Rumors of the demise of Intel’s (News - Alert) Broadwell-C desktop processor have been greatly exaggerated.
Following an ITWorld report that the chipmaker was killing the socketed Broadwell CPU after just one month on the market, the company clarified, telling AnandTech that no such plans are on the docket. Rather, the Skylake-C embedded DRAM has been canceled, so that Broadwell-C chip won’t be getting a Skylake refresh.
Intel cited a lack of market demand as the reason to axe the new-generation silicon while still in the womb.
It makes sense that it’s not planning to spend a lot of time upgrading silicon for desktop tower PCs, which is where both Broadwell-C and the canceled Skylake fit. Broadwell and Skylake are higher-end offerings; but cheap processors are the norm in that market thanks to the pricing wars among PC manufacturers and the waning popularity of full desktop rigs in most homes—kids today prefer laptops.
In fact, Broadwell-C is the only Broadwell chip for desktop towers, and it serves a rather specific purpose: with 128MB of embedded DRAM, it’s basically built to power enhanced gaming with both integrated and discrete graphics. That kind of memory may be a bit of a bold anomaly in the desktop world, but, cheaper machines come with lower-end graphics cards, so Intel likely sees a way to differentiate its silicon in the booming gamer segment.
In February it was revealed that Intel’s roadmap was coalescing around twin pieces of development: The fifth-generation Broadwell line, and the higher-performing Skylake portfolio. Broadwell is set to dominate the later part of this year, but Skylake may begin to appear in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, in about 18 months, Intel 10nm processors, codenamed Cannonlake, will start to make their appearance.
Silicon replacement cycles are beholden to the launches of devices that use the processors, and between Broadwell and Skylake, consumer electronics manufacturers will have a range of processor upgrade choices (and price ranges). But WCCFtech.com reported that the difference between Broadwell and Skylake in terms of performance will be a big jump, which could dictate device development as well.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson