Intel "Skylake" Core i7-6700K CPU (Z170 Chipset and GT530) Review

Introduction

The day is finally here and one of Intel's most anticipated microarchitectures since Sandy Bridge has arrived. Today, Intel will launch two Skylake SKUs, the 6700K and the 6600K, both of which are fully unlocked and downright fast. The 6700K is Intel's top dog, and you will want a Z170 motherboard carrying the LGA1151 socket to unlock the overclocking potential of the CPU. The Z170 chipset is possibly the most advanced consumer chipset to date, and it's almost as interesting as the CPU.

Intel's Tick/Tock model allows for the phased implementation of new microarchitectures and die shrinks into the market, and has been quite successful in the past. New microarchitectures (Tocks) use the same lithography as their predecessors (Ticks), which are die shrinks of the previous microarchitecture. Haswell was a Tock at 22nm, and Broadwell was the Tick at 14nm. Many people weren't totally impressed by Broadwell's desktop performance (its mobile/SFF PC performance is quite impressive), but Skylake is going to change your view of Intel's 14nm lithography, especially when it comes to overclocking.

Intel realizes that the PC market is changing. Gamers are one of Intel's larger target markets these days, and it is no coincidence that Skylake launch includes only two K series SKUs and is taking place at Gamescom in Germany this week. With over 1.2+ billion PC gamers worldwide, Intel is set on taking over the PC gaming market with their newest Skylake CPUs.

Specifications

The 6700K features 4 cores and 8 threads with HyperThreading, 8MB cache, 16x PCI-E 3.0 lanes for graphics, supports for DDR3L or DDR4 (depending on motherboard), and will carry Intel's HD Graphics 530. It will support three independent displays, DX12, and Ultra HD 4K. The CPU will communicate to the PCH through DMI 3.0 which is estimated to have lanes operating at 8GT/s.

The TDP of the CPU is estimated at 95W, and power consumption numbers back this up. Intel isn't spilling all of Skylake's secrets at the launch of the 6700K/6600K, instead they are waiting for IDF 2015, which is coming up in a few weeks, to dish more details about the microarchitecture and the platform.

Pricing

The suggested retail price of the 6700K is $350, which makes it the replacement for the 4770K. We think the pricing is fair for what you get.