ITT: We propose our own Intel SKUs

[cbn]

As in this thread, please post your ideas.

Here are three of mine:

1.) Unlocked Broadwell or Skylake Celeron GT2 (supplied with the same 95 watt cooler as the Pentium G3258)

Reason for proposing this SKU:

---- It would be great to have a complete low cost gaming package on the extreme low end. Ideally this SKU would be for a low cost Linux DIY based machine (used in our living rooms). Think PC based Linux Gaming Console or Linux Gaming HTPC.

2.) 4+ GHz stock clocked Broadwell Core i5-K quad core.

Reason for proposing this SKU:

----- I believe increasing stock clocks (example: i7-4790K) is the next step for increasing value of the enthusiast mainstream quad core.

3.) Haswell-E hexcore with hyperthreading disabled (and reduced PCIe lanes just like on the i7-5820K). This coupled to a reduced cost chipset (maybe call it X95?)

Reason for proposing this SKU:

-----I would like to see Haswell-E involved more in the mainstream.

Very late edit (9/4/2014 @ 11:38 am Pacific time):

4.) Pentium G3259: Take the unlocked Pentium G3258 and fully enable all 20 EUs on the iGPU.

Reason for proposing this SKU: The extra EUs would probably allow more people to use the processor as a standalone for budget Linux gaming. Hopefully as 22nm matures the necessary dies become available to make this SKU happen.

 

[Maximilian]

1. Unlocked 16 core 32 thread @ 3.4ghz
Iris Pro graphics
TSX that actually works
Free toy

 

[SPBHM]

less silly overclocking restrictions (like "Z" chipsets and only a couple of unlocked parts at $240+, or one that only have 2 threads),
hexa core CPUs on the "mainstream" platform; cheaper quad core (call it i3 or whatever, lower the cache, clock...)

also I question their choices with the IGP, I mean, I wonder how many desktop i5-i7 users actually benefit from the 20EUs GPU, while Celeron and Pentiums only have half of that, but are by far the most likely to be used for gaming with the IGP.

 

[Sweepr]

Unlocked 2-core (4-threads) Broadwell/Skylake with GT3e or GT4e SKU - $100-150.
Unlocked mainstream LGA115x 6-core (12 threads) Broadwell/Skylake >3.5GHz - $200-350.
High-end LGA2011 chips starting with 8-core/16-threads >$400, 10-12 cores EE $1000 model.

 

[Enigmoid]

Move the lineup to 6 cores on mainstream high end. Readdress

1. i7 - 6 cores (+HT?)
2. i5 - 4 cores + HT
3. i3 - 4 cores
4. pentium - 2 cores + HT
5. celeron - higher clocked dual

All extensions and instructions throughout lineup.

Enough said.

 

[cbn]

also I question their choices with the IGP, I mean, I wonder how many desktop i5-i7 users actually benefit from the 20EUs GPU, while Celeron and Pentiums only have half of that, but are by far the most likely to be used for gaming with the IGP.

Yes, I totally agree.

In fact, of all the SKUs I would like to see Intel release, it is the unlocked Celeron GT2 I want the most.

I'm also wondering if it would even be more economical to produce a Core based Celeron GT2 than an atom quad core SOC with 16 EUs. (re: Core based Celeron GT2 on the desktop would not have the PCH integrated)

 

[Shivansps]

-Desktop Celeron with GT3 IGP
-Desktop Pentium with GT3 and HT
-Desktop I3 GT3 IGP and unlocked.

Lets say, every SKU in the desktop line should have the best IGP avalible.

 

[cbn]

less silly overclocking restrictions (like "Z" chipsets and only a couple of unlocked parts at $240+, or one that only have 2 threads),

If Intel releases a fast clocked Core i5-K (ie, the Broadwell i5 equivalent of the i7-4790K), the importance of the Z chipset will probably decrease. (re: Overclocking will be a lower gain than before because Intel has already provided much of that performance through higher stock clocks)

We'll see what happens though.

 

[DominionSeraph]

3.) Haswell-E hexcore with hyperthreading disabled (and reduced PCIe lanes just like on the i7-5820K). This coupled to a reduced cost chipset (maybe call it X95?)

Reason for proposing this SKU:

-----I would like to see Haswell-E involved more in the mainstream.

So you basically want an i7 4790k. You know they make that.

 

[jpiniero]

1. Unlocked 16 core 32 thread @ 3.4ghz
Iris Pro graphics
TSX that actually works
Free toy

And a pony!

 

[Yuriman]

3 core + HT + Iris Pro for laptop

Unlocked 3 core + HT + minimum iGPU (keep die costs down) for desktop

 

[Tsavo]

I want a 32 core CPU running at 400 MHz.

Just because.

 

[Burpo]

I want a jet..

 

[cbn]

3.) Haswell-E hexcore with hyperthreading disabled (and reduced PCIe lanes just like on the i7-5820K). This coupled to a reduced cost chipset (maybe call it X95?)

Reason for proposing this SKU:

-----I would like to see Haswell-E involved more in the mainstream.

So you basically want an i7 4790k. You know they make that.

With the i7-4790K sometimes I would want to disable HT.

With a 6C/6T Haswell-E I would never have to do that.

Not only that, but the Haswell-E platform is better overall (more features, the ability to upgrade to octocore sometime in the future, etc)

 

[DominionSeraph]

With the i7-4790K sometimes I would want to disable HT.

With a 6C/6T Haswell-E I would never have to do that.

Not only that, but the Haswell-E platform is better overall (more features, the ability to upgrade to octocore sometime in the future, etc)

So what you want is a Haswell-E i7 and to disable the hyperthreading. You know you can do that, right?

 

[cbn]

So what you want is a Haswell-E i7 and to disable the hyperthreading. You know you can do that, right?

The 6C/6T Haswell-E should be priced at the same level as the i7-4790K.

At the same time, Intel launches a 4+ GHz Core Broadwell Core i5-K (this basically reduces the significance of the Z chipset for future generations, lowering platform costs for enthusiast mainstream on LGA 115x sockets )

Basically, I see quad core enthusiast desktop as a mature market (its been slow progress since Sandy Bridge was released in January 2011) and I would like to see Intel move along with things on the hexcore and dual core desktop fronts.

 

[ShintaiDK]

AVX2 on all SKUs

 

[Fjodor2001]

Fewer SKUs to begin with. There are too many of them so it's really confusing for the customers. You have to be an enthusiast and look up the exact model number at the Intel website to make sure you're not missing some feature you'd like.

It looks like they have too many product managers each wanting to be boss of their "own" product, or their marketing department has gone overboard with market segmentation.

I'd like to see these SKUs as mainstream desktop CPUs:

i7: 8C/16T
i5: 6C/12T
i3: 4C/8T
Pentium: 2C/4T

* All of them should have the complete instruction sets (TSX, VT-d, vPro, etc).

* All of them should be unlocked.

* Same base and turbo clock within each model series (e.g. all Core-i5 have same frequency). Optionally perhaps have two models, one with higher clock than the other to allow some speed binning in factory.

* Not sure about whether there needs to be different models with different IGP though? Possibly the same IGP could be used in all of them, or it could be stepped up to a more powerful IGP automatically the higher model number you get (i.e. i7 has the most powerful IGP). Anybody else has any opinions on that?

 

[Maximilian]

Move the lineup to 6 cores on mainstream high end. Readdress

1. i7 - 6 cores (+HT?)
2. i5 - 4 cores + HT
3. i3 - 4 cores
4. pentium - 2 cores + HT
5. celeron - higher clocked dual

All extensions and instructions throughout lineup.

Enough said.

This would be good :thumbsup:

 

[witeken]

A quadcore i3 (worse IGP, lower clock speed, less features, but cheap).

 

[Fjodor2001]

Oh, and one more thing. Why not skip the Celeron and Pentium brands? Name them e.g. i1 and i2 instead. It would be more clear for the customer how they it fit in with the i3/i5/i7 products then.

 

[witeken]

Because it's the marketing team that comes up with the SKU naming.

 

[DominionSeraph]

The 6C/6T Haswell-E should be priced at the same level as the i7-4790K.

Why don't you just say you want an i7 5960X for free?

 

[Phynaz]

Oh, and one more thing. Why not skip the Celeron and Pentium brands? Name them e.g. i1 and i2 instead. It would be more clear for the customer how they it fit in with the i3/i5/i7 products then.

You keep successful brands around. Everyone knows the Pentium name.

 

[Fjodor2001]

You keep successful brands around. Everyone knows the Pentium name.

They remember it from the days when the top end CPUs were named Pentium. Today most people have no clue where Pentium fits in with the Core iX CPUs, and how it differs from those.