PC builders gearing up for Skylake after spec leak
Intel's new processors could play well among schools demanding longer battery life from their machines, claim UK PC assemblers
UK system builders are eagerly anticipating the performance boost that will come with the imminent launch of Skylake, Intel's sixth-generation Core processors, after details of its specifications were apparently leaked.
According to website FanlessTech, Skylake promises big benefits for gamers, with up to 50 per cent better 3D graphics than its Broadwell predecessor.
The documents leaked to the website also revealed that it will have a battery life of 11.3 hours, 30 per cent longer than Broadwell – a potential selling point in verticals such as education.
Skylake, which Intel last month confirmed will be released some time in the second half of 2015, will also boast better CPU performance at a lower price point. The CPUs will apparently be 17 per cent faster for Y-Series, 11 per cent faster for H-Series and S-Series and 10 per cent faster for U-Series.
Andy Rutley, managing director of public sector-focused system builder NS Optimum, said the features of Skylake would play well into an education sector demanding machines that will last the school day.
"Most schools are not that interested in being at the front of the curve like gamers, but the headline fact that performance and battery are improving is important for education," he said.
"We will adopt it fairly soon. One of the benefits of being a nimble system builder is you can release a new product as soon as it comes out. We can build within 34 hours of the board and chips being available."
Andrew Hopton, managing director of education-focused system builder VeryPC, also welcomed Skylake's imminent arrival, especially since his firm opted to skip Intel's current generation of Broadwell architecture.
"We're excited about the performance and power benefits Skylake brings over the previous generation of platform, in particular the benefits on mobile/ portable platforms will mean sleeker, better battery life and great performance from devices," he said.
"The period between Haswell, Broadwell and Skylake was so short that I didn't bother with Broadwell. On the desktop side, there was only i5 and i7 so I overlooked it. We're not rushing to switch to Skylake but it's more about the next buying cycle and having the platform in place for when schools start buying in Easter and next summer."
Intel claimed at its Solutions Summit in April that the near-concurrent arrival of Skylake and Windows 10 would signal a "once-in-a-decade high" for innovation in the PC space.