Update 8/11/14 5:22 pm ET: Intel today reiterated that fanless Intel Core M-equipped computing devices will be on the market by the time the 2014 holiday season rolls around.
Original story
At Computex 2014, CPU maker Intel officially unveiled a bunch of processors that cover a wide spectrum of computer users and consumers, from enthusiasts, to average consumers.
Intel exec Renee James revealed the Intel Core M processor, which is based on the company’s next-generation Broadwell architecture. The Core M is fanless, which will allow OEMs that build systems with this chip to create super-slim devices. Intel envisions the Core M as a processor that largely appears in detachable laptops, as well as high-end tablets. Clock speed information for the Intel Core M was not provided.
“Fanless, full-Core performance,” James said during her keynote speech. “It’s cool, it’s quiet, it’s lighter, it’s thinner, and it’s the most energy efficient processor in Intel’s history.”
As an example of how Intel pictures the Core M’s future, the company showed off a 12.5-inch 2-in-1 detachable device stuffed with a Core M CPU that weighs 1.47 pounds, and is 7.2 mm thick. It also included a docking station, which provides cooling to the CPU, allowing it to perform faster. Clearly, Intel Core M devices will be aimed at general consumers, and those who fancy tablets as well as laptops. The Intel Core M processor will also be paired with the launch of the Intel Core M vPro, which will likely feature a suite of Intel-based security and manageability tech.
Though Intel addressed the new school of computing with the Core M unveiling, they certainly didn’t ignore the die-hard enthusiast PC crowd either. Intel paid tribute to them by also revealing a pair of processors code-named Devil’s Canyon; the i5-4690K, and i7-4790K, both of which are 4th-generation Haswell-based chips.
The Intel Core i7-4790K is a quad-core processor whose base clock runs at 4 GHz, with Turbo Boost pushing that up to 4.4 GHz. The Core i5-4690K is clocked at 3.5 GHz, with a Turbo Boost clock of 3.9 GHz. Both processors can be overclocked, will sport Intel HD 4600 GPUs, TDPs of 88 watts, and are compatible Intel’s LGA 1150 socket. They’re compatible with both Intel Z97 and Series 9-based motherboards.
Finally, there’s the Pentium G3258 processor, which is a budget-oriented chip that also caters to enthusiasts. It runs at 3.2 GHz, but will also be overclock-able. Like the pair of Devil’s Canyon chips, the Pentium G3258 will be compatible with Socket 1150, as well as Intel 8 and 9-series motherboards. Its TDP is rated at 53 watts. Intel made the G3258 as part of a celebration of the Pentium brand’s 20th anniversary.
Release date information on the Devil’s Canyon and Pentium chips has not been provided, but they should be available fairly soon. Considering that the Intel Core M processor is Broadwell-based, it won’t be until the 2014 holiday season that they’ll begin hitting the market.
