Intel Quietly Releases Skylake-R Core i7, i5 CPUs With Iris Pro Graphics And 128 MB eDRAM
Amidst announcements of decreased PC sales, large cuts to its workforce and the discontinuation of its mobile Atom processor line, Intel quietly released three new CPUs sporting the Skylake-H architecture. The new processors feature Intel Iris Pro Graphics and an improved 2nd generation cache architecture with 128 MB eDRAM onboard referred to as “Crystal Well.”
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6585R | Intel Core i5-6685R | Intel Core i7-6785R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cores/Threads | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/8 |
| L3 Cache | 6 MB | 6 MB | 8 MB |
| Base Clock Frequency | 2.8 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| Max Turbo Frequency | 3.6 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| TDP | 65 Watt | 65 Watt | 65 Watt |
| Memory Type | Dual ChannelDDR4- 1866/2133DDR3L- 1333/1600 @ 1.35 V | Dual ChannelDDR4- 1866/2133DDR3L- 1333/1600 @ 1.35 V | Dual ChannelDDR4- 1866/2133DDR3L- 1333/1600 @ 1.35 V |
| Memory Bandwidth | 34.1 GB/s | 34.1 GB/s | 34.1 GB/s |
| Max Memory Capacity | 64 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Graphics Engine | Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 | Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 | Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 |
| Graphics Base Clock | 350 MHz | 350 MHz | 350 MHz |
| Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency | 1.1 GHz | 1.15 GHz | 1.15 GHz |
| Tray Price | $255 | $288 | $370 |
The Intel Core i5-6585R, i5-6685R and i7-6785R can be soldered into the current BGA 1440 socket, which often finds a home in small form factor (SFF) or all-in-one (AIO) PCs with a 65-watt TDP. Intel was able to improve the cache size compared to the previous Broadwell-based 65-watt processors, giving the Skylake-R chips the same cache size as their desktop counterparts, albeit with a slightly lower clock rate.
The codename “Crystal Well” refers to the added eDRAM cache, which in previous implementations acted as a victim cache for the L3 cache by adding up evicted cache lines from the L3 for quick re-reading, circumventing the main memory. This was particularly useful for gaming and graphics performance where textures are re-read from the memory frequently. However, the data could not exist in the eDRAM without first being accessed, giving initial read latencies the same performance as previous processors.
The 2nd generation Crystal Well cache inside these new Skylake-R processors places the eDRAM in a different segment of the data chain, between the System Agent and the DDR memory. This makes the eDRAM act more like a DRAM buffer, with 50 GB/s bandwidth available in each direction to the LLC. The eDRAM is also accessible for early read and writes by any device that accesses memory via the system agent, including anything running through the PCIe lanes (which was not possible prior to these new processors).
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 should add significant graphics horsepower to the package, but with full specifications of the iGPU not yet available, it is hard to nail down a concrete analysis. However, it should provide a noticeable bump in performance compared to previous generations thanks to the improved 128 MB eDRAM cache.
The new Intel Skylake-R processors are available now, and OEMs and system builders should start implementing the new chips in AIOs, SFFs and other devices in the next few months. The new CPUs received far less fanfare than the initial Skylake launch, and it could be indicative of a sullen demeanor within Intel due to a recent string of disappointing announcements. However, new Skylake processors with Iris Pro graphics and 128 MB of eDRAM seem like a pretty big deal to us.
Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
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Derek Forrest was a contributing freelance writer for Tom's Hardware. He covered hardware news and reviews, focusing on gaming desktops and laptops.
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MR B0CEPHUS Nice. I want to build my son a PC for minecraft. A small mini itx pc that can handle some of the mods he likes that are a little demanding. Time to start pcpartpicker list over.Reply -
DSpider I wouldn't hold my breath for a 6 or 8 core CPU from them any time soon.Reply
The leaked specs for their flagship CPU, the Kaby Lake i7 7700k suggests that it's going to be the plain old, boring quad core. But hey, it's got 8 threads, which is kinda like an extra core, right? Nope. Logical cores are always suckier than physical ones.
People buying the "K" variants of these processors don't need integrated graphics. They should be using the extra space on the wafer for at least 2 additional cores! -
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If Intel made K-CPUs using a dedicated set of chip-making masks from the non-K i5/i7, they would end up considerably more expensive and you would be better off buying an LGA2011/2011v3 CPU instead if you insist on having a CPU which physically lacks an IGP.17921188 said:People buying the "K" variants of these processors don't need integrated graphics. They should be using the extra space on the wafer for at least 2 additional cores!
Lower-end mainstream CPUs would also end up more expensive since Intel would now have an additional non-interchangeable but highly similar product line to manage. -
Afrospinach ReplyThe fact that AMD is changing their arch to be almost exactly like the I core's same type of hyper threading as in real hyper threading and more single core performance but with a lot more cores then intel this could be bad for Intel considering their Moore's law of advancement is come to an end and they are still sticking with quadcore as even mobile devices have hit 8 core as a standard by end of year. Intel will either adapt or fall behind considering they been on 14nm node for a long time now and still no more cores yet AMD on 28nm node has had up to 16 cores for servers and 8 cores for consumers they claim up to 16 cores for consumers by 2017 lets see the multicore race go more.
You do know if there was a market for "moar cores" intel could have that tomorrow, right? It would involve a sticker change, nothing more(chipsets not withstanding).
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/xeon/xeon-processor-e5-family.html
Now I am just going to go back to watching 2 of my four cores sleepwalk their way through minutiae 90% of the time. This multicore apocalypse has been a long time coming. Why now? If anything it looks like this is going to become less of an issue with the advent of DX12. -
firefoxx04 My i7 consistently is using 4 cores for gaming. Not sure what crap game you are playing.Reply -
ammaross ReplyMy i7 consistently is using 4 cores for gaming. Not sure what crap game you are playing.
Or those of us who do more than just game. But for those of you game AND stream, you can easily chew up 4 cores plus 4 hyperthreads or worse. If you do even more (Premiere, Maya, etc) then you likely already know about the 6/8core E-series or even the Xeons with 10 cores and such. -
ledhead11 I get the impression these kinds of chips are more aimed at low level business needs. A basic pc for the office would be happy with the 6685r for most things. Any other use of these is a waste of money considering what you could do with either a SB or BW k chip.Reply