Intel has launched on Tuesday, August 30, its 7th Core generation processor Kaby Lake that promises some amazing video optimizations and a bump in performance.
Kaby Lake, A 7th Core Generation Processor
Intel's 7th generation Kaby Lake is aimed at laptops and 2-in-1s, according to The Verge. These chips will come in a larger 15-watt package, as well as a far more compact package typically used in convertibles and 2-in-1 tablets.
According to Intel, the Kaby Lake processor will bring performance improvements and efficiency. But, according to PC World, this microprocessor was never meant to be. Intel was supposed to move on from Broadwell, then Skylake, to the 10-nm Cannon Lake microprocessor.
Instead to move to the next on the company's roadmap, Intel has been forced to develop the Kaby Lake processor officially launched Tuesday, due to struggles with 10-nm development. The "7th Gen" designation has become now part of the company's official branding.
Kaby Lake's Performance Boost
The benefits brought by Kaby Lake are somewhat milder than in past Intel processor generations. The increase in integer performance is a mere 12- to 19-percent, mainly helped by a more responsive "turbo boost" capability. However, an advanced, dedicated video engine promises a significant 2.6 times increase in overall battery life when using specific codecs for playing back 4K video.
At its recent Intel Developer Forum, Intel has announced that the shipments of Kaby Lake have already begun. The first ultrathin laptops and 2-in-1 PCs powered by the Intel Kaby Lake processors will appear this fall, according to a recent briefing of company executives.
Intel has made public for now a small selection of Kaby Lake chips. These include the more powerful 15-watt U-series chip and the 4.5-watt Y-series chip for the lowest-power devices. All Kaby Lake CPUs offer four threads and include two processor cores.
According to Intel executives, the 7th-gen Kaby Lake CPU is built on "14-nm+" architecture and includes the same instructions-per-clock pipeline as the Skylake generation. But the improvements in the manufacturing process such as a wider gate pitch and taller "fins" in Intel's FinFET process allow clock speeds at about 400MHz overall and a boost in performance of 12 percent at the transistor level.
