A few days ago, we talked about the Intel X299 chipset which would support Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X CPUs. Well, it looks like Benchlife has confirmed that Intel has already begun sampling these chips in the industry.
Intel Begins Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X Sampling - First Sample For LGA 2066 Socket Pictured
Intel Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors are expected to launch in second half of 2017. These processors are being aimed specifically at enthusiasts. The platform would be totally new with a new chipset, socket, CPU line and support for next-generation I/O technologies such as Intel Optane.
Industry sources confirm that Intel has begun sampling their HEDT processors for LGA 2066 socket. One such CPU has already been pictured. The chip is stamped with the "Intel Confidential" label along with a codename that says "QL2T" and a clock speed of 2.40 GHz. Being an early sample, it's expected to see lower clocks on such models.
There's also the R4 label on the PCB of the chip. The R4 label is for the socket type, we confirmed it earlier that the LGA 2066 is codenamed R4.
Intel Skylake-X HEDT Processors For X299 Chipset
The Intel Skylake-X family is a new name for Skylake-E which is built for high-end desktop PCs. The family will be aimed at enthusiasts and will be launching in 2H 2017. The Skylake-X chips will be replacing the Broadwell-E family which launched a few months ago.
Information suggests that Skylake-X processors will be available in same core configuration as Broadwell-E with 10, 8 and 6 core variants and TDP’s adjusted around 140W while delivering better IPC with the new Skylake architecture. We can expect similar if not higher pricing structure for these processors.
It's mentioned that only the 10 core variant will deliver 44 PCI-e Gen 3 lanes while the 6 core variant will come with 28 PCI-e Gen 3 lanes.
Intel Kaby Lake-X HEDT Processors For X299 Chipset
Intel would also be offering Kaby Lake-X processors on their HEDT platform. They would launch at the same time as Skylake-X but available in only Quad Core package. The surprising thing here is that the Kaby Lake-X SKUs will feature a TDP between 95-112W on a 14nm node. This means that we might be looking at much higher clock speeds compared to current generation quad core models.
In fact, the Kaby Lake family uses a more optimized architecture compared to Skylake which will allow Intel to finer tune its performance for better performance and efficiency. The Kaby Lake-X series of processors feature up to 16 PCI-E Gen 3.0 lanes.
Intel HEDT/Workstation Processor Families:
| Intel HEDT Family | Granite Rapids | Sapphire Rapids Refresh | Sapphire Rapids | Cascade Lake | Skylake | Skylake | Skylake | Broadwell | Haswell | Ivy Bridge | Sandy Bridge | Gulftown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Node | Intel 3 | 10nm ESF | 10nm ESF | 14nm++ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm | 22nm | 22nm | 32nm | 32nm |
| Flagship SKU | TBD | Xeon W9-3595X Xeon W7-2595X | Xeon W9-3495X Xeon W7-2495X | Core i9-10980XE | Xeon W-3175X | Core i9-9980XE | Core i9-7980XE | Core i7-6950X | Core i7-5960X | Core i7-4960X | Core i7-3960X | Core i7-980X |
| Max Cores/Threads | 86/172? | 60/120 26/52 | 56/112 24/48 | 18/36 | 28/56 | 18/36 | 18/36 | 10/20 | 8/16 | 6/12 | 6/12 | 6/12 |
| Clock Speeds | TBD | 4.8 GHz | 4.8 GHz | 3.00 / 4.80 GHz | 3.10/4.30 GHz | 3.00/4.50 GHz | 2.60/4.20 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.60/4.00 GHz | 3.30/3.90 GHz | 3.33/3,60 GHz |
| Max Cache | TBD | 105 MB L3 | 105 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 25 MB L3 | 20 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 12 MB L3 |
| Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU) | 128 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen2 | 32 Gen2 |
| Chipset Compatiblity | W890 | W790 | W790 | X299 | C612E | X299 | X299 | X99 Chipset | X99 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X58 Chipset |
| Socket Compatiblity | LGA 4710? | LGA 4677 | LGA 4677 | LGA 2066 | LGA 3647 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011 | LGA 2011 | LGA 1366 |
| Memory Compatiblity | DDR5-6000? | DDR5-4800 | DDR5-4800 | DDR4-2933 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2800 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2133 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1066 |
| Max TDP | 350W? | 350W | 350W | 165W | 255W | 165W | 165W | 140W | 140W | 130W | 130W | 130W |
| Launch | 2025? | 2024 | 2023 | Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2018 | Q3 2017 | Q2 2016 | Q3 2014 | Q3 2013 | Q4 2011 | Q1 2010 |
| Launch Price (Top SKU) | TBD | TBD | $5889 | $979 US | ~$4000 US | $1979 US | $1999 US | $1700 US | $1059 US | $999 US | $999 US | $999 US |
Expect more information on Kaby Lake-X and Skylake-X chips when launch approaches. For now, we are close to the launch of Kaby Lake-S family of processors which will be launching on 5th January at CES 2017.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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