Skip to main content

Intel responds to AMD’s Ryzen onslaught with some Core i7 and i5 updates

Intel Core i7-7700K review
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
AMD is getting ready to roll out its new Ryzen CPUs, promising significantly improved performance not only over AMD’s previous processor line but also in comparison to the best that Intel currently has to offer. AMD will be releasing a host of new CPUs ranging from quad-core versions with four threads up to octa-core versions with 16 threads.

Intel is rolling out its seventh-generation, or Kaby Lake, architecture, which is focused more on efficiency than outright performance. However, Intel isn’t standing still in the face of Ryzen’s impending release, Hexus reports.

According to Canard PC, a French publication, Intel is planning to both adjust Kaby Lake pricing and push out some new versions directly in response to Ryzen. The new CPUs could be unlocked versions of both Core i7 and Core i5 Kaby Lake, as such:

  • Intel Core i7-7740K, 4.3GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz, a thermal design power rating of 100W, and with 8MB of L3 cache.
  • Intel Core i5-7640K, 4.0GHz, TDP of 100W or more, 6MB of L3 cache, and support for Hyperthreading. This would be a first for recent Core i5 chips, which typically do not have Hyperthreading enabled.

AMD has not yet announced pricing for its Ryzen CPUs, and that will likely dictate how aggressively Intel adjusts its own cost structure for the Kaby Lake line. And, Intel will be releasing its own new generation Cannonlake architecture, which will be focused on switching to a new 10nm fabrication process and not necessarily on massive performance increases. In the meantime, it appears that Intel will be somewhat limited in its ability to respond to Ryzen.

We’re still not certain which of AMD’s new CPUs will be released the soonest and how long it will take the company to roll out the complete line including the highest-end parts. AMD will also be releasing its new Vega GPU architecture, meaning that Nvidia will face its own competitive pressures.

If you’re Intel or Nvidia, then AMD is giving you a headache about now. If you’re a PC gamer or anyone looking to build a high-performance machine, then you have good reason to be excited. Even if Ryzen isn’t your cup of tea, its mere presence in the market should force Intel and Nvidia to be that much more aggressive in rolling out their own improvements.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Coppock
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
CES 2023: AMD Ryzen 7000 laptops CPUs go up to 16 cores
AMD CEO holding the Ryzen 7040 series processor.

AMD announced the upcoming release of its Ryzen 7000 mobile processors during its CES 2023 keynote. With a strong focus on performance and efficiency, these CPUs will soon arrive in some of the best gaming laptops, but AMD is not just targeting gamers.

The lineup includes processors made for all kinds of laptops, and today, AMD gave us our first glimpse at the Ryzen 7040 "Phoenix" and the Ryzen 7045 "Dragon Range." Here's everything you need to know about them.

Read more
AMD’s new Ryzen 9 7950X3D is up to 24% faster than Intel’s best
AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su showing the Ryzen 9 7950X3D at CES 2023.

AMD is starting off its CES strong with the introduction of new 3D V-Cache Ryzen 7000 CPUs. Unlike the previous generation, AMD isn't restricting its 3D V-Cache to just a midrange CPU, and is instead introducing three chips that match most of AMD's current-gen lineup.

AMD introduced the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and Ryzen 7 7800X3D during its CES keynote today. The flagship chip, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, tops out with 16 cores, a 5.7GHz boost clock speed, and 144MB of cache.

Read more
Intel’s 24-core laptop CPU might outclass desktop i9 processors
A render of Intel's H-series mobile processors.

Intel is pushing laptop CPU core counts to places they've never been before. The company announced its 13th-gen Raptor Lake mobile processors at CES 2023, including the flagship Core i9-13980HX which includes a massive 24 cores that could top the list of the best Intel processors.

That sounds insane considering even AMD's desktop Ryzen 9 7950X only comes with 16 cores. But Intel's cores aren't all built equally. Like the previous generation, 13th-gen mobile Raptor Lake processors include a combination of performance (P) cores and efficient (E) cores. The most powerful chips in the range come with 24 cores, but they're split across eight P-cores and 16 E-cores.

Read more