Intel Kaby Lake: Core i7-7700K, i7-7700, i5-7600K and i5-7600 in review

1 - Einleitung 2 - Z270, Optane, Overclocking-Tools und HD Graphics 630 3 - Test-Setup und Overclocking 4 - Benchmarks: Rendering und Office 5 - Benchmarks: Workstation-Anwendungen 6 - Benchmarks: DTP und Multimedia 7 - Benchmarks: Gaming und integrierte Grafik (iGP) 8 - Core i7-7700K: Leistungsaufnahme & Temperaturen 9 - Core i7-7700: Leistungsaufnahme & Temperaturen 10 - Core i5-7600K: Leistungsaufnahme & Temperaturen 11 - Core i5-7600: Leistungsaufnahme & Temperaturen 12 - Unterschiedliche Chipqualität und ihre Folgen 13 - Fazit

Intel is currently in the midst of the biggest restructuring in the company's history. In terms of its own growth forecasts, the focus is increasingly shifting toward IoT, cloud, and data centers. At the same time, the Santa Clara-based CPU forge is grapping with the slow recession in the mainstream desktop PC market, although sales for open-multiplier K-series SKUs increased 20 percent year-on-year.

Intel had recently made it clear that it would not let the target group of enthusiasts down. With AMD's Ryzen's upcoming roll-out looming, Intel wants to make sure that power users feel a little excited about the refresh of their own CPU portfolio. However, Kaby Lake for Desktop PCs is a bit different than before. This launch stands for the departure from Moore's law and thus from the previous tick-tock strategy, according to which a new microarchitecture has always been followed by a die-shrink. In its place, Intel is now relying on the new Process Architecture Optimize (PAO) strategy, which can also be called a tick-tock-tock in view of the current approach.

Instead of a die-shrink and the turn to the 10 nm manufacturing process, Kaby-Lake is the third phase of the new strategy (Optimize), so this generation of processors will continue to adhere to the 14 nm manufacturing process. The CPUs are mainly characterized by targeted improvements to the existing manufacturing process, which ensures faster transistors, which allows an increase in clock speeds of around 300-400 MHz compared to the Skylake generation. Nevertheless, Kaby Lake is just a refresh with improvements in process engineering without fundamental changes to the microarchitecture that continues to be shared with the previous generation. Thus, we will not benefit from an IPC increase, nor will other new technologies be implemented here. As part of our article on the launch of Kaby Lake mobile derivatives, our American colleagues were able to observe that the changes compared to the previous generation were primarily due to the media engine, a faster speed shift and higher clock frequencies. refer to the

From an enthusiast's point of view, the scope of the actual innovations may be a little disappointing, but the launch of Kaby Lake is also a result of the presentation of a new chipset. Although this current generation of CPU will certainly not provide a renaissance of the desktop PC, there are still some interesting reasons for Kaby Lake: For example, Intel provides compatibility with the 3D XPoint-based Optane storage media in expected to be launched later this year.

We had already presented some first results about Kaby Lake in November 2016 before the end of the NDA and based on an early sample of the Core i7-7700K, on the following pages we want to go back in detail for the complete CPU lineup.

Intel Core i7-7700K and i7-7700 and Core i5-7600K and i5-7600

Right to launch, Intel already delights us with a wide range of 7th-gen CPUs of the S, H, U and Y series. These include Core i7, i5, i3 and two Xeon chips for use in mobile workstations. The manufacturer thus covers a wide TDP range between 4.5 and 91 watts and also offers the full range of integrated graphics units between HD and Iris Plus graphics. In the course of this test, we will of course focus on the S versions of Kaby Lake, as they are intended for use in desktop PCs.

The new Kaby Lake CPUs are compatible with the 1151 socket already known from the last generation, so it is not necessary to buy one of the new motherboards based on the Z270 chipset: After a BIOS update, motherboards are also suitable for Z170 base as a substructure for Kaby Lake processors. The assignment to IA cores, TDP classes, and cache hierarchies remains unsurprisingly the same compared to the previous generation. However, Kaby Lake uses the slightly upgraded HD Graphics 630 graphics unit.

The dual-channel memory controller is also an old acquaintance of the Skylake generation, although Intel's official data now also mentions support for faster DDR4 RAM with 2400 MT/s instead of just 2133 MT/s. In fact, we would have expected Intel to implement the new Turbo Boost 3.0, which allows single-threaded workloads to be identified and assigned to the fastest core. However, it now appears that this feature is apparently reserved exclusively for Broadwell E CPUs.

The four-core core core (eight-threaded) core i7-7700K catches the eye for its turbo boost frequency of up to 4.5GHz. In the course of our stress tests, we were also able to validate that 4.4 GHz can be provided permanently on all four cores, even at full load. The MSI motherboard used in the test even ensures that the clock frequency of all four cores is raised to 4.5 GHz in parallel due to its Enhanced Turbo Boost. The basic clock of the i7-7700K, on the other hand, is 4.2 GHz, which is equivalent to a clock increase of 200 MHz compared to the i7-6700K from the last generation, while the Turbo Boost offers a total of 300-400 MHz more.

The Core i5-7600K, which also has four cores and can handle only four threads in parallel due to the lack of hyperthreading, is an interesting model, especially from a price-performance point of view. With a base clock of 3.8 GHz, it operates 300 MHz faster than the equivalent of the previous generation. The data for the Turbo Boost are also impressive with values between 4.0 GHz (utilization of all four cores) and 4.2 GHz (utilization of a core).

Fortunately, Intel has not changed pricing policy. According to the manufacturer, the Core i7-7700K is expected to go over the counter for an estimated USD 339, while the i5-7600K is expected to be priced at USD 242. This means that the smaller i5 should prove to be a good offer, especially for price-conscious users. But the new Core i3 with open multiplier could also prove to be an attractive alternative to the fixed multiplier Core i5 CPUs.

Debut: Core i3 with open multiplier

With the Core i3-7350K, Intel introduces its first open-multiplier dual-core, which can handle four threads thanks to hyperthreading and whose TDP is valued at 60 watts. This makes it an interesting choice for low-budget overclockers. A basic clock of 4.2 GHz sounds promising and the missing Turbo Boost will hardly bother overclocking as a target group anyway. Due to the use of the slightly drilled HD Graphics 630 graphics unit, there is usable GPU performance, but the use of a l3 cache of only 4 MByte could prove to be a bottleneck.

Nevertheless, the idea of an open multiplier Core i3 has its appeal and shows that Intel has taken user feedback to the Pentium G3258 to heart. A CPU cooler is not encased in the i3-7350K, but this is so common with all SKUs of this manufacturer with the possibility of overclocking via the multiplier. The recommended retail price is 168 US dollars, so the i3-7350K is within reach of the i3-7320 without an open multiplier. However, the OC model would be an even more appealing choice for around US 155 US dollars.

The data for the other Core i3 models offer a TDP range between 35 and 51 watts, all models presented rely on Intel's HD Graphics 630. The graphics unit receives a slight increase in clock speed compared to the previous generation, but the increase in the CPU clock itself is more noteworthy. Thanks to the bank, the new Kaby Lake CPUs offer 200 MHz more clock frequency. This will certainly not convince anyone to upgrade from an existing Skylake system, but for users looking for a new low-power solution, Intel has a compelling offering with seventh-generation Core i3 processors. in the hand.