Intel's 2016 desktop roadmap has been leaked confirming the arrival of Broadwell-E, Kaby Lake-S and Apollo Lake chips. Since last week, we have seen several leaks regarding Intel's upcoming mainstream and enthusiast platforms and the latest roadmap detailing the launch schedule of these CPUs has been leaked by Benchlife. It confirms what we have been hearing over the internet that Intel is indeed readying several chips for launch in 2016.

Image Credits/Source: Benchlife

Intel's 2016 Desktop CPU Roadmap Confirms Broadwell-E, Kaby Lake-S and Apollo Lake Processors

As we know, Intel has three new desktop CPU families prepped up for launch in 2016. First up is Broadwell-E which will be targeted at enthusiasts and extreme desktop users. This launch will be followed by Apollo Lake and Kaby Lake-U chips for the embedded segment to power low-energy devices. Later in the year, Intel will launch the Kaby Lake-S mainstream platform and also the new Skylake-S chips featuring the GT4e chips with embedded DRAM. We are going to take a closer look at the launch and SKU details of the new platforms in detail below:

Intel Broadwell-E - Aiming The Enthusiasts With Up To 10 Core Processors

First up, we have the Broadwell-E HEDT family which is powering the enthusiast X99 platform. TheBroadwell-E family will consist of four new offerings which include:

Intel Core i7-6950XIntel Core i7-6900KIntel Core i7-6850KIntel Core i7-6800K

Picture of the iconic Intel Extreme Logo

Intel Core i7-6950X:

The Intel Core i7-6950X processor will be the flagship processor of the Broadwell-E lineup. The processor will feature 10 cores and 20 threads. The processor will run at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a 3.50 GHz boost clock. The processor will come in an unlocked package to allow overclocking support to enthusiastsbut I think Intel will be making a point with the upcoming launch, that they are not stopping at 8 cores for their HEDT family but increasing the core count even further for consumers. The processor rocks 25 MB of L3 cache (2.5 MB per core) and will be compatible with current generation X99 motherboards that feature the LGA 2011-v3 socket. There’s no reason to believe that board partners of Intel won’t launch new motherboards to mark the arrival of the first 10 core processor from any company, whether Intel or AMD in the consumer market. Although Intel and AMD have both released higher core count processors in the server and workstation market, no 10 core high-performance CPU has yet launched in the desktop PC market. The Core i7-6950X is expected to launch at price of $999 US.

Intel Core i7-6900K:

Although the Core i7-6950X is one hell of a processor, Intel will also launch three more SKUs in the Broadwell-E lineup. This is the first time that Intel is launching four processors in an HEDT lineup but it might cover up the big price differences we have seen in the older lineups. Starting off with the Core i7-6900K which is an 8 core processor with 16 threads and has 20 MB of L3 Cache. Now the processor specifications reminds me of the 8-Core Core i7-5960X which is the flagship Haswell-E offering that launched back in 2014 but fear not, this new processor would not only be a little bit cheaper than the Core i7-5960X but also come with faster clock speeds of 3.20 GHz base and 3.70 GHz boost. All along with the added sweetness of an unlocked multiplier and full support on the latest X99 motherboards to allow for better overclocking. The Core i7-6900K is expected to hit the market at around $600 US range.

Intel Core i7-6850K and Core i7-6800K:

At the bottom of the lineup, Intel will have two SKUs, the Core i7-6850K and the Core i7-6800K. Both CPUs have 6 cores and 12 threads and come with 15 MB of L3 cache but the interesting thing is that both chips are placed for the entry level enthusiasts which means these will be retailing for a price of sub-$450 US. The Core i7-6850K will feature a base clock of 3.60 GHz base and 3.80 GHz boost while the Core i7-6800K will feature clock speeds of 3.40 GHz base and 3.60 GHz boost. Both processors are fully compliant with the LGA 2011-3 socket and will feature support for quad channel DDR4 memory with speeds of up to 2400 MHz (O.C+). The new chips will be arrivingin the second quarter of 2016 (probably around Computex 2016 in June).

Intel Broadwell-E Family Specifications:

Intel Broadwell-E Family