Earlier this year, Intel unveiled the 5th gen Intel Core processor family for the next wave of everyday computing devices. Based on Intel's 14nm manufacturing process, which shrinks transistor sizes in order to provide better battery life and improve performance in low thermal profiles. The new 'Broadwell' chips deliver improved system and graphics performance, and enable longer battery life compared to previous generations.
The 5th gen Intel Core processors will enable thinner, lighter traditional notebooks, 2-in-1s, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks, all-in-one desktop PCs, and mini PCs with more natural and interactive experiences thanks to Intel's RealSense technology, Intel Wireless Display (Intel WiDi), and voice assistants.
Intel's new 14nm process improves upon the previous generation Intel Core processor with 35 percent more transistors on a 37 percent smaller die, which paves the way for smaller, more power efficient devices. Intel's tests show consumers get up to 1.5 hours more battery life than the previous 4th generation Intel Core (U series) processors.
The performance gains are even bigger, especially if you are upgrading from a 4-5 year old device to one powered by the 5th gen Intel Core processor family, with graphics performance up to 12 times better, video conversion speed up to 8 times faster, productivity performance up to 2.5 times faster, wake times 9 times faster, all with up to 2 times longer battery life, as recorded in Intel's benchmarks.
The new 5th gen Intel Core processor family includes the Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i5 vPro, Intel Core i7, and Intel Core i7 vPro processors. Broadwell has already made appearances in the Core M lineup for premium ultra-portable tablets and 2-in-1s as well as less expensive Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors for notebooks, with devices being shipped by leading OEMs.
Recently, Intel confirmed that socketed CPUs based on its 5th gen Core architecture will indeed be available for desktop PC enthusiasts. The unnamed processor was demonstrated at this year's Game Developers Conference, and Intel stated that it was unlocked to allow overclocking, and featured the company's highest tier of integrated graphics solutions, named Iris Pro.
Iris Pro has so far been reserved for top-end notebooks, as it features an embedded DRAM cache on the processor to speed up data transfer between the CPU and GPU logic. A new generation of desktop chipsets will need to be released alongside, as desktop Broadwell will use a new socket called LGA1151.
Intel also demonstrated a Broadwell Core i7-based NUC mini-PC. The CPU used was a 28W model featuring Intel Iris graphics, so, despite its size, its great for gaming. The palm-sized device supports high-speed M.2 SSDs, USB 3.0, and Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac.
The fifth-generation Broadwell architecture uses a new 14-nanometre lithography process to help reduce power consumption and increase performance.
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