When do you think 6 cores will become mainstream?

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spat55

spat55

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I'm interested in upgrading my CPU soon but I only want to when I can get a 6 core with the same IPC as a 6700k, question is apart from Zen (which will probably have the same IPC as haswell) when can we expect something mainstream from Intel with 6-8 cores?
 
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That depends on your definition of "mainstream"; do you mean mainstream for day to day computing / gaming? If you're looking at business computing, 6-8 cores became "mainstream" years ago.

It's only been in the last 1-2 years really that apps have been optimized for beyond 4 cores. My guess is if we're talking normal day to day computing and gaming, wide adoption of 6+ cores won't be for at least a couple of more years.
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Ecky

Ecky

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Possibly never? There are inherent limits in how much you can parallelize software, and so faster cores will probably (at least for a long time) be prioritized over more cores. You only add more cores when you can't make them any faster.

Note that mobile CPUs are still almost all dual cores, some with hyperthreading.
 
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BadBoyGreek

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That depends on your definition of "mainstream"; do you mean mainstream for day to day computing / gaming? If you're looking at business computing, 6-8 cores became "mainstream" years ago.

It's only been in the last 1-2 years really that apps have been optimized for beyond 4 cores. My guess is if we're talking normal day to day computing and gaming, wide adoption of 6+ cores won't be for at least a couple of more years.
 
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1Reshiram12

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Tons of cores aren't something that I ever see becoming popular. For a large majority of the high end processor consumers (gamers), the amount of cores matter very little as opposed to the single thread performance of the cpu. I think that large core counts will always be mostly for professionals, video/streaming and servers.
 
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why_wolf

why_wolf

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If by mainstream you mean everyone, probably never. 2 to 4 cores are all and more the computing power an average user needs or uses. Average user will benefit far more from switching to an SSD or expanding their RAM. Though I'm guessing you really mean when will 6 cores be mainstream for gamers. Not for years at the earliest, games only sort of make use of all 4 cores today, which is why you get such a small to no improvement using an i7 over an i5. Things might change now that DX12 and Vulcan are here but again that is wholly dependent on the developers implementing all their features.

Now that's not to say AMD won't push out 6 core chips as a marketing move against Intel's 4 core chips. Even though the Intel 4 core performs better than the AMD 6 core (average user will think more cores = better). They already tried to do that once before with Bulldozer.
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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Actually, Zen should have an IPC that is a smidge better than Broadwell, and will come in an 8C/16T SKU. If you actually have a use for that many cores, the slightly higher IPC of the 6700k won't matter, as overall throughput will be significantly better.

Intel currently has no reason to drop a 6C or 8C CPU from the prosumer or professional market into the mainstream market. The items already exist and are right where Intel wants them, so if you want one you can pay their premium. As there is currently no competition in regards HEDT CPUs from AMD or anyone else, Intel's CPUs have shown an increase in price at the premium end, not a decrease.
 
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Ecky

Ecky

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AMD did a PR event where they ran a custom test in Blender, without stating what compiler they used, against a downclocked Broadwell, and approximately tied it.

Best-case, AMD's SMT is stronger than Intel's but the individual cores are weaker, and it won't be clocked as high. Still, single-threaded performance might be close enough (~Haswell?) not to matter. I guess it depends on what Kaby Lake brings.
 
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