Over the last few weeks, there have been many leaks and rumours regarding Intel’s next top tier HEDT platform X299, expected at present to used an LGA2066 with processors with up to 12 cores currently rumoured.
The X299 platform already has some serious competition though with AMDs new Ryzen CPUs with their large core counts, they could already be giving the X299 platform a run for its money in both performance and value for money. The KabyLake-X CPUs though should be able to offer a slightly cheaper way to get into the HEDT game, the top spec CPU for KabyLake-X at present is expected to be the i7 7740K boasting slightly better specs than the current i7 7700k with a stock speed of 4.2Ghz and a boost speed of 4.5Ghz. While the numbers aren’t eye-watering, it must be remembered that the HEDT platforms have always been good for overclocking in the past so there could be a lot of untapped potential still waiting to be unleashed.
There is another major new inclusion for the KabyLake-X CPU line up and that is the inclusion of an i5 series CPU, this will be the first time an i5 has been produced for an Intel HEDT platform and it will be very interesting to see how well it goes down with buyers. This 4c/4t CPU is set to have a stock clock speed of 4.0Ghz although boost speeds have not surfaced at the moment, could the i5 7640K be the perfect budget solution to getting a foot on the HEDT ladder, or will it be a pointless exercise, we will find out soon enough.
However KabyLake-X is just the start for the new X299 platform, Skylake-X is where things will hopefully start to get exciting. With a selection of 6,8,10 and even 12 core i7 series CPUs set to be released some real competition to the Ryzen 7 8 core CPUs should be on the horizon. Unfortunately, information on the SkyLake-X chips has been very thin on the ground at present, but if we hear anything we will be sure to keep you up to date.
We are hoping to see a full formal release of the HEDT X299 platform on May 30th at Computex with CPUs and motherboards available to purchase towards the end of June.
