Intel 6th Gen Core i7-6700K Skylake Review - PAGE 1

About a year ago Intel unleashed its X99 platform and a trio of Haswell-E processors to match. The combination of the updated LGA2011-v3 socket, the new X99 chipset, and DDR4 memory together with the high end Haswell-E desktop processors allowed for impressive performance levels. A few months later we got the Devil's Canyon chips in the form of the Core i5-4690K and Core i7-4790K, which were geared towards mainstream enthusiasts who were not very impressed with the performance levels and high thermals witnessed with the first wave of Haswell CPUs. Just recently Intel released its 5th Gen Broadwell CPUs, the company's first 14nm processors represented by the Core i7-5775C and the Core i7-5675C for the desktop platform. Both releases still did not take full advantage of the improvements brought to the table by the X99/Haswell-E combo, especially the DDR4 memory, which was strictly exclusive to the upper segment of Intel's products.

This week however things changed quite a bit and Intel is focusing on the mainstream enthusiasts and gamers with the release of its first wave of 6th generation Skylake desktop processors which represent a "Tock" in Intel's Tick-Tock product cycle: the Core i7-6700K and the Core i5-6600K. Both CPUs, as the "K" in the name suggests, are fully unlocked SKUs and based on the new Skylake architecture built on the 14nm process technology. The new architecture requires a new socket in the form of the LGA 1151 and the new Z170 chipset. With the new Skylake processors and Z170 chipset, Intel projects up to 30% performance improvements over older systems. The new platform offers DDR4 memory support and higher levels of overclocking.

This focus on the gamer crowd comes from Intel's realization that PC gaming is the main driver for the PC platform. PC gamers will either buy a pre-made gaming system or go the DIY route and build their own. Gamers are also most likely to upgrade their systems on a shorter cycle than the average user. Basically the market is there, and Intel intends to give it more attention after focusing mainly on the mobile computing platforms for its previous product lines.



Today I will be looking at the Core i7-6700K, which is the flagship of this mini release. The i7-6700K is a 4 core/8 threads chip with a base frequency of 4.0GHz on all four cores which gets bumped to 4.2GHz with Turbo Boost 2. The CPU sports 8MB of cache and 16 PCI-E 3.0 lanes. The i5-6600K SKU is equipped with 4 cores and does not support hyper-threading. It has a 3.5GHz base clock speeds (3.9GHz with Turbo Boost 2), 16 PCI-E 3.0 lanes and 6MB of cache. Both CPUs have a TDP of 91W and are compatible exclusively with the new LGA 1151 socket. In terms of pricing, Intel suggests $350 USD for the Core i7-6700K and $243 for the Core i5-6600K.



Since this is just a focused release geared toward the gamer/enthusiast segment, full details for the Skylake architecture were not communicated at time of writing. In the meanwhile, let's take a look at the key features of the Core i7-6700K processor we will be seeing in this review:

• Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0:  Dynamically increases the processor frequency up to 4.2 GHz when applications demand more performance.  Speed when you need it, energy efficiency when you don’t.
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology:  Allows each processor core to work on two tasks at the same time for up to 8 total independent tasks (threads) providing parallel processing capability for better multi-tasking with threaded applications.
• Intel Smart Cache:  8MB of shared cached allows faster access to your data by enabling dynamic and efficient allocation of the cache to match the needs of each core significantly reducing latency to frequently used data and improving performance.
• CPU Overclocking Enabled (with Intel Z170 chipset):  Fully unlocked core multiplier, power, base clock and memory ratios enable ultimate flexibility for overclocking.
• Graphics Overclocking Enabled (with Intel Z170 chipset):  Unlocked graphics multiplier allows for overclocking to boost the graphics clock speed.
• Integrated Memory Controller:  Supports 2 channels of DDR4-2133 and DDR3L-1600 memory with 2 DIMMs per channel.  Support for memory based on the Intel Extreme Memory Profile (Intel XMP) specification.
• PCI Express 3.0 Interface:  Supports up to 8 GT/s for fast access to peripheral devices and networking with up to 16 lanes configurable as 1x16, 2x8, or 1x8 and 2x4 depending on the motherboard design.
• Chipset/Motherboard Compatibility:  Compatible with all Intel 100 Series chipsets with the latest BIOS and drivers.
• Intel HD Graphics 5303:  Integrated 3D performance with support for Microsoft DirectX 12 and Ultra HD 4K resolution display for immersive mainstream gaming.  For Microsoft DirectX 12 testing, the performance-tuned Intel graphics driver is expected to be available for download on Intel Download Center by the 6th generation Intel Core processor family product introduction.  The Intel HD Graphics 530 dynamic graphics frequency ranges up to 1150MHz.
• Vibrant Media:  Enhanced, built-in visual features deliver a seamless visual PC experience for rich Ultra HD 4K entertainment and HD gaming.
• Intel Quick Sync Video Technology:  Media processing for incredibly fast conversion of video files for portable media players or online sharing including support for HEVC (H.265) encode/decode to support Ultra HD 4K.

As stated earlier, the Skylake desktop processors released today come with a whole new platform, which means a new motherboard chipset in the form of the Z170 and H170. For this review, I will be pairing the Intel Core i7-6700K with the MSI Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard equipped with the Z170 chipset targeted at the mainstream performance and enthusiast segment. The new Intel Z170 chipset brings to the table a rich feature set including up to 20x PCI-E 3.0 lanes, up to 10x USB 3.0 ports, six SATA III ports, eSATA, Intel Gigabit LAN, and Intel High Definition Audio.

Before I start with the new system setup and overclocking results, here's a quick look at the MSI Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard I used for this article. I will be reviewing this great looking motherboard from MSI very soon.