At the IFA 2015, Intel has launched its latest range of processors codenamed “Skylake”, which is targeted for pretty much everything, whether it be smartphones, computers the size of a USB stick or high end gaming rigs. This “sixth generation” core family boasts a number of superlatives: they’re fast and efficient, have improved performance, boost battery life and graphics power thanks to a new microarchitecture. It’s even been optimised to handle 4k videos better.
What I find interesting about Skylake is that it was designed together with Windows 10 according to Intel’s Kirk Skaugen. This may prompt many users to upgrade their computers so as to feature both the new processor and the operating system but according to Microsoft themselves, Windows 10 shouldn’t be more taxing on processors than its predecessors Windows 7 and Windows 8. “The biggest thing that’s going to be attractive will be the fact that power-requirements have gone down quite substantially,” tech industry analyst Jack Gold stated to be the biggest pull for Skylake.
Versus the fifth generation core, Intel’s Skylake has a 60% active-power reduction and at the same time a 60% performance increase. These astonishing numbers are partly due to a technology called Speed Shift. Speed Shift allows processors to “shift gears” faster than before in order to reduce the amount of time they are kept running at their most power-hungry frequencies when not required.
Over the coming months, Intel says it plans to release about 50 different variants of Skylake processors. However, it has indicated that manufacturers should promote their new computers by talking about add-on facilities rather than relying on the chips’ new specs.
Suggestions include:
- Including an Intel RealSense depth camera, which can be used to let users log into a Windows 10 computer by looking at the sensor, and is harder to fool than traditional 2D webcams
- Support for the firm’s Ready Mode technology, which allows users to wake a computer with their voice
- The addition of a WiGig chip to allow laptops and tablets to be connected to external displays and other peripherals without the need for plug-in cables
Intel says the first of the new PCs should be on sale late this year.
