Coming right on the heels of Intel's Broadwell line of processors, the new 6th generation of Core i-series CPUs, known by the code name Skylake , has officially debuted at the Gamescom video game trade show in Germany.
But before you toss your current-gen laptop, keep in mind that the first wave of new Skylake processors includes only a pair of very high-end chips for performance desktops, the Core i5-6600K and the Core i7-6700K. These K-series models are going to be found in expensive, high-end desktops from boutique PC makers such as Origin PC, Velocity Micro and Digital Storm. These companies are best known for making built-to-order desktops and laptops primarily for PC gamers.
Intel is yet to break its silence over the release of Skylake chips, but mainstream CPUs and laptops are widely expected to roll out right after the IDF. The company has suffered flagging sales for its Broadwell chips, which were held back because of manufacturing problems, and the company will look forward to ending that edition of the chipset for the newer Skylake processors.
Skylake will directly compete with Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.'s ( NASDAQ:AMD ) Carrizo chips which have started reaching PCs. AMD is now pushing the release of its next-generation chips based on exclusive Zen cores by next year.