Intel launches 6th-gen i5 and i7 processors, built specifically for gaming

Now that Windows 10 is out the door, Intel has followed up the PC announcements with the launch of two new processors. The latest i7 and i5 chips are from the company's 6th-generation family, codenamed Skylake. The new processors have been specifically designed and manufactured for gamers and performance enthusiasts.

The quad-core Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K are clocked at 4GHz and 3.5GHz respectively. Due to the move to the new microarchitecture, a motherboard with a free LGA1151 CPU socket will be required for compatibility with the newly announced chips.

The unlocked chips will set you back $243 for the i5 and $350 for the i7. The company also announced plans to deliver an unlocked 6th Gen Intel processor "K" SKU for enthusiast notebooks later this year. This will be the first unlocked enthusiast SKU for mobile. We'll hopefully have more details at a later date.

Source: Intel, via: The Verge

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.