GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
11 October, 2016
The 7th generation of Intel processors (also known as Kaby Lake or Kabylake) are showing up in the newest computers, right now in tablets, notebooks, and laptops, and by the first quarter of 2017 in desktops. This should mean there will be some good bargains for existing 6th generation (Skylake) processor-based computers for those who do not feel the need to have the latest technology available. So what do the newest processors offer? For most users, probably not a whole lot.
There is about a 10% increase in processor performance with little or no additional battery drain. The big difference is in the decoding of 4K ultra high definition video, which few people have right now, but is predicted to be in more than half of US household televisions by 2025. The decoding of the 4K video is handled in the graphics processor instead of the main CPU, and results in over 3 times the battery life compared to the 6th generation processor-based computer during video streaming. For people who would like to stream ultra-high-definition video on their tablet or laptop computer while traveling, that is a huge advantage.
For an interesting comparison of performance and battery life in 5th, 6th, and 7th generation Intel processor-based Dell XPS 13 laptops, see the following:
