X
Tech

Intel's fastest ever processor, coming this fall

The new 7th generation Kaby Lake processors are powerful enough to play Overwatch without needing a GPU.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer

Intel used its IDF 2016 developer conference as a platform to unveil a teaser for its 7th generation Kaby Lake processors.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich showed PCs powered by the new chip handling demanding tasks. These chips are so powerful that they can handle a game such as Overwatch without requiring a GPU.

It's "the highest performance CPU Intel has ever built. It'll make rich experiences available to everyone," Krzanich said. "We're shipping seventh-generation Core already to our PC partners and will launch devices to consumers this fall."

Kaby Lake, just like the current Skylake silicon, is a 14nm processor, but it will feature built-in support for USB-C Gen 2, and HDCP 2.2 support. It should also feature GPUs aimed specifically at handling 4K video.

"Moore's Law," said Krzanich, "is far from dead."

While high-end chips aren't going to reignite PC sales in any big way, these chips should be of interest to both gamers and creative types looking for hardware that can churn through demanding tasks such as video rendering, and could increase demand for high-end -- and higher profit margin -- hardware.

Intel is currently shipping Kaby Lake chips to hardware makers, and devices featuring the silicon will make an appearance this fall.

Build a PC using Intel's new $1,700 10-core desktop CPU

See also:

Editorial standards