Intel will launch its 8th-generation core processors dubbed Coffee Lake on August 21 at 8 a.m. Pacific, and the event will be streamed on Facebook Live. The event will precede another important event that morning: a total solar eclipse.
Suspense on specifications
As of now, the company has not divulged any information about the number of chip models to be launched and the segment to which the processor will cater. The teaser, however, hints that the new processor will be super fast, but that was always known. Previously, the chip maker stated that Coffee Lake will be a step ahead of the 7th-generation Kaby Lake, and the performance will be improved by 30%.
Other than the official specifications, investors and analysts would also be keen to learn whether Intel will start with mobile or desktop or both. Going by the previous line of events, the company always launches mobile chips first, notes AnandTech.
Intel Coffee Lake is seen as a direct competitor to AMD’s Ryzen. To match AMD’s Ryzen, Intel would have to ramp up the core count in its processors. This could help it regain its position in terms of power and efficiency in the low-end and mid-range CPU segment.
Previous reports hinted that Intel Coffee Lake would come with 6-core CPUs. If this happens, it will be a big plus for PC gamers and other enthusiasts who have been depending on 4-core CPUs since the launch of the Core i7 and Core i5 chips in 2008.
Intel Coffee Lake: what to expect
Intel Coffee Lake will be the fourth generation to use the 14nm manufacturing process, deviating from the three-year Process Architecture-optimization Cycle that the company introduced only last year. Before Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake, Intel’s tick-tock strategy stated that manufacturing process would reduce every alternate year, notes NDTV.
Intel Coffee Lake is also expected to have an integrated WLAN controller to offer AC Wifi and Bluetooth 5.0 support on motherboards without third-party solutions. Some reports also talked about Thunderbolt support, options for DisplayPort 1.4 and a new sound solution, dubbed as SmartSound. Intel’s new audio solution is expected to come with some sort of quad-core programmable DSP built-in, notes ShackNews.
Intel is apparently looking to segregate Coffee Lake into 35-watt parts for mobile and lower energy applications and 65-watt parts for the mainstream and corporate segment. Further, 95-watt parts will be for gamers and enthusiasts who seek as much power as possible in their PCs. The new motherboards based on Intel’s Z370 Express chipset are also expected to support up to 24 PCIe 3.0 lanes in addition to 16 PCIe lanes dedicated to PCIe graphics cards. The division will help support more bandwidth heavy devices and features, notes TheInquirer.
Last week, it was reported that Intel Coffee Lake would not support 200 series motherboards after a tweet from a motherboard manufacturer claimed that the Coffee Lake CPU is not compatible with them. This came as a total surprise, given the similar microarchitecture of Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake. It must be noted that Intel has not made any official statement on this.
