Core i7 6700K processor review: Desktop Skylake - Skylake: Core i7-6700K Review

Intel Core i7 6700K
The Skylake Quad-Core flagship processor 

We review the Intel Core i7 6700K flagship quad-core processor fabbed at a 14nm node. This little puppy is fast and agile, but will it be worth an upgrade? For this review we look at the performance of this processor in a wide variety of benchmarks and situations. Skylake Core i5 6600K and Core i7 6700K processors for the desktop platform have been released. We test both processors, yet have separate reviews on each of these processors. A new chip, a new package meaning both of them are Socket 1151. The new series Skylake processors are energy efficient, quite powerful and this need to be paired with a new motherboard series. For you guys that means the Z170 and H170 range. An unlocked Skylake processor that has four cores and a 91W TDP, that number is lower compared to Haswell with its 95W TDP, obviously thanks to the new and smaller 14nm fabrication process. 

CPU	Core i7-5775C	Core i5-5675C	Core i7-6700K	Core i5-6600K	Core i7-4790K	Core i7-4770K
Codename	Broadwell	Broadwell	Skylake	Skylake	Haswell	Haswell
Package	LGA 1150	LGA 1150	LGA 1151	LGA 1151	LGA 1150	LGA 1150
Cores/threads	4/8	4/4	4/8	4/4	4/8	4/8
Frequency（GHz）	3.3-3.7	3.1-3.6	4.0-4.2	3.5-3.9	4.0-4.4	3.5-3.9
memory	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600	DDR4-2133	DDR4-2133	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600
IGP	Iris Pro 6200	Iris Pro 6200	Intel HD 530	Intel HD 530	Intel HD 4600	Intel HD 4600
L3 Cache	6MB	4MB	8MB	6MB	8MB	8MB
Fab	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	22nm	22nm
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
TDP	65W	65W	91W	91W	84W	95W

The quad core CPU has 8 MB L3 cache, and an integrated memory controller that supports both DDR4 and DDR3 memory. The Z170 and H170 series motherboards will all be offered with DDR4 though. For the gaming community two processors are the most important:

• Core i7 6700K
  Four CPU cores with Hyper-Threading, 4.0 GHz frequency, 4.20 GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, 8 MB last-level cache, dual-channel DDR3/DDR4 memory controller with 1600 MHz or 2133 MHz support, Intel HD Graphics 530-series integrated graphics core, LGA 1151 packaging
   
• Core i5 6600K
  Four cores, 3.50 GHz frequency, 3.90 GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, 6 MB last-level cache, dual-channel DDR3/DDR4 memory controller with 1600 MHz or 2133 MHz support, Intel HD Graphics 530-series integrated graphics core, LGA 1151 packaging

Skylake is the code name used by Intel for the 14nm processor micro-architecture under development and is the successor to the Broadwell architecture.

As stated, in this review we focus on the flagship quad-core Skylake based offering, the Core i7 6700K, armed with the right motherboard this processor is dressed to impress. The Intel Core i7-6700K processor runs up to a 4.2 GHz clock speed, has 8 MB cache, 4 cores, 8 threads. Let's get started shall we?