Intel has built a lot of hype around Kaby Lake, its latest set of processors for desktop and laptop computers. However, reviews of Intel's seventh-generation CPUs indicate that they are not as fast as they have been anticipated to be.
Intel had said Kaby Lake will be significantly faster than the Skylake processors that came before. According to CNET, however, that is not the case.
CNET says Intel's Kaby Lake processors only seem faster because their clock speed, measured in gigahertz, was set a little higher in the factory. When one overclocks last year's models, the i7-6700K and i5-6600K, to the same clock speed as Kaby Lake's, their performance is identical to the new processors if not slightly better.
When it comes to gaming, Kaby Lake processors do not perform any better than previously released Intel processors. AnandTech says Intel's fifth-generation processors have the same performance as Kaby Lake, and so it makes no sense for users to spend extra money on buying the new processors. PC Perspective's review, meanwhile, concludes that the changes from Skylake to Kaby Lake are so subtle that it is hard to notice the benefits that the latter offers.
However, PC World notes that in terms of laptop performance, Kaby Lake processors present a significant improvement in performance compared to earlier models, particularly Broadwell. For desktops, the big difference that Kaby Lake chips provide is the enhanced video engine.
Despite some bad reviews, Kaby Lake chips still have the stuff to offer. For one, it is only through the latest Intel processors that users can watch Netflix videos in 4K resolution on a desktop computer. Intel has also promised its processors would support a new form of hybrid storage system called Optane.
Intel faces tough competition from rival AMD, whose upcoming Ryzen processor has been revealed in an early review to perform better than Intel's Core i7-6900K. AMD will release Ryzen within the first quarter of this year.
