Intel Core with Radeon RX Vega M Graphics Launched: HP, Dell, and Intel NUC
by Ian Cutress on January 7, 2018 9:02 PM EST8th Gen Gets More Complex: Confirmed Kaby Lake
The title of this page is a retrospect as to how Intel has literally thrown away the naming scheme that has driven its core product base for the last few years, confusing everyone (including high profile partners). The previous naming scheme was for the most part unambiguous – each processor ‘generation’ was one specific Core family or Core microarchitecture design. For an enthusiast, the 6th Generation Core family was based around Skylake, or 4th Generation Core family was Haswell. Not anymore.
When it was announced back at Intel's Manufacturing Day that Intel was going to be fluid on product line architecture and naming, it would appear that we (the technology press, the enthusiast community) severely under-estimated how fluid it would be. This is currently how history will see the 8th Generation:
| Intel's Core Architecture Cadence (1/7) | |||||
| Core Generation | Microarchitecture | Process Node | Release Year | ||
| 2nd | Sandy Bridge | 32nm | 2011 | ||
| 3rd | Ivy Bridge | 22nm | 2012 | ||
| 4th | Haswell | 22nm | 2013 | ||
| 5th | Broadwell | 14nm | 2014 | ||
| 6th | Skylake | 14nm | 2015 | ||
| 7th | Kaby Lake | 14nm+ | 2016 | ||
| 8th | Kaby Lake-R Coffee Lake-S Kaby Lake-G Cannon Lake-U |
14nm+ 14nm++ 14nm+ 10nm |
2017 2017 2018 2018? |
||
| 9th | Ice Lake ... |
10nm+ | 2018? | ||
| Unknown | Cascade Lake (Server) | ? | ? | ||
So far, Intel has launched three specific Core microarchitecture designs as ‘8th Generation’ products, and a fourth has been announced. At the high-end, we have the desktop class Coffee Lake processors, using Intel’s latest 14++ process and running up to 8 cores. For mobile, Intel has launched the 15W Kaby Lake Refresh processors, pushing quad-core Kaby Lake parts into where dual-core 7th Generation Kaby Lake hardware used to go. Then there is this new product, Kaby Lake-G, which is not explicitly a refresh, as it uses the same 7th Generation H-series cores as before. The fourth piece of the puzzle is Intel’s first crack at 10nm with Cannon Lake, which at CES 2017 was promised to be shipping by the end of the year in 2017, but unfortunately has missed the target.
Extrapolating this terminology, we can look forward (!) to similar naming in future generations. During 2018 we are expecting Intel to fill out the Coffee Lake processor line, perhaps even bringing it into the market where current 8th Generation parts already exist or perhaps even where 7th Generation parts are. Unfortunately, looking at the processor name and number will no-longer be an indication of the microarchitecture underneath.
Intel’s response to this, to be clear, is that they state that the 8th Generation product portfolio represents the best of what Intel has to offer in each of the respective product segments. Intel’s best will have the highest number, essentially. While this is probably not a bad position to take, it can leave customers in a situation where if the customer has a good last-generation product, but wants to ‘downgrade’ to a mid-range latest-generation product, the user could end up paying for getting the same hardware in return.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
66 Comments
View All Comments
MFinn3333 - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
Intel and AMD were forced to work together because they hated nVidia.This is a relationship of Spite.
itonamd - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
and hate qualcomm works for windows 10artk2219 - Wednesday, January 10, 2018 - link
Never underestimate the power of hatred against a mutual enemy. It worked for the allies in World War II, at least until that nice little cold war bit that came after :).itonamd - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
Good Jobs. but still dissapointed. intel not use hbm2 as l4 cache and share processor graphics when user wants to use graphics card and acording to ark.intel . And it is still 4 cores not 6 cores like i7 8700kCooe - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
It's a laptop chip first and foremost, and the best & latest Intel has in it's mobile line is 4c/8t Kaby Lake for power reasons (and the max 100W power envelope here precludes 6c/12t Coffee Lake already, even if a hypothetical mobile CL part existed). Not to be rude, but your expectations were totally unreasonable considering the primary target market (thin & light gaming laptops & mobile workstations).Bullwinkle-J-Moose - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
"It's a laptop chip first and foremost" ???-----------------------------------------------
It may have been presented that way initially but there were hints for other products from the very beginning
Once the process is optimized over the next few years, we may start seeing some very capable 4K TV's without the need for thunderbolt graphics cards
Now, about that latency problem.......
Whats new for gaming TV's at CES?
Kevin G - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
6c/12t would have been perfectly possible with Vega M under 100W. The catch is both the CPU and GPU wouldn't coexist well under full load. The end result would be a base clock lower than what Intel would have liked on both parts for that fully loaded scenario. Though under average usage (including gaming were 4c/8t was enough), turbo would kick in and everything would be OK.The more likely scenario is that Intel simply didn't have enough time in development of this product to switch Kaby Lake for Coffer Lake in time and get this validated. Remember that Coffee Lake was added to the road map when Cannon Lake desktop chips were removed.
Bullwinkle-J-Moose - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
You had it right the first timeCoffer Lake holds all the cash
Hurr Durr - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
Come on, this particular cartel is quite obvious.Strunf - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
This all proves that X86 wars are a thing of the past and NVIDIA is pushing these two into a corner...