Intel X299 Platform, Skylake-X And Kaby Lake-X Launches Reportedly Set For Computex Debut
With so much attention in the CPU space focused on AMD's Ryzen lineup, it would make sense for Intel to push forward the release of its Skylake-X series, and apparently that is exactly what it is doing. Whether or not Ryzen is actually the motivating factor is not known, but not only is Skylake-X coming to town sooner than expected, Intel is also planning to launch Kaby Lake-X processors at the same time.
A Chinese-language report at Benchlife claims that both processor families will be introduced at Computex, which runs from May 30-June 3, 2017. Previously the plan was to announce one (or both) at Gamescom, which runs from August 22-26, 2017. They will be part of Intel's new X299 platform, otherwise known as Basin Falls.
Source: Benchlife - Click to Enlarge
It is interesting that Intel would release Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X at the same time, though that was always rumored to be the case. According the supposed leaked information, Skylake-X will be more of an enthusiast offering, with Kaby Lake-X will be comparatively gimped. To that end, Intel's Skylake-X lineup will include 10-core, 8-core, and 6-core processors, each with a 140W TDP, while 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.
Enthusiasts who plan to upgrade to a Skylake-X or Kaby Lake-X processor will have to buy a new motherboard, as Intel will be introducing a new socket, LGA 2066. This will also be referred to as Socket R4 as part Intel's Basin Falls platform. Skylake-X will feature up to 44 PCI-Express 3.0 lanes from the CPU (and a total of 68 lanes) and quad-channel DDR4-2667 memory support, along with a 140W TDP. That is up from up to 16 PCI-Express 3.0 lanes (and a total of 40 lanes) and dual-channel DDR4-2667 memory support for Kaby Lake-X, which will have a lower a 112W TDP.
As if all there were not enough to draw attention back to Intel, the Santa Clara chipmaker will also be introducing its Coffee Lake platform later this year, presumably in the fourth quarter of previous roadmaps hold true, followed by its 10nm Cannonlake launch.
