In what may be a sign that Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is set to move on from the Broadwell platform and focus on Skylake, it is being reported that the chip vendor will launch just two Broadwell SKUs for desktop, with the parts set to be announced at this year’s Computex.
The processors will be the Core i7-5775C and Core i5-5675C, and the 65W TDP offerings will be fully compatible with current Z97 motherboards following a BIOS update. The “C’ in the nomenclature is to denote the fact that the processors are unlocked, with Intel said to be moving away from the “K” naming convention.
The Core i7-5775C will feature a base clock of 3.3GHz along with a turbo clock of 3.7GHz. With four cores, eight threads and 6MB cache along with Iris Pro Graphics 6200, the i7-5775C will be the higher-end offering in this series.
The Core i5-5675C, on the other hand, will feature a slightly lower clock speed of 3.1GHz, with a turbo frequency of 3.6GHz. The CPU has 4MB cache and will also feature Iris Pro Graphics 6200. The LGA1150 Broadwell offerings are essentially a 14nm shrink of the Haswell die, and unlike previous years, Intel will not be offering a full gamut of CPUs across pricing tiers.
Instead, the vendor will focus its efforts on the Skylake architecture, the tock in Intel’s tick-tock release cadence cycle. Skylake will also be fabricated on a 14nm process, but will usher in significant CPU and GPU improvements along with lesser power consumption. To expedite the launch of Skylake, Intel is rumored to move up its annual Intel Developers Forum to mid-August, where it is officially set to unveil the new CPUs.
Skylake for the desktop will be offered as fully unlocked versions with TDPs of 65W and 95W, with a 35W SKU also planned for low-power devices. The chip vendor is set to begin producing the hardware in June or July, with retail availability set to commence from October.
