Intel is all set to launch its 8th generation processors, codenamed 'Coffee Lake', at 8:00am PDT (8:30pm IST) on August 21. The launch will be streamed to the public using Facebook Live and their newsroom. The launch has been set the same day as the total solar eclipse, which will be observed in America. No information regarding the specifications, pricing and number of models is known including the number of models that will be launched and which market segment Intel is targeting.
As AMD has launched its armada of Ryzen processors, Intel has taken it’s time but is now all geared to rival them with their latest ‘Coffee Lake’ processors. Intel claims the Coffee Lake will improve upon the 7th generation Kaby Lake by 30 percent in some applications. If Intel prices the new processors competitively, it could be a big blow for AMD. However, Intel’s next processor lineup is rumoured to require new motherboards and won’t support the existing gen 200 series or the older 100 series motherboards. This could be a dealbreaker for many consumers as AMD has promised that it’s Ryzen processors will work on the existing AM4 sockets till 2020.
Intel has also revealed its top end core i9 lineup launch date along with it’s specifications which offers 12 to 18-core processors. The 12-core/ 24-thread Core i9-7920X will be available starting from August 28, with a base speed of 2.9GHz and boost speed of 4.3Ghz on all cores along with 16.5MB of cache memory. The 14-core i9-7940X, 16-core i9-7960X and flagship 18-core i9-7980XE will all become available from September 25. Base/boost speeds are 2.9/4.3GHz, 3.1/4.3GHz, 2.8/4.2GHz, and 2.6/4.2GHz respectively, and the cache memory is 19.25MB, 22MB and 24.75MB respectively.
Before Coffee Lake and Kaby Lake, Intel's 'tick-tock' strategy would shrink the manufacturing process every alternate year. According to the rumours circulating the internet, Intel might be upping the core counts this time around to combat the threat of Ryzen. This explains Intel’s expectations for such a huge performance jump, as increasing the core count could quickly improve Coffee Lake’s performance in thread-sensitive tasks. As the holiday season is coming up, Intel’s latest lineup of 8th gen processors will probably be available with desktops, laptops, AIO’s and many more.