Intel Skylake-X, Kaby Lake-X and X299 Announcement Coming May 30th At Computex
Intel loyalists looking to build a new system are stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment. The options are to build a high-end rig around Intel's aging X99 platform, or forego the benefits of X99 and piece together a Kaby Lake system that does not have as much oomph. Those who can afford to wait have a third option—hang tight for Computex, which is when Intel will announce its X299 platform (Basin Falls) for Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X.
Hopping onto X299 will give users the best of both worlds, as it's an enthusiast chipset supporting Intel's latest microarchitectures. In this case, that is Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X. Based on previously leaked information, Skylake-X will be more of an enthusiast offering, while Kaby Lake-X will be comparatively lower-end. To that end, Intel's Skylake-X lineup will include 10-core, 8-core, and 6-core processors, each with a 140W TDP, and Kaby Lake-X will consist of solely 4-core SKUs, each with a 112W TDP. All of the new chips will feature Hyper Threading support and be marketed as Core i7-7000 series processors.
Rumor has it Intel will unveil Basin Falls on May 30th at Computex. That seems at least plausible, considering Intel recently shuttered its Intel Developers Forum (IDF) program, the next of which was to take place this fall in San Francisco. Intel had often used its IDF gatherings to announce and promote new products. But with no more IDF events on tap, it will have to lean on other conventions and press events as launchpads for future tech.
It is said that Intel's board partners will have new X299 motherboards to show off at Computex as well. Following the announcement, it will be about a month before consumers will be able to get their hands on X299 products, with Intel's NDA on Basin Falls reportedly set for June 16th and general availability scheduled for June 26th.
The timing also falls in line with rumors suggesting Intel would accelerate its CPU launch schedule in response to AMD's Ryzen release. While the high-end market has been the exclusive domain of Intel for several years, Ryzen puts AMD back in the game with potent multi-core options. There are some growing pains associated with Ryzen, but overall it's been a hit for AMD, and a call to arms for Intel.
Hopping onto X299 will give users the best of both worlds, as it's an enthusiast chipset supporting Intel's latest microarchitectures. In this case, that is Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X. Based on previously leaked information, Skylake-X will be more of an enthusiast offering, while Kaby Lake-X will be comparatively lower-end. To that end, Intel's Skylake-X lineup will include 10-core, 8-core, and 6-core processors, each with a 140W TDP, and Kaby Lake-X will consist of solely 4-core SKUs, each with a 112W TDP. All of the new chips will feature Hyper Threading support and be marketed as Core i7-7000 series processors.
Rumor has it Intel will unveil Basin Falls on May 30th at Computex. That seems at least plausible, considering Intel recently shuttered its Intel Developers Forum (IDF) program, the next of which was to take place this fall in San Francisco. Intel had often used its IDF gatherings to announce and promote new products. But with no more IDF events on tap, it will have to lean on other conventions and press events as launchpads for future tech.
It is said that Intel's board partners will have new X299 motherboards to show off at Computex as well. Following the announcement, it will be about a month before consumers will be able to get their hands on X299 products, with Intel's NDA on Basin Falls reportedly set for June 16th and general availability scheduled for June 26th.
The timing also falls in line with rumors suggesting Intel would accelerate its CPU launch schedule in response to AMD's Ryzen release. While the high-end market has been the exclusive domain of Intel for several years, Ryzen puts AMD back in the game with potent multi-core options. There are some growing pains associated with Ryzen, but overall it's been a hit for AMD, and a call to arms for Intel.
