Intel Unloads Fresh Salvo Of Fifth Gen Broadwell Core Processors With Buff Iris Pro Graphics

Had Paul Revere been a computer geek living in the modern era, he'd have just flown in from Computex and hopped on his Harley so he could cruise the streets yelling, "Iris Pro Graphics is coming! Iris Pro Graphics is coming!" That's because Intel today fleshed out its fifth generation Core processor lineup with 10 new desktop and mobile Broadwell-H CPUs, each infused with Iris Pro Graphics 6200.

The unofficial hope is that these new CPUs will hold users over until Skylake arrives. Intel's also aiming at a segment that is content to roll with integrated graphics, but want something better than what's currently available, at least in Intel's camp (AMD has some compelling integrated graphics options). That's where Iris Pro comes in, which Intel describes as its most powerful client processor graphics and media engine to date.

Intel Broadwell

Intel's batch of new Broadwell chips is equally split between desktop and mobile. Starting with the desktop, the flagship of the bunch is the Core i7-5775C, a quad-core chip with Hyper Threading support and 6MB of cache. It's clocked at 3.3GHz, has a 65W TDP, and carries an MSRP of $348. Note that it's also an unlocked chip, as designated by "C" in the model number, which is part of Intel's new naming scheme.

According to Intel, the Core i7-5775C delivers up to 35 percent better media performance and over twice the graphics performance of the previous 4th generation Core i7-4790S with Intel HD Graphics 4600. With a 65W TDP, Intel says the new chip can offer full PC performance in a range of form factors, including smaller and thinner mini PCs and all-in-one (AIO) systems.

The other desktop parts consist of:
  • Core i7-5775R: 4/8 cores/threads; 3.3GHz base frequency; 6MB cache; 65W TPD; $348 MSRP
  • Core i5-5675C: 4/4 cores/threads; 3.1GHz base frequency; 4MB cache; 65W TPD; $276 MSRP
  • Core i5-5675R: 4/4 cores/threads; 3.1GHz base frequency; 4MB cache; 65W TPD; $265 MSRP
  • Core i5-5575R: 4/4 cores/threads; 2.8GHz base frequency; 4MB cache; 65W TPD; $244 MSRP

Intel Broadwell Slide

These are flanked by five new mobile chips:
  • Core i7-5950HQ: 4/8 cores/threads; 2.9GHz base frequency; 6MB cache; 47W TPD; $623 MSRP
  • Core i7-5850HQ: 4/8 cores/threads; 2.7GHz base frequency; 6MB cache; 47W TPD; $434 MSRP
  • Core i7-5750HQ: 4/8 cores/threads; 2.5GHz base frequency; 6MB cache; 47W TPD; $434 MSRP
  • Core i7-5700HQ: 4/8 cores/threads; 2.7GHz base frequency; 6MB cache; 47W TPD; $378 MSRP
  • Core i5-5350H: /4 cores/threads; 3.0GHz base frequency; 4MB cache; 47W TPD; $289 MSRP
Intel claims the flagship Core i7-5950HQ delivers up to 95 percent better media performance and up to twice the 3D graphics performance of the current generation 15W 5th Generation Core i7-5600U mobile CPU.

Look for the new processors to roll out to retail and in new pre-built systems within the next 30-60 days.

Don't Forget the Workstation

Intel also unveiled the Xeon processor E3-1200 v4 product family, now with integrated Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300. These chips are built on the latest 14nm manufacturing process and purportedly deliver up to 1.4 times more performance for video transcoding chores and up to 1.8 times more 3D graphics performance compared to the prior generation.

Intel Xeon Slide

There are five new chips ranging from the Xeon E3-1258L v4 (4/8 cores/threads; 1.8GHz; 6MB cache; 47W TDP; $480 MSRP) to the Xeon E3-1285 v4 (4/8 cores/threads; 3.5GHz; 6MB cache; 95W TDP; $557 MSRP).

Intel says the new Xeon parts are optimized for graphics intensive workloads such as video delivery and remote workstation applications. As part of the graphics upgrade, these new chips sport integrated Intel Quick Sync Video, which is Intel's name for its hardware-based accelerated video transcoding technology. This allows for up to 4,300 simultaneous HD video streams per server rack in real-time.