Intel Kaby Lake i5 7600K and i7 7700K CPU Review

Introduction

As you might have noticed from the enormous amount of new articles and reviews that have gone live today, it is time for a new generation of Intel processors to take to the market and loosen the wallets of the enthusiasts. The previous release, the Z170 and 6th Generation CPUs, had a big headline change with the introduction of DDR4.

This update consolidates all of the features that have rapidly become the norm - USB 3.1, NVMe M.2 Storage, DDR4 - and wraps them up in a newly shrunk package. A couple of years ago we would have called this the "tick cycle" of Intel's Tick Tock model, but that has since been change from a simple refinement (tick) and new architecture (tock) cycle into one of Process, Architecture and then Optimisation. Allowing Intel to make the most of their R&D work. Cynics might suggest that this is Intel resting on their laurels given the relative lack of competition in recent years, but considering how minor the performance improvements of each new have become we don't mind them spending a little more time keeping your latest purchase current.

Technical Specifications

The specifications table shows how the 7th Generation is an evolution of its predecessor rather than a wholesale revolution. The two new CPUs are based around the Finfet technology at 14nm, which should hopefully make overclocking easier whilst producing less heat than we saw from the 6th Generation. As always with Intel CPUs how much of a benefit you'll find from the upgrade depends upon how old your current system is. If you're still running i5-2500K or i7-2600 then there should be much to bring a smile to your lips.