Intel’s X-Series pushed forward; Apple car; Android is top dog.
Intel shifts release schedule to counter Ryzen
THE BUZZ around AMD’s Ryzen has been frantic, and the x86 HEDT (High-End Desktop) world has become refreshingly competitive. Intel’s initial response was some fairly enthusiastic price cuts, but now the company has something more solid, because it has pushed forward the launch of its “Basin Falls” X-series platform to this year’s Computex show, all ready for sale in June, two months early.
The Basin Falls platform consists of the X299 motherboard chipset, new R4 LGA2066 socket, and X-Series processors. At launch, we will see four new chips: one Kaby Lake-X and three Skylake-X. The newer Kaby Lake chip has a better optimized architecture, but the Skylake has the grunt. Other goodies include up to 10 USB 3.0 ports, plus eight SATA Gen3 ones.
The six- core Skylake-X will support 28 PCIe lanes, while the eight- and ten-core versions will get 44 lanes. All get support for four-channel memory. The first Kaby Lake-X has a more modest four cores, 16 PCIe lanes, and dual-channel memory. Both families are 14nm pieces, and will be branded as i7-7000 series. It’s that 10-core Sky Lake-X that will draw the most attention, as Intel fights for the bragging right as top dog. A 12-core Skylake-X isn’t far behind, either—August looks likely.
We were expecting something pretty solid from Intel; it’s not a company that takes its position lightly, and the renewed competition from AMD looks to have focused a few minds. The whole of Intel’s release schedule has been given a good shake-up. Coffee Lake is also expected to make an early appearance this summer, rather than early next year. This is still a 14nm chip based around the Kaby Lake core, but is about 15 percent more efficient and, more importantly, will have up to six cores. We’ll get a new 300-series platform, too. The X-series may grab headlines for a while, extreme editions always do, but Coffee Lake is as significant a launch. The jump after that is to the 10nm Cannon Lake, a shrink and optimization of Kaby Lake, which is due next year. Intel has just invested $100 million in five new EUV machines, used in extreme ultraviolet lithography, to boost development.
We were expecting the X-Series to arrive in August and be shown off at the Intel Developer’s Forum. Unfortunately, the IDF has been canned, which is a pity, because it was always a great event for talking directly to engineers, and has become somethingsometh g of an institution—it’s been held every year since 1997. Intel says it has extensive online documentation to answer any technical questions, but that’s not the same as buttonholing an engineer over coffee. At least the company won’t have to suffer any more embarrassing demonstration failures in front of an invited audience.
Meanwhile, AMD has plenty more to bring us. It has a 16-core version of its Ryzen and the accompanying X399 platform in the pipeline for this fall, aimed squarely at the highest of the high end. Good news all around—there’s nothing like some real competition to move things along.
Intel doesn’t take its position lightly, and the competition has focused a few minds.