At the end of the summer of this year, new U-series processors based on the Kaby Lake Refresh architecture were released on the market. New items are designed for laptops and other mobile devices and are built on the 14 nm+ process technology, having two cores each. The American manufacturer did not say anything about the timing of the appearance of desktop models of the new series, indicating that the new items would be available soon. Today, September 25, after almost a month, Intel held a presentation of the eighth generation Core desktop processors for PCs and at the same time announced their release date. The line is already known to us as Coffee Lake.

Traditionally, the new line is represented by three main models: manufacturers are offered Core i3, Core i5 and the flagship Core i7. All presented processors have switched to an updated 14 nm++ process technology and an increased number of cores compared to Kaby Lake Refresh: Core i3 is now quad-core (for the first time in history), and Core i5 and Core i7 are six-core. In addition to the classic series, Intel will also sell unlocked versions of the chips with the "K" suffix. These processors support up to 40 PCIe 3.0 lanes per socket, 4K HDR, and Thunderbolt 3.0. As motherboard The new Intel Z370 chip is used (dynamic memory DDR4-2666, built-in USB 3.1 with data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbit/s).

Technical characteristics of new processors Intel Core eighth generation for PC:

• Core i7-8700K: 6 cores / 12 threads, clock speed from 3.8 GHz (base) to 4.7 GHz (Turbo Boost), 12 MB L3 cache, 95 W TDP.
• Core i7-8700: 6 cores / 12 threads, clock speed from 3.2 GHz (base) to 4.6 GHz (Turbo Boost), 12 MB L3 cache, 65 W TDP.
• Core i5-8600K: 6 cores / 6 threads, clock speed from 3.6 GHz (base) to 4.3 GHz (Turbo Boost), 9 MB L3 cache, 95 W TDP.
• Core i5-8400: 6 cores / 6 threads, clock speed from 2.8 GHz (base) to 4.0 GHz (Turbo Boost), 9 MB L3 cache, 65 W TDP.
• Core i3-8350K: 4 cores/4 threads, 4.0 GHz base clock, 6 MB L3 cache, 91 W TDP.
• Core i3-8100: 4 cores/4 threads, 3.6 GHz base clock, 6 MB L3 cache, 65 W TDP.

It's not easy to surprise the many denizens of technology forums all over the Internet. When Intel company Not long ago released 6-core 8th generation Core processors, many were not impressed. In their opinion, Intel offers slightly redesigned old products with a new cover.

Perhaps the new processors have become derivatives of the previous ones, but this does not detract from their advantages. There are enough differences that many reviewers are calling them worthy of an upgrade from previous-generation chips. This hasn't happened often in recent years. In support of this point of view, test results will be given below.

What are 8th generation Intel Core?

As usual, understanding Intel products is not at all easy. First came the 8th generation Core i7 Coffee Lake S for desktops. Then came the 8th generation Core i7 Kaby Lake R for ultraportable laptops. Why they weren't called Coffee Lake U is unknown.

Now we are talking about the 8th generation Core i7 Coffee Lake H for larger and gaming laptops. They can be considered an improved version of the 6th generation Skylake processors, which appeared in laptops back in 2015.

Since then, engineers have made many improvements. For example, Kaby Lake's video processing engine has been significantly improved. Clock speeds have also increased compared to Skylake. The 14 nm process technology was finally brought to fruition, earning the title 14++.

MSI GS65 Stealth Thin RE

How the testing was performed

In desktop computers, you can control cooling, power consumption, memory and disk space. Laptops do not have this freedom, which significantly affects productivity. Some laptops may be aimed at maximum speed, others at maximum silence. The cooling system plays a role, and the size of the case depends on it.

In this case it is compared MSI laptop GS65 Stealth Thin with 6-core processor with 17-inch Lenovo Legion Y920. The latter runs on a 4-core Core i7-7820HK, which is an unlocked chip with overclocking capabilities.

The past generation represents Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501. This is a 17-inch laptop, very thin and powered by a 4-core Core i7-7700HQ processor.

6-core Core i7-8750H in MSI GS65 Stealth Thin

Performance

All three laptops use different GPUs. Lenovo Legion Y920 has this GeForce GTX 1070, Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 has a GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, MSI GS65 Stealth Thin uses a GeForce GTX 1060.

Because of this inequality graphics performance little attention is paid. In this case, the emphasis is on central processors.

This benchmark is built on the Maxon Cinema4D engine and prefers more cores. As a result, the transition from 4 to 6 cores provides a fairly large performance increase. Similar results can be expected in all applications using 6 cores or 12 instruction threads of the Core i7-8750H.

Overclocked Core i7-7820HK lags behind Core i7-8750H

True, not all applications support multithreading. Of these, few are effective enough to show the results shown in the graph above. Without 3D graphics, video editing and other demanding tasks, it's better to look at the single-threaded performance of laptop processors.

That's exactly what was done, reviewers tested Cinebench R15 using a single command stream. The results have leveled off, but the new processor is still in the lead. Even against the overclocked Core i7-7820HK it has a 7% advantage. Compared to the Core i7-7700HQ in the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501, the difference is 13%.

Leadership through higher frequency

Benchmark based on the Corona Photorealistic renderer for Autodesk 3ds Max. Like Cinebench and most rendering applications, it loves a lot of cores. As a result, 6 cores are again better than 4.

The latest rendering benchmark measures the processing time per frame. Here the difference is not so significant. Perhaps it's the length of the tests. Cinebench and Corona last a couple of minutes, Blender about 10 minutes.

When the processor in a laptop heats up, the clock speed begins to decrease. The Core i7-8750H has an advantage in the number of cores and clock speed. With continued use, this benefit begins to diminish. For the same reason, the nominal frequencies on the Core i7-7820HK are not impressive, while when overclocked the processor is much closer to the Core i7-8750H.

Encoding speed

Used MKV file 30 GB 1080p, HandBrake 9.9 and Android Tablet profile. Here the process took about 45 minutes on a 4-core laptop, because of this the difference in frequency is minimized. Under long-term workloads, you can see the value of the extra cores: the new processor completed encoding in about 33 minutes versus 46 minutes on the Core i7-7700HQ.

Compression speed

The internal WinRAR benchmark is used. The first results are single-threaded, so the higher frequency of the Core i7-8750H gave it an advantage. True, the advantage is small.

Single thread performance

The Core i7-7700HQ in the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 performed poorly, despite several attempts. Since its performance in the remaining tests was at the expected level, memory may be to blame. Asus uses 16GB in one slot and 8GB in the other, so dual-channel mode may not always be enabled. In WinRAR, memory bandwidth plays an important role.

Multi-threaded performance

Multithreaded mode showed the expected results. The advantage of the new processor immediately became overwhelming, and the Core i7-7700HQ showed normal results.

Performance Analysis

So, Core i7-8750H has more cores and higher clock frequency. Repeated testing of Cinebench R15 was performed with the number of threads from 1 to 12 on the Core i7-8750H and from 1 to 8 on the Core i7-7700HQ.

The results are not very consistent with the actual performance differences. The graph below shows this difference more clearly. As you can see, the more threads, the higher the difference, which ultimately reaches 50%.

Coffee Lake H has the same architecture as Kaby Lake H, so the only difference is the increased clock speeds. For more detailed analysis Cinebench R15 was launched again and the number of threads was increased. Clock speed has been analyzed for some time.

The Core i7-8750H runs at higher frequencies under light loads compared to the Core i7-7700HQ. The further to the right, the more the processors heat up, the difference is minimized.

Conclusion

In recent years, there has been no reason to change processors and laptops. For example, if you had a 5th generation Core i7, there was no point in upgrading to the 6th generation. The performance difference was only 6%-7%. This is no longer the case.

When upgrading from a 7th-gen Core i7 laptop to an 8th-gen Core i7, you'll see a more substantial jump in performance for video editing, graphics processing, and other heavy-duty tasks. This is visible even under low load, but is especially noticeable under high load.

Of course, for many users, what they have is enough. You don't need much for Word and the browser, so you need to understand whether you need increased performance or not.

Intel Core i5 processors are mid-range CPUs that are very popular. They are very balanced, offering a fairly high level of performance for reasonable money, differing from the basic i7 only in the absence of HyperThreading technology.

Processors of the Core i5 series first appeared in 2009, after the company abandoned the Core 2 Duo brand, becoming the heirs of this line. Since then, the manufacturer has regularly updated the lineup, releasing a new generation approximately once a year. Now progress has slowed down a little due to the increasing complexity of mastering new technological processes, but the 9th is already on the way Core generation i5.

The announcement of the new line of chips is scheduled, according to preliminary data, for October 1. In the meantime, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the history of Core i5, generations of chips, their capabilities and features.

First generation (2009, Nehalem architecture)

First generation Intel Core i5 processors based on the Nehalem architecture were released at the end of 2009. In fact, they became a transitional link from the Core 2 series to the new generation of chips and were produced using the old 45 nm process technology, but already had 4 cores on one chip (C2Q had 2 chips with 2 cores each). There are three models released in the series under the numbers i5-750S (low power), 750 and 760.

The first generation chips did not have built-in graphics, were installed in boards with socket 1156 and worked with DDR3 memory. An important innovation was the transfer of part of the chipset (memory controller, PCI-E bus, etc.) to the processor itself, whereas in its predecessors it was located in the north bridge. Also, the first Intel Core i5 for the first time received support for automatic overclocking Turbo Boost, which allows you to increase the frequency when the load on the cores is uneven.

First generation (2010, Westmere)

The Nehalem architecture was transitional, but already in 2010 the Core i5 Westmere processors, created using the 32 nm process technology, saw the light of day. However, they belonged to a lower segment, had 2 cores with HT support (HyperThreading - a technology for processing 2 threads of calculations on 1 core, allowing the processor to work in 4 threads) and had numbering like i5-6xx. The series included chips with numbers 650, 655K (overclockable), 660, 661, 670 and 680.

A special feature of the Intel Core i5 of this series is the appearance of a built-in GPU. It was not part of the CPU die, but was executed separately, using a 45 nm process technology. This was another step in transferring the functions of the motherboard chipset to the processor. Like the 700 series models, the chips had an s1156 socket and worked with DDR3 memory.

Second generation (2011, Sandy Bridge)

Architecture Sandy Bridge– one of the most important pages in the history of Intel. The chips on it were produced on the old 32 nm process technology, but received large internal optimizations. This allowed them to significantly surpass their predecessors in terms of specific performance: at the same frequency, the new chip was much faster than the old ones.

The processors of this series are called the Intel type Core i5-2xxx. One model, number 2390T, had two cores with HT support, the rest (from 2300 to 2550K) had 4 cores without HT. The older i5-2500K and 2550K chips had an unlocked multiplier and supported overclocking. They still work for many people to this day, overclocked to 4.5-5 GHz, and are in no hurry to retire.

For second generation Intel Core i5 processors, a new socket 1155 was created, which is incompatible with the old one. Also new was the transfer of the GPU to the same chip with the CPU. The memory controller still worked with DDR3 sticks.

Third generation (2012, Ivy Bridge)

Ivy Bridge is the second version of the previous architecture. The processors of this series differed from their predecessors in the new 22 nm process technology. However, their internal structure remained the same, so a small increase in performance (the notorious “+5%”) was achieved only by raising the frequencies. Model numbers – from 3330 to 3570K.

The third generation processors were installed in the same boards with socket 1155, worked with DDR3 memory and were not fundamentally different from their predecessors. But for overclockers, the changes have become significant. The thermal interface between the crystal and the CPU cover was replaced from “liquid metal” (a eutectic alloy of fusible metals) to thermal paste, which reduced the overclocking potential of models with an unlocked multiplier. The I5-3470T had 2 cores with HT support, the rest had 4 cores without HT.

Fourth generation (2013, Haswell)

Adhering to the tick-tock principle, Intel Core i5 processors fourth generation were released on the same 22 nm process technology, but received architectural improvements. It was not possible to achieve a large performance increase (again the same 5%), but the CPUs became slightly more energy efficient. 4th generation Intel Core i5 processors were named in the format i5-4xxx, with numbers from 4430 to 4690. The i5-4570T and TE models were dual-core, the rest were quad-core.

Despite the minimum changes, the chips were transferred to the new 1150 socket, which was incompatible with the old one. They worked with DDR3 memory. As before, the series came out with models with an unlocked multiplier (index K), but due to the thermal paste under the cover, they had to be “scalped” for maximum overclocking.

The two R models (4570R and 4670R) featured enhanced Iris Pro graphics for gaming and 128MB of eDRAM. However, they were not available at retail, as they had an all-in-one BGA 1364 socket, and were only sold as part of compact PCs.

Fifth generation (2015, Broadwell)

As part of the fifth generation Intel Core i5, mass-produced Intel desktop processors were not released. The line was actually a transitional stage, and the chips were the same Haswell, but transferred to a new 14 nm process technology. There were only 3 quad-core models in the series: i5-5575R, 5675C and 5675R.

All desktop i5-5xxx had an improved Iris Pro graphics processor, 128 MB of eDRAM memory. Models with the R index were also soldered onto a board and sold only as part of finished computers. The i5-5675C, in contrast, was installed in a regular 1150 socket and was compatible with older boards.

Sixth Generation (2015, Skylake)

The sixth generation has become a full update to the Intel Core i5 processor line. Chips with Skylake architecture were produced using a 14 nm process technology and had 4 cores. Processor model numbers – from i5-6400 to 6600K,all CPUs are quad-core.

The new architecture did not provide a big performance increase, but the chips had a number of changes. Firstly, they were installed in the new socket 1151, and secondly, they received a combined DDR3/DDR4 memory controller.

In the sixth generation, chips with Iris Pro graphics were also released - i5-6585R and 6685R. They still allow you to run modern games (albeit on low settings graphs) and remain relevant. Due to the BGA connector, CPUs with the R index were not sold separately, only as part of finished PCs.

Seventh generation (2017, Kaby Lake)

The seventh generation Intel Core i5 is almost no different from the sixth. The manufacturing process remained the same, 14 nm, the architecture received only cosmetic improvements, and a small increase in performance was achieved only by increasing frequencies. Chips in this series are indexed i5-7xxx, model numbers are from 7400 to 7600K.

The processor socket remained the same (1151), the memory controller also did not change, so the chips remained compatible with sixth-generation motherboards. The exception is the i5-7640K model, designed for socket 2066 (Hi-End boards).

Eighth generation (2017, Coffee Lake)

After numerous “+5% again” (the magnitude of the increase is eloquently evidenced by the fact that the overclocked Core i5-2500K of 2011 is almost as good as any i5-7500 of 2011) in the eighth generation of Intel, progress has moved forward. This was facilitated by competition from AMD.

Intel Core i5 processors based on Coffee Lake architecture are manufactured using the already familiar 14 nm process technology, are minimally architecturally different from Skylake and Kaby Lake, and have approximately the same performance per core. However, increasing the number of cores from 4 to 6 increased their performance up to 1.5 times compared to their predecessors. The series released chips with format names i5-8xxx, and numbers from 8400 to 8600K.

Even though the chip socket remains the same (1151), this a new version connector, and are not compatible with motherboards of previous generations Intel Core i5 8xxx series. This fact does not allow you to upgrade a computer on a conventional i3-6100 or i5-6400 by replacing the CPU with a new six-core one.

At the time of writing, the most modern are the eighth generation Intel Core i5, although the sixth and seventh are also relevant. However, the ninth generation is approaching, codenamed Cannon Lake architecture. By the beginning of 2019, at least 3 models will go on sale: i5-9400 , 9500 and9600K .

You shouldn't expect anything revolutionary from them. As with Skylake and Kaby Lake, the new generation is just a cosmetic improvement of the previous one (Coffee Lake), which, in turn, was also not new. Thus, all Intel Core i5 from the 6th to the 9th generation differ from each other only in the number of cores, frequencies and socket.

Intel today introduced its eighth generation Core processors. Only this announcement did not turn out at all what we expected. Firstly, they presented only four CPUs of the Core i5 and Core i7 families. Secondly, they are not called Coffee Lake at all, but Kaby Lake Refresh.

So, first, about the processors themselves.

Model	Number of cores/threads	Frequency, GHz	L3 cache size, MB	GPU	GPU frequency, MHz	TDP, W	Price, dollars
Core i5-8250U	4/8	1,6-3,4	6	UHD Graphics 620	300/1100	15	297
Core i5-8350U	4/8	1,7-3,6	6	UHD Graphics 620	300/1100	15	297
Core i7-8550U	4/8	1,8-4,0	8	UHD Graphics 620	300/1150	15	409
Core i7-8650U	4/8	1,9-4,2	8	UHD Graphics 620	300/1150	15	409

So, as we see, mobile CPUs of the U family have now become quad-core, which is one of the most impressive changes in Intel processors in recent years. In addition, this was achieved while maintaining the TDP at 15 W. However, of course, this did not come in vain. As you can see, the frequencies are significantly lower than those of its predecessors. Moreover, all new products received a junior GPU UHD Graphics 620, while some Kaby Lake CPUs use the Iris Plus Graphics 640 core. That is, in some tasks the new processors may even be inferior to the old ones, but in general there should be a very significant advantage, especially in resource-intensive ones applications. Also, the actual energy consumption of new products will most likely still be higher.

Now let's move on to an equally interesting part of Intel's presentation. We are for it Lately We have repeatedly asked questions regarding the logic of releasing new generations of the company’s CPUs. We finally have answers. The thing is that from now on one numbered generation of Intel processors can include several generations of CPUs that are different from an architectural point of view. More precisely, the eighth generation Core will ultimately consist not only of Kaby Lake Refresh models, but also Coffee Lake and even Cannonlake processors.

Probably, Intel decided to do this in order to at least somewhat streamline the too large number of new solutions that will be released in a short period of time. Intel promises desktop models the eighth generation already in the fall, without specifying the timing. Apparently, these processors will be called Coffee Lake-S, although they could also be called Kaby Lake Refresh. Further, within the framework of the eighth generation, there will even be a change in the technical process, since Cannonlake solutions will be 10-nanometer. In the end, everything comes together, since the ninth generation, as we already know, will be called Ice Lake. True, this probably means that with the transition to these processors, Intel will again return to the principle of one architectural generation per number.

08/21/2017, Mon, 09:36, Moscow time , Text: Vladimir Bakhur

Intel announced the addition of eighth-generation Core chips to its line of U-series mobile processors. A new generation of Coffee Lake processors for desktop PCs will also appear this year, but later.

The first four processors of the new eighth generation

Intel introduced four new Core i5 and Core i7 mobile processors in the U line. All new chips have four computing cores with support for Hyper-Threading technology, which in total allows for up to eight computing threads per chip.

Previous generations of mobile Core processors were released with two physical cores and supported four threads with Hyper-Threading technology.

The official working name of the new mobile processors is Kaby Lake Refresh, that is, they are based on the improved seventh generation Kaby Lake architecture.

All 8th generation Core processors (Kaby Lake Refresh) presented today, like their predecessors, are manufactured in compliance with 14 nm standards technological process, but “with improved characteristics,” which led to the announcement of the new 8th generation. According to Intel, the transition to 10 nm process standards will take place later in the fall, but within the same eighth generation.

The “real” next-generation architecture, working title Coffee Lake, will be presented even later and will join the list of 8th generation Core chips. However, these chips will also be produced according to 14 nm standards.

New 8th generation Intel Core processors

The transition to 10nm standards will be the next step and will debut with the Cannon Lake architecture. Thus, the list of eighth-generation Core processors will include i7/i5/i3-8xxx chips of three different architectures: Kaby Lake Refresh, Coffee Lake and Cannon Lake. Previously, there were usually two types of architectures per Core generation.

Architecture details

The new eighth-generation Core processors operate at relatively low main clock frequencies (no higher than 1.9 GHz for the older i7-8650U model), thanks to which all models fit into a thermal package (TDP) of up to 15 W with four computing cores.

Appearance of the 8th generation Core processor

At the same time, thanks Intel technologies Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, the chips are capable of dynamically increasing the clock frequency by more than twice (up to 4.2 GHz for the older model i7-8650U), which allows you to significantly increase system performance as needed and remain in a “cold” state in standby mode.

Basic characteristics of the first four 8th generation Core processors

All new mobile processors The 8th generation Intel Core is equipped with an integrated graphics core Intel UHD Graphics 620 with support for up to three independent displays, inherited with some changes from the 7th generation processors (Kaby Lake, Intel HD Graphics 620 graphics). The built-in UHD Graphics 620 supports HEVC and VP9 codecs and allows you to work with 4K video with 10-bit color depth.

Photo of the chip of the new 8th generation Intel Core chip

The new 8th generation mobile processors received 8 MB or 6 MB L3 cache, as well as a fast 2-channel memory controller with support for DDR4-2400 and LPDDR3-2133 modules.

About productivity and savings

According to the company's internal tests, the new eighth-generation Core i7 and i5 mobile chips provide performance gains of up to 40% compared to the previous generation chips, and are twice as fast as chips from five years ago, for example, when comparing the new Core i5-8250U with the Core i5- 3317U.