Velocity Micro, the premier builder of award winning enthusiast desktops, laptops, and peripherals announces the availability of Gaming/Enthusiast and Workstation PCs featuring 6th Generation Intel Core processors. Hand-crafted, made in the USA desktops using Asus Z170 chipset motherboards start at just $1,479, with shipments beginning immediately.

"This is a huge step forward for gamers, media creators and CAD designers, and even standard home office users," said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. "We're excited to offer next-gen enthusiast desktop Intel Core Processors as a part of our ongoing pursuit to create award winning, ultra-performance desktop PCs."

BIOSTAR a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards is proud to announce the release of its top-end Gaming Z170 series, the Gaming Z170X. Based on Intel's next-gen Skylake processors, this ATX form factor sports a 2GbE LAN capability. The Z170X features onboard USB 3.0with dual front and back connectors forconvenient use. The backward compatible USB 3.1 doubles the data transfer rate from 5Gbps to 10Gbps, making transferring your favorite games, music and movies even faster.

The Gaming Z170X features the Touch OC, exclusively developed by BIOSTAR allowing overclockers to enjoy the best performance from their system with a touch of a finger. Featuring Super Hi-Fi Audio with 30uF 'Golden' plated audio connectors providing excellent signal conductivity and less oxidation giving a crisp and clear sound, perfect for those looking for a studio-grade music experience.

MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system integrator of custom gaming desktops, takes gaming performance to the next level with Intel's 6th Generation Core processors. Designed for maximum power, ultimate scalability and superior efficiency, Intel's newest processors are now available to power all MAINGEAR desktops, from the powerful SHIFT to the STEAM-ready DRIFT.

Intel's 6th Gen Core processors showcase Turbo Boost Technology and can be overclocked for even more astonishing gaming performance, including a gain of up to 15% more power with MAINGEAR's REDLINE overclocking service. The newest processors also feature Intel RealSense for immersive experiences; USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 compatibility; advanced security benefits like Biometric login; and cable-free connectivity with wireless docking and 4K WiDi.

Intel's 100 Series, otherwise known as Skylake, the successor of Intel's Broadwell chips, not to be confused with Skynet and the end of human civilization, has finally arrived! The spearhead Z170 chipset are the first to make an appearance, while the embargo dates of others are drawing near as well. This year, ASRock continues its three motherboard product lines, the Extreme Series, ASRock Gaming Series and OC Formula Series.

The Extreme Series includes a proud generation of high performance motherboards, specifically tailored for designers and enthusiasts, with Z170 Extreme7+ leading the battalion. This bad boy has four PCIe Gen3 x16 slots that not only support ordinary graphics cards, but also workstation pro graphics cards, such as AMD FirePro cards and Nvidia Quadro cards. Better yet, besides the ten onboard SATA3 ports, it also comes with three SATA Express ports, and another three Ultra M.2 slots that support ASRock's U.2 Kit and Intel 750 SSDs for a monstrous PCIe SSD RAID 0 array.

XOTIC PC, a multi-award-winning Windows PC-based desktop systems integrator and reseller of highly customized gaming laptops since 1999, has announced today that the 6th Gen Intel Core Processors (formerly codenamed Skylake-S) will be available as a standard configuration and optional upgrade across the majority of XOTIC PC's line of award-winning gaming laptops and desktops.

The 6th Gen Intel Core Processors deliver an unprecedented level of raw performance and power efficiency to XOTIC PC's line of already-formidable gaming systems. Out of the box, Intel Turbo Boost Technology allows for more stable overclocking to meet the flexible needs of the most demanding multi-media processes and popular games. The 6th Gen Intel Core Processors also feature a higher degree of integration and compatibility with the new Microsoft Windows 10 operating system, which XOTIC PC began shipping late July.

Intel announced its first 6th generation Core processors, codenamed "Skylake." Built on Intel's swanky new 14 nanometer silicon fab process, and in the new LGA1151 package, these processors bring DDR4 memory to the mainstream, and offer IPC improvements over the previous-generation Core "Haswell" and "Broadwell" processors. Making its debut at Gamescom, Intel is starting its lineup off with two chips that are predominantly targeted at the DIY gaming PC crowd, the Core i7-6700K and the Core i5-6600K quad-core processors. More models in the series will be launched towards the end of this month. The company also announced the Z170 Express chipset.

The Core i7-6700K features a nominal clock speed of 4.00 GHz, with a Turbo Boost frequency of 4.20 GHz. It features 8 MB of L3 cache, and HyperThreading. Its integrated Intel HD 530 graphics ticks at 350 MHz, with 1200 MHz Boost. The Core i5-6600K, on the other hand, features clock speeds of 3.50 GHz, with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost. It features 6 MB of L3 cache, and lacks HyperThreading. It features the same integrated graphics solution as its bigger sibling. The TDP of both chips are rated at 91W. Both chips feature integrated memory controllers with support for DDR3L-1600 and DDR4-2133. The Core i7-6700K is priced around $350, and the i5-6600K around $243, in 1000-unit tray quantities. The retail packages of both chips will lack a stock cooling solution. The LGA1151 cooler mount will be identical to that of the outgoing LGA1150, so you shouldn't have any problems using your older cooler.

Apple is readying a new generation of iMac desktops, which it plans to launch in Q3-2015, likely at its September press event. The new Macs are expected to come with faster processors (likely Intel "Skylake,") faster DDR4 memory, and an increase in display resolutions across the board, including a 21.5-inch model with 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution, besides its 27-inch 5K (5120 x 2880 pixels) model. The display panels in these macs will feature a new LED phosphor material called KSF (K2SiF6:Mn), which improves color saturation. The displays will offer 30-bit (10 bpc) color depth, with the ability to produce 1.07 billion colors.

Noctua today announced that it will continue its tradition of supplying customers with its premium-class SecuFirm2 mounting kits for novel platforms free of charge. While most Noctua heatsinks support Skylake's LGA1151 socket out of the box, older models can be upgraded with the NM-i115x kit at no additional cost.

"We're determined to provide the best possible support to our customers and over the years, we've sent many thousands of mounting kits free of charge to users who wanted to upgrade to new platforms", says Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "With Skylake just around the corner, we're pleased to announce that we'll extend this offer for LGA1151. Owners of older Noctua retail heatsinks that don't support LGA1151 out of the box will be able to upgrade to the new socket free of charge!"

Due to the spacing of the mounting holes being identical on LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155 and LGA1156, Noctua's previous SecuFirm2 mounting systems for LGA115x also support Intel's upcoming 'Skylake' platform. All current Noctua coolers already include SecuFirm2 mounting systems for LGA115x and can thus be used on LGA1150 mainboards without any upgrades or modifications.

The retail packaging of Intel's 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors in the LGA1151 package, will be surprisingly colorful, and a throwback to the pre-Pentium 4 era, according to spy-shots of the retail boxes of the upcoming Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K. What's even more surprising, is that packages of the i7-6700K and i5-6600K, which feature unlocked base-clock multipliers, making them primed for overclocking, do not include stock cooling solutions. Their retail packages resemble those of Intel's Core i7 HEDT processors. In the box, you'll find just the processor, its case-badge, and basic documentation.

Both the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K feature the same integrated graphics SKU - HD Graphics 530. Both feature integrated memory controllers that support both DDR3L and DDR4 memory types. The Core i5 predictably lacks HyperThreading, and only features 6 MB of L3 cache, while the Core i7 features HyperThreading, and the full 8 MB present on the chip. The "Skylake" silicon will be built on the 14 nm process.

With its 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors, Intel is throwing in everything it's got, into increasing performance of the integrated graphics. This is necessitated not by some newfound urge to compete with entry-discrete GPUs from NVIDIA or AMD, but a rather sudden increase in display resolutions, after nearly a decade of stagnation. Notebook and tablet designers are wanting to cram in higher resolution displays, such as WQHD (2560 x 1440), 4K (3840 x 2160), and beyond, and are finding it impossible to achieve them without discrete graphics. This is what Intel is likely after. The aftereffect of this effort would be that the iGPU will be finally capable of playing some games at 720p or 900p resolutions, with moderate eye-candy. Games such as League of Legends should be fairly playable, even at 1080p. Intel claims that its 9th generation integrated graphics will over a 50% performance increment over the previous generation.

Moving on to CPU, and the performance-increase is a predictable 10-20% single/multi-thread CPU performance, over "Broadwell." This is roughly similar to how "Haswell" bettered "Ivy Bridge," and how "Sandy Bridge" bettered "Lynnfield." Intel will provide platform support on some of its "Skylake-U" ultraportable variants, for much of the modern I/O used by today's tablets and notebooks, which required third-party controllers, and which competing semi-custom SoCs natively offer, such as eMMC 5.0, SDIO 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, PCIe gen 3.0, and USB 3.0. Communications are also improved, with 2x 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.1, and WiDi 6.0.

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore's claim that transistor counts in microprocessors can be doubled with 2 years, by means of miniaturizing silicon lithography is beginning to buckle. In its latest earnings release, CEO Brian Krzanich said that the company's recent product cycles marked a slowing down of its "tick-tock" product development from 2 years to close to 2.5 years. With the company approaching sub-10 nm scales, it's bound to stay that way.

To keep Moore's Law alive, Intel adopted a product development strategy it calls tick-tock. Think of it as a metronome that give rhythm to the company. Each "tock" marks the arrival of a new micro-architecture, and each "tick" marks its miniaturization to a smaller silicon fab process. Normally, each year is bound to see one of the two in alternation.

MSI released this picture of its upcoming premium black-and-white themed socket LGA1151 motherboard, the Z170 Krait Gaming. Designed for gaming PC builds with up to two graphics cards, this board features white on not just its heatsinks, ports, and connectors (contrasting with black), but also in streaks on the PCB. The board draws power from 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and uses an 8-phase VRM to condition it for the CPU. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel memory, and two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 when both are populated).

Other expansion slots on the Z170 Krait Gaming include a third PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4, wired to the PCH), three PCIe 3.0 x1, and a legacy PCI slot. The board offers MSI's AudioBoost 3 onboard audio solution, and Killer E2205 gigabit Ethernet. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports (from which two can convert to a SATA-Express 16 Gb/s port), and one M.2 slot. Display outputs include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. The MSI Z170 Krait Gaming will be part of the company's first wave of LGA1151 motherboards, which launch alongside Intel Core i7-6700K and i5-6600K "Skylake" quad-core processors, in early-August.

Mushkin introduced the ECO2, a DDR3L-1600 MHz (PC3L-12800) memory module. Available in 4 GB and 8 GB densities, and coming in single-module, dual-channel, and quad-channel kits, the module ticks at 800 MHz (1600 MHz DDR3-effective), with timings of 9-9-9-24 CR1, and module voltage of 1.35V. DDR3L could play an important role in the transition of mainstream memory standard from DDR3 to DDR4, with the upcoming Intel Core "Skylake" processors, which feature integrated memory controllers that natively support DDR3L-1600 and DDR4-2400 (or DDR4-2666 as some reports suggest). Expect mainstream pricing for these modules.

Intel is expected to debut its 6th generation Core "Skylake" desktop processor family at Gamescom 2015, which will be held in Cologne, Germany, between 5th and 9th August. PC enthusiasts should look forward to two parts in particular, the Core i7-6700K, and the Core i5-6600K. The two quad-core chips will be built in the LGA1151 package, compatible with upcoming motherboards based on Intel's 100-series chipset. Motherboards based on the Intel Z170 Express chipset will allow CPU overclocking. The integrated memory controller of "Skylake" CPUs support both DDR3 and DDR4 memory standards, and should prove to be a transition point between the two.

Following the i7-6700K and i5-6600K with Z170 chipset motherboards, at Gamescom; Intel will launch other parts in the 6th gen. Core processor family between late-August and early-September. Those launches will include i7-6700/6700T, Core i5-6600, 6500, 6400, 6600T, 6500T and 6400T, and H170 and B150 chipsets. Then in late-September, the company will launch the entry-level H110 chipset.

Noctua announced in its Computex 2015 presentation that the company will give away adapters that let its CPU cooler models from as far as 2005 support Intel's upcoming socket LGA1151. The company will give away NM-115x retention module, which will let you install its CPU coolers on socket LGA1151 motherboards, which drive Intel's upcoming 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. Products in Noctua's current product-stack already support LGA1151, as the socket features an identical mount-hole spacing to its predecessors, the LGA1150, LGA1155, and LGA1156. Those with older Noctua coolers that are upgrading from another socket (eg: LGA775 or LGA1366) should be able to write to Noctua with a few simple purchase details, and receive the adapter for free.

Embedded systems and IPC major Giada is one of the first to openly exhibit a NUC (next unit of computing) compact desktop based on Intel's 6th generation Core "Skylake" processor. The i80 Ultra-Compact Mini PC by Giada features a "Skylake-U" dual-core processor, meant for Ultrabooks and NUCs; and tucks in four USB 3.0 ports, 802.11 ac WLAN, gigabit Ethernet (Intel controller), mini-DisplayPort, and HDMI 2.0, with just enough room for an mSATA SSD; in a compact chassis that measures 116.6 mm x 111 mm x 47.5 mm.

GIGABYTE showed off its entry-level ATX motherboard based on Intel Z170 chipset, the Z170-HD3. This socket LGA1151 board, ready for 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors, offers a basic feature-set for single graphics card gaming PC builds. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and conditions it for the CPU with a 7-phase VRM. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR4 memory.

Expansion slots on the Z170-HD3 include one PCI-Express 3.0 x16, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the PCH), and two each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and legacy PCI. Storage connectivity includes 32 Gb/s M.2 (PCI-Express 3.0 x4 physical layer), two SATA-Express 16 Gb/s, and six SATA 6 Gb/s. Display outputs include one each of D-Sub, dual-link DVI, and HDMI 2.0. Six USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet (Realtek controller), and 8-channel HD audio with audio-grade capacitors and ground-layer isolation make for the rest of its modern connectivity.

Intel's future enterprise computing business, post-2017, could see a unification of its 2-socket (2S), 4-socket (4S), and >8-socket (8S+) platforms unify into one, codenamed "Purley." The platform will consist of multiple SKUs, but a common socket type (Socket-P), and a new interconnect technology replacing InfiniBand, which will wire the sockets and core-logic across multiple server blades, together. Called Omni-Path Interconnect, the tech appears to be fiber-optic at the physical layer, with extremely thin cables, and bandwidths could start at 100 Gbps, for the first generation. The controller driving it will be codenamed "Storm Lake." The inter-socket communication will be care of a newer 10.4 GT/s UPI interconnect, each socket will feature three such UPI channels. The platform will support up to eight sockets per blade, with more sockets across neighboring blades over Omni-Path.

"Purley" will feature a new platform core-logic, in the form of the "Lewisburg" PCH. It will feature the new DMI3 chipset-bus, which is PCI-Express 3.0 x4 at the physical layer. This chipset will support up to four 10 GbE interfaces. On the processor front, will be as processors based on the "Skylake" micro-architecture. Intel will carve out several silicons based on "Skylake," the biggest one will feature 28 physical CPU cores, with HyperThreading enabling 56 logical CPUs, and for the first time, a six-channel (384-bit wide) DDR4 integrated memory controller, with support for DDR4-2666. On the flip side, this IMC only supports one DIMM per channel (DPC). The 3DPC support from previous platforms is gone. These chips will be built on the 14 nm silicon fab process, and their TDP will range between 45W and 165W, depending on the number of cores and clock speeds.

Here's the first picture of BIOSTAR's upcoming socket LGA1151 motherboard, the Gaming-Z170X, designed for 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. This particular board, in its unfinished form, features DDR4 DIMM slots; but there could be other models in the series, with DDR3 DIMM slots. The board could be exhibited without its final PCB color and heatsinks, at the upcoming Computex event. This picture also gives you a glimpse of the Z170 PCH in the flesh.

From the looks of it, the Gaming-Z170X looks pretty feature-packed, offering a 14-phase CPU VRM, three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4), and storage connectivity that includes three (yes, three) SATA-Express 10 Gb/s ports, carved out of the board's six SATA 6 Gb/s ports; and two M.2 10 Gb/s slots, with a third mPCIe riser. BIOSTAR's Hi-Fi audio solution, which includes a 600Ω headphones amp, a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, and ground-layer isolation; and Killer E2200 wired networking, along with a handful of USB 3.0 (including some USB 3.1?) ports make for the rest of its modern connectivity.

Intel's Core "Skylake" processor lineup, built on the company's swanky new 14 nanometer fab process, drew heads to its rather high 95W TDP for quad-core parts such as the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K, even though their 22 nm predecessors, such as the i7-4770K and the i5-4670K run cooler, at 84W TDP. A new leaked slide explains the higher TDP. Apparently, Intel is going all-out with its integrated graphics implementation on Core "Skylake" chips, including onboard graphics that leverage eDRAM caches. The company is promising as much as 50% higher integrated graphics performance over "Haswell."

Although the chips have high rated TDP, the overall energy efficiency presents a different story. SoCs based on "Skylake" will draw as much as 60% lower power than "Haswell" based ones, translating into 35% longer HD video playback on portable devices running these chips. Intel's graphics performance push is driven by an almost sudden surge in display resolutions, with standards such as 4K (3840 x 2160) entering mainstream, and 5K (5120 x 2880) entering the enthusiast segment. Intel's design goal is to supply the market with a graphics solution that makes the two resolutions functional on desktop and video, if not gaming.

Without much noise, Intel released the latest version of its Chipset Device software (INF update utility), that driver you install just after OS setup and forget about; which comes with a curious release notes. Version 10.0.27, adds support for three of the year's big buzzwords for PC enthusiasts - Intel 100-series chipsets (notably the Z170 Express chipset), 6th Generation Core "Skylake" processors, and Windows 10. The software comes with driver dates of 5th May, 2015, and given that Z170-driven socket LGA1151 motherboards are already in industry circulation as engineering samples, such as this one, product launches could be quite close. One can expect Z170-driven motherboards to make an appearance at Computex 2015 (early-June). Core "Skylake" processors launch later this year. Windows 10, on the other hand, is expected to launch in July.DOWNLOAD: Intel Chipset Device Software 10.0.27

Here is the first picture of Colorful's premium socket LGA1151 motherboard, the iGame-Z170. The company plans to carve out at lease three unique SKUs out of this PCB (second picture below), the iGame-Z170 being the base model. As its name suggests, the board is based on Intel's upcoming Z170 Express chipset, and is designed for 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. Some variants of this board, such as the iGame-Z170U, will feature DDR4 DIMM slots (up to 64 GB), while others will feature DDR3 (up to 32 GB).

The board offers a pretty decent feature-set, including a 14-phase CPU VRM, two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x8/x8 when both are populated) wired to the CPU, a third PCI-Express x4 slot wired to the PCH, three other PCI-Express x1 slots; storage connectivity that includes six SATA 6 Gb/s, one SATA-Express, and one M.2 10 Gb/s; two USB 3.1 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and a modern onboard audio solution with ground-layer isolation, and audio-grade capacitors. The iGame-Z170 series will launch some time in Q3, 2015. The three will likely be exhibited at Computex 2015, this June.

Major pre-built desktop manufacturers began listing products driven by 5th generation Core "Broadwell" processors, which are having a brief stint at the markets before being replaced by 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors in Q3-2015. The 5th Generation Core family is led by two parts, the Core i5-5675C, and the Core i7-5775C, both of which come with unlocked base-clock multipliers, are based on Intel's new 14 nanometer silicon fab process, and built in the LGA1150 package, compatible with existing Intel 9-series chipset based motherboards, with BIOS updates.

The Core i5-5675C and i7-5775C aren't exactly successors of the i5-4690K and i7-4790K. The i7-5775C is placed in a product tier Intel calls "P1+," while the i5-5675C is placed in one called "MS2+." The two aren't exactly in the same plane as P1K (eg: i7-4790K) or MS2K (eg: i5-4690K), respectively, and don't qualify as P1 (eg: i7-4790 non-K) or MS2 (eg: i5-4690 non-K). The two still feature unlocked multipliers. This places them somewhere between P1K/MS2K and P1/MS2. Both the i5-5675C and i7-5775C are quad-core chips, and physically feature just 6 MB of L3 cache. The i7-5775C has access to all 6 MB of it, while the i5-5675K features just 4 MB.

In what is a confirmation that AMD has killed socket AM3+ and its 3-chip platform, a leaked slide that's part of a larger press-deck addressing investors, tells us that the company is planning to launch a high-performance desktop processor targeting enthusiasts, based on its next-generation "Zen" architecture, in 2016. Our older articles detail the Zen CPU core design, and the way in which AMD will build multi-core CPUs with it. This processor will be codenamed "Summit Ridge," and will be a CPU, and not an APU as previously reported. In AMD-speak, what sets a CPU apart from an APU is its lack of integrated graphics.

AMD "Summit Ridge" will be an 8-core CPU built on the 14 nanometer silicon fab process. It will feature eight "Zen" cores, with 512 KB of L2 cache per core, 16 MB of L3 cache, with 8 MB shared between two sets of four cores, each; a dual-channel integrated memory controller that likely supports both DDR3 and DDR4 memory types; and an integrated PCI-Express gen 3.0 root complex, with a total of 22 lanes. We can deduce this from the fact that "Summit Ridge" will be built in the same upcoming socket FM3 package, which the company's "Bristol Ridge" Zen-based APU will be built on. "Summit Ridge" will hence be more competitive with Intel's 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors, such as the i7-6700K and i5-6600K, than the company's "Broadwell-E" HEDT platform.

Intel's next major CPU architecture, codenamed "Skylake," could be classified as the company's 6th generation Core processor family. It will succeed the brief stint Core "Broadwell" will have at the market, with no major chips for PC enthusiasts to look forward to. The Core i7-6700K appears to be the flagship product based on the Skylake-D silicon, succeeding the i7-4770K and i7-4790K. The Core i5-6600K will succeed the i5-4670K and i5-4690K.

The i7-6700K is a quad-core chip, with HyperThreading enabling 8 logical CPUs. Its nominal clock will be 4.00 GHz, with a rather shallow 4.20 GHz Turbo Boost frequency. It will feature an 8 MB L3 cache, and an integrated memory controller that supports both DDR4 and DDR3 memory types. This makes Skylake a transition point for the mainstream PC market to gradually upgrade to DDR4. You'll have some motherboards with DDR3 memory slots, some with DDR4 slots, and some with both kinds of slots. The resulting large uncore component, and perhaps a bigger integrated GPU, will result in quad-core Skylake parts having TDP rated as high as 95W, higher than current Haswell quad-core parts, with their 88W TDP.