System Builders Pumped Up Over Skylake's Leaked Performance Enhancements

According to new specs leaked by FanlessTech, Intel's new sixth-generation 14nm Skylake microarchitecture platform will be everything the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company promises -- and more.

The leaked advancements boast better CPU performance at lower power, 30 percent longer battery life, and new wireless and security features. But the best features of the new microarchitecture, which will be released at an unspecified date later in 2015, come through its graphics, which promise up to 50 percent better 3-D gaming with Intel HD Graphics, driving hype for enthusiast and gaming customers.

’Our enthusiast customers are constantly keeping themselves on the cutting edge of technology," said Josh Covington, director of marketing and sales at Velocity Micro, a system builder and Intel partner based in Richmond, Va. "We feel that the boost in core speed, overclocking capability, and efficiency of Skylake are all features that appeal to this audience. With [Skylake's] launch alongside the release of Windows 10, we expect to have a very successful Q3 and Q4.’

[Related: Intel's New Skylake Chips: 8 Things Partners Need To Know]

According to the preliminary performance data leaks, Skylake's three mobile series -- Y-Series, U-Series and H-Series -- will contain up to 17 percent, 10 percent and 11 percent faster CPUs, respectively. Meanwhile, the series also promise up to 41 percent, 34 percent and 16 percent faster graphics, respectively.

The Y-Series will be aimed at mainstream notebooks, while the U-Series is for ultra-portables and the H-Series targets high-end notebooks.

In addition to the mobile series, Skylake will also contain a desktop-targeted S-Series with up to 11 percent faster CPUs and 28 percent faster Intel HD Graphics. In addition, the S-Series chips will contain a 22 percent lower thermal design power (TDP), at 65 W of heat generated as opposed to the former chips' 84 W.

According to Intel, the rollout of these CPUs will be staggered so that the mobile chips will be released first, followed by laptop and desktop CPUs.

The overall microarchitecture touts around 11.3 hours of battery life, as opposed to the 8.5 hours of its predecessor, Broadwell, as well as wireless capabilities like improved wireless display (WiDi 6.0) and A4WP wireless charging.

System builders applauded the new improvements' specs, but stressed that their actual business will come not from Intel's new microarchitecture release, but from opportunities presented by the combination of Windows 10, Microsoft's new operating system that will be released July 29, and Skylake.

"Skylake is expected to tout the hallmark platform improvements you've come to expect from Intel -- improved performance and energy-efficiency," said Jon Bach, president of Puget Systems, a Kent, Wash.-based system builder partner. "But when you add Windows 10 to the mix, we now present an opportunity to upgrade your entire platform, both hardware and software, and we do expect that to bring in a nice boost of business."

For Bach, the platform refresh also presents an opportunity for board manufacturers to work modern features into their motherboard designs, such as USB 3.1, USB Type-C, M.2 and U.2 PCI-E NVMe storage support.

"We expect all of that to add up to a compelling reason to upgrade, and are gearing up for a strong end to the summer, back-to-school time and holiday season," he said.

Intel is expected to reveal more about its new Skylake microarchitecture during the company's developer forum in August.

PUBLISHED JULY 27, 2015