Intel Core i7-5775C (Broadwell) with Iris Pro Graphics
As we mentioned in our previous stories, Intel plans to debut the high-end, 14nm Broadwell-E processors for desktops, workstations and servers, replacing the 22nm Haswell-E. When it comes to the desktop side of things, the company traditionally offered two different core and several clock configurations – but that is about to change.
There will be at least four processors belonging to the Core i7 6800 series, all of which will feature different cores and clocks. All cores are to come unlocked, meaning you should be able to overclock these systems quite nicely.
- i7 6800K – six-core, 12 logic cores, 15MB L3 Cache, 3.4 GHz Base / 3.6 GHz Turbo
- i7 6850K – six-core, 12 logic cores, 15MB L3 Cache, 3.6 GHz Base / 3.8 GHz Turbo
- i7 6900K – eight-core, 16 logic cores, 20MB L3 Cache, 3.2 GHz Base / 3.7 GHz Turbo
- i7 6950K – ten-core, 20 logic cores, 20MB L3 Cache, 3.0 GHz Base / 3.5 GHz Turbo
All four models feature the same 140W TDP (Thermal Design Power), but how much can you input wattage in, the higher clocks you should be able to achieve. Given that the models are using standard LGA-2011 v3 motherboards, we all know about designs which allow even up to 300W power feed into the processor. Realistically, 180-190W input should result in stable 4.0 GHz clock.
Intel Broadwell-E from a roadmap we received during IDF 2015. What is new is that the 8 & 6 core options are getting a 10-core ‘daddy’.
As you might predict, the Core i7 6900K processor could end up being the fastest, especially in non-multithreaded applications. Naturally, if you can clock the 6950K to 6900K, forget we said anything. 🙂
Be that as it may, we look forward to see how short-lived Broadwell architecture will do in the world of high-end desktops. Arrival of AMD Zen processors in the form of FX, enthusiast-class processors in fourth quarter of 2016 should give Intel a run for its money for the first time since AMD canceled the 4x4x platform, causing a lot of anger from the likes of ASUS, which invested heavily in the platform design.
AMD is planning to launch 16 and 32-core high-end processors, thus we might even see Skylake-E processors at the tail end of 2016. From the looks of it now, Intel has a stronghold in the form of Core i7-58xx/59xx processors, and Broadwell-E based i7-68xx/69xx processors should continue its dominance until (and after?) Zen arrives.
