First Intel Skylake Business-Class Laptop Availability Revealed

Intel’s Skylake microprocessor strategy came into clearer focus Friday when the chipmaker said the platform is headed for business-class workstation laptops starting this fall.

Intel revealed the availability of its Xeon processor E3-1500M v5 product family later this year, adding that the new chip comes loaded with enterprise security and productivity features that companies are hungry for.

Two days before, Intel took the wraps off its first CPUs as part of its long-awaited sixth-generation 14nm Skylake microarchitecture platform -- revealing two high-end processors aimed at PC enthusiasts and gamers.

[Related: Intel's New Skylake Chips: 8 Things Partners Need To Know]

These first business systems based on Skylake architecture offer enhanced ’high precision computing’ to the notebook platform supporting ’error-correcting code memory for enhanced reliability while running critical workstation applications,’ Intel said in a statement.

Intel has not made any E3-1500M v5 performance claims. But according to recent benchmark performance reviews of Intel’s Skylake desktop chips, published by system builders, the new chips (Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K) increase performance on systems by as much as 10 percent, compared with the previous Broadwell fifth-generation chips (i7-4790K and i5-4690K).

While there are no official performance claims regarding Skylake for its mobile processors, several enthusiast sites have pointed to "leaked" benchmarks that suggest the biggest performance gains will be found with the power-sipping Core M Skylake chips.

According to the preliminary performance data leaks, Skylake's three mobile series -- Y-Series, U-Series and H-Series -- will contain up to 17 percent, 10 percent and 11 percent faster CPUs, respectively. Meanwhile, the series also promise up to 41 percent, 34 percent and 16 percent faster graphics, respectively. Purported Skylake benchmarks also show nearly 50 percent less power consumption, compared with current Core M processors.

According to new specs leaked by FanlessTech, Intel's Y-Series Skylake chips will be aimed at mainstream notebooks, while the U-Series is for ultra-portables and the H-Series targets high-end notebooks.

Intel declined to comment for this article.

What Intel has stated about its upcoming mobile Xeon E3-1500M v5 chips is that they will target mobile workstations with ’unique hardware-assisted security, manageability and productivity capabilities of Intel vPro technology.’ vPro is Intel shorthand to describe a bundling of Intel technologies including Hyperthreading, Turbo Boost and its Trusted Execution Technology for added security.

Wireless charging based on the WiGig standard, blazing-fast transfer speeds based on the Thunderbolt 3 technology, DDR4 memory support and longer battery life are some of the capabilities that Intel's sixth-generation Core chips promise to bring to laptops.

More details are expected later this month at Intel’s Developer Forum that kicks off next week.

PUBLISHED AUG. 10, 2015