called Helio X35.

I would like to briefly talk about Helio X30. This processor has 10 cores, which are combined into 3 clusters. Helio X30 has 3 variations. The first - the most powerful - consists of Cortex-A73 cores with a frequency of up to 2.8 GHz. There are also blocks with Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of up to 2.2 GHz and Cortex-A35 with a frequency of 2.0 GHz.

The new Helio X35 processor also has 10 cores and is created using 10-nanometer technology. The clock frequency in this processor will be much higher than that of its predecessor and ranges from 3.0 Hz. The new product will allow you to use up to 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. The graphics in the processor will most likely be handled by the Power VR 7XT controller.
The station itself can be seen in the photographs in the article. In them we can see storage compartments. One bay has a 3.5" jack and the other has a 2.5" jack. Thus, it will be possible to connect both a solid-state drive (SSD) and a hard drive (HDD) to the new station.

The dimensions of the Drive Dock station are 160x150x85mm, and the weight is no less than 970 grams.
Many people probably have a question about how the Drive Dock connects to a computer. I answer: this happens via a USB port 3.1 Gen 1. According to the manufacturer, the sequential read speed will be 434 MB/s, and in write mode (sequential) 406 MB/s. The new product will be compatible with Windows and Mac OS.

This device will be very useful for people who work with photo and video materials at a professional level. Drive Dock can also be used for file backups.
The price for the new device will be acceptable - it is $90.

Note! Previously, Renduchinthala worked for Qualcomm. And since November 2015, he moved to a competing company, Intel.

At its investor presentation, Intel said nothing about plans to release the Cannonlake (formerly Skymont) family of microprocessors based on the 10nm process technology. They are supposed to be released at the end of 2017, and a working sample of Cannonlake at 10 nm was recently shown at CES. It was the Cannonlake family that was previously positioned as the 8th generation of processor architecture, which will replace Skylake as part of the “tick-tock” strategy. Now another family has appeared that has nothing to do with Cannonlake. Perhaps this is an attempt to sell an old product in new packaging.

Cancel the tick-tock strategy

It appears that in 2016 Intel's clock shortened slightly at 14nm and the company announced .

In principle, there is nothing wrong with this. Again, this year's chip performance growth (more than 15%) will be even greater than last year's (15%), Intel said. Maybe it’s really better to squeeze out all the reserves from the existing technical process, optimizing it, and only then move on. We can't criticize Intel for moving away from the strategy it voluntarily set for itself.

One way or another, but now the “tick-tock” strategy has been modified into a different form.

Instead of a measured metronome, a new procedure has now been implemented with a greater emphasis on optimization. Perhaps new architecture will not be released every two years, as it was before.

Why doesn't Intel force the transition to 10 nm? It doesn't need to do this because it believes that it is already far behind its competitors in the semiconductor industry (Samsung, TSMC, etc.) in its technological superiority. The company estimates this gap to be approximately three years.

This reserve allows you to feel quite confident.

New plant for 7nm

Construction and equipment will take another three to four years and require significant investment. The Chandler, Arizona plant will reduce local unemployment by approximately 3,000 people (+ another 10,000 jobs will be added indirectly).

Construction of the Chandler plant began in 2011. It is set to become the most advanced and innovative semiconductor facility in the world. The building itself was completed in 2013, but instead of installing equipment at 14 nm in early 2014, Intel decided to delay the launch of the pipeline. At the moment, the plant is ready: air conditioning, heating and other systems - everything is functioning, all that remains is to install and adjust the equipment. Intel does not plan to use this factory for production at the 10 nm process technology, so in a few years it will likely master production at the next 7 nm standard.

According to Intel, the equipment will cost approximately $7 billion. This is the cost of a modern industrial enterprise. It is not yet known what specific equipment will be needed. Perhaps Intel will start using deep ultraviolet (EUV) photolithography there.

At the dawn of the 2000s, Intel hoped that by 2005 processor frequencies would increase to 10 GHz, and they would operate at voltages below volts. As we know, this did not happen. About ten years ago, Dennard's scaling law, which stated that by reducing the size of transistors, the voltage applied to the gate could be reduced and the switching speed increased, stopped working. Since then, rarely has a processor received a standard operating frequency above 4 GHz, but there have been more cores, the north bridge has been moved to the chip from the motherboard, and other optimizations and accelerations have appeared. Now Moore's Law, an empirical observation that indicates a constant increase in the number of transistors on a chip due to a decrease in their size, is also slowing down.

One day, a great sage in captain's uniform said that a computer would not be able to work without a processor. Since then, everyone has considered it their duty to find the very processor that will make their system fly like a fighter.

From this article you will learn:

Since we simply cannot cover all the chips known to science, we want to focus on one interesting family of the Intelovich family - Core i5. They have very interesting characteristics and good performance.

Why this series and not i3 or i7? It's simple: excellent potential without overpaying for unnecessary instructions that plague the seventh line. And there are more cores than in the Core i3. It’s quite natural for you to start arguing about support and find yourself partially right, but 4 physical cores can do much more than 2+2 virtual ones.

History of the series

Today on our agenda is a comparison of Intel Core i5 processors of different generations. Here I would like to touch upon such pressing topics as the thermal package and the presence of solder under the lid. And if we’re in the mood, we’ll also push particularly interesting stones together. So, let's go.

I would like to start with the fact that only desktop processors will be considered, and not options for a laptop. There will be a comparison of mobile chips, but another time.

The release frequency table looks like this:

2009

The first representatives of the series were released back in 2009. They were created on 2 different architectures: Nehalem (45 nm) and Westmere (32 nm). The most striking representatives of the line are the i5-750 (4×2.8 GHz) and i5-655K (3.2 GHz). The latter additionally had an unlocked multiplier and the ability to overclock, which indicated its high performance in games and more.

The differences between the architectures lie in the fact that Westmare are built according to 32 nm process standards and have 2nd generation gates. And they have less energy consumption.

2011

This year saw the release of the second generation of processors - Sandy Bridge. Their distinguishing feature was the presence of a built-in Intel HD 2000 video core.

Among the abundance of i5-2xxx models, I especially want to highlight the CPU with the 2500K index. At one time, it created a real sensation among gamers and enthusiasts, combining a high frequency of 3.2 GHz with Turbo Boost support and low cost. And yes, under the cover there was solder, not thermal paste, which additionally contributed to the high-quality acceleration of the stone without consequences.

2012

The debut of Ivy Bridge brought a 22-nanometer process technology, higher frequencies, new DDR3, DDR3L and PCI-E 3.0 controllers, as well as USB 3.0 support (but only for i7).

Integrated graphics have evolved to Intel HD 4000.

The most interesting solution on this platform was the Core i5-3570K with an unlocked multiplier and a frequency of up to 3.8 GHz in boost.

2013

The Haswell generation did not bring anything supernatural except for the new LGA 1150 socket, the AVX 2.0 instruction set and the new HD 4600 graphics. In fact, the entire emphasis was placed on energy saving, which the company managed to achieve.

But the fly in the ointment is the replacement of solder with a thermal interface, which greatly reduced the overclocking potential of the top-end i5-4670K (and its updated version 4690K from the Haswell Refresh line).

2015

Essentially this is the same Haswell, transferred to 14 nm architecture.

2016

The sixth iteration, under the name Skylake, introduced an updated LGA 1151 socket, support for DDR4 RAM, 9th generation IGP, AVX 3.2 and SATA Express instructions.

Among the processors, it is worth highlighting the i5-6600K and 6400T. The first was loved for its high frequencies and unlocked multiplier, and the second for its low cost and extremely low heat dissipation of 35 W despite Turbo Boost support.

2017

The Kaby Lake era is the most controversial because it brought absolutely nothing new to the desktop processor segment except native support for USB 3.1. Also, these stones completely refuse to run on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, not to mention older versions.

The socket remains the same - LGA 1151. And the set of interesting processors has not changed - 7600K and 7400T. The reasons for people's love are the same as for Skylake.

2018

Goffee Lake processors are fundamentally different from their predecessors. Four cores have been replaced by 6, which previously only the top versions of the i7 X series could afford. The L3 cache size was increased to 9 MB, and the thermal package in most cases does not exceed 65 W.

Of the entire collection, the i5-8600K model is considered the most interesting for its ability to overclock up to 4.3 GHz (though only 1 core). However, the public prefers the i5-8400 as the cheapest entry ticket.

Instead of results

If we were asked what we would offer to the lion's share of gamers, we would say without hesitation that the i5-8400. The advantages are obvious:

• cost below 190$
• 6 full physical cores;
• frequency up to 4 GHz in Turbo Boost
• heat package 65 W
• complete fan.

Additionally, you don’t have to select a “specific” RAM, as for the Ryzen 1600 (the main competitor, by the way), and even the cores themselves in Intel. You lose additional virtual streams, but practice shows that in games they only reduce FPS without introducing certain adjustments to the gameplay.

By the way, if you don’t know where to buy, I recommend paying attention to some very popular and serious online store— at the same time you can find your way around the prices for i5 8400, periodically I buy various gadgets here myself.

In any case, it's up to you. Until next time, don't forget to subscribe to the blog.

And another piece of news for those keeping track (solid state drives) is that this rarely happens.

In early January Intel officially introduced a new generation of processors Intel Core on architecture Kaby Lake. The update turned out to be quite strange, so today we will dispense with lengthy discussions and will only talk about what you really need to know.

Fact one: no "Tick-Tock"

For a long time, Intel followed a simple pattern for updating processors: “Tick-tock.” One year the technical process was updated, and the next year a new architecture was released. For the first few years, the rhythm was maintained almost flawlessly, but in recent years the scheme began to noticeably falter. And with Kaby Lake, the manufacturer officially admitted that it is no longer possible to live with “tick-tock” and another stage is being added to it, called “optimization”, at which already created crystals will be finished. Unfortunately, it was precisely this new phase that Kaby Lake fell into.

Why Intel decided to change itself is difficult to say. According to the company itself, the high cost of switching to new technical processes is to blame. We, however, believe that the general decline in sales in the computer market is more to blame - it is becoming increasingly difficult to recoup money with such short production cycles.

Fact two: architecture

Despite the new name and the solid word “optimization,” technically and structurally Kaby Lake exactly copies last year’s Skylake. The structure of the chips, the memory structure, the operating logic, the instruction sets - everything remains the same. Even the numerical indicators have not changed: a maximum of four cores, 8 MB of cache and 16 PCIe lanes for communicating with the video card. In general, apart from the name, there are no innovations.

Fact three: technical process

The technical process also remained unchanged. Kaby Lake is produced at the same 14nm standards. Only now a plus sign (14 nm+) is added to their name, which actually hides some updates. In Kaby Lake, the height of the fins and the distance between them slightly increased for transistors. As a result, leakage currents and heat dissipation decreased slightly, and this made it possible to increase the frequency of the crystals.

Fact four: operating frequency

The official frequency record for the Core i7-7700K is 7383 MHz. Installed, by the way, by a Russian team on an ASUS Maximus IX Apex motherboard.

Compared to processors of the previous generation, the frequency of new crystals has increased by an average of 200-300 MHz. At the same time, the TDP of the models remained the same. That is, at the same 90 W the new one Core i7-7700K takes the bar to 4.5 GHz, while the i7-6700K only rose to 4.2 GHz.

Moreover, processors also overclock better. If on average it was possible to squeeze out 4.4-4.5 GHz from Skylake, then for Kaby Lake 4.8 GHz is considered the norm, and with a successful combination of circumstances, 5 GHz. And yes, we are now talking about working under conventional air coolers.

Let us immediately note that, as before, all Intel Core and Pentium crystals can be overclocked on the bus, and models with the “K” index are also overclocked on the multiplier. By the way, unlocked crystals are now available not only in the Core i5 and Core i7 series, but also in Core i3. And the family Pentium, the cheapest Kaby Lake, now supports Hyper-Threading.

Fact five: embedded kernel

Integrated graphics also remain in Kaby Lake. But if earlier it was Intel HD Graphics 530, now it is HD Graphics 630 . Evolution? Not at all, there are still the same 24 blocks with a frequency of 1150 MHz on board. The new number in the title was added thanks to the updated media engine. Quick Sync. It can now decode H.265 and VP.9 video on the fly. In other words, if you are a keen connoisseur of 4K movies or intend to stream in this resolution, know that with Kaby Lake the processor will no longer be 100% loaded.

As for the performance of the graphics itself, it’s hard to complain about it. It copes with Windows rendering without any problems, and as a bonus, it can also handle not particularly demanding games. Maybe a village in Rim World build, and a prison in Prison Architect fuck off, and even in DOTA 2 drive. The latter in Full HD and at medium settings produces a quite decent 62 fps.

Fact six: chipsets

Along with Kaby Lake, Intel also introduced new 200 series chipsets. True, there are as few changes in them as in processors. The older models, Z270, received additional four PCIe lanes, to which motherboard manufacturers can attach extra USB or M.2 ports. Frankly speaking, the list is not particularly intriguing, but the scarcity is compensated to some extent by board manufacturers.

So, for example, DIMM.2 technology has appeared in top-end ASUS Apex motherboards, which allows you to install two M.2 drives in the RAM slot. And our test Maximus IX Formula could easily be connected to a custom “water heater” to remove heat from the power circuits.

However, if none of these new products appeal to you, we have a pleasant fact in store. They did not change the socket for Kaby Lake, leaving the already familiar LGA 1151. That is, the new processors work great on old Z170 Express motherboards, but Skylake works well on the Z270.

Fact Seven: Productivity

And finally, about the most important thing: performance. The senior representative of the line, the Core i7-7700K, which replaced the Core i7-6600K, visited us for testing. As we have already said, technically the crystals differ only in frequency: under Turbo Boost, the new product produces 300 MHz more, and in the standard it keeps the speed 200 MHz higher. Actually, this difference in frequency accounts for the performance increase. In all tasks, the i7-7700K is about 5-6% faster than its predecessor. And when comparing at the same frequency, the difference fits into the measurement error.

As for the processor temperature, nothing has changed here. At the limit, the processor easily reaches 80°C. But our processor was scalped and even at a frequency of 4.8 GHz it did not heat up above 70°C.

* * *

The seventh generation Intel Core i7 can hardly be called “new”. Essentially, we have the same Skylake, but at slightly higher frequencies. Whether this is good or bad, decide for yourself, this is our opinion. If you are on a relatively recent Intel architecture (Skylake or Haswell), there is no point in upgrading to Kaby Lake. But if you are building a computer from scratch, then until the release of AMD Ryzen, the seventh Core is the only correct option.

We thank ASUS for the equipment provided.