Chipmaker Intel updated its core CPU series at CES 2017 in Las Vegas yesterday with the launch of the remaining models in the 7th generation of its Intel Core processors. CES officially kicks off on Jan. 5 and runs through Jan. 8.
The addition of the desktop versions of the Kaby Lake processors, which complete the launch of Intel’s 7th-generation line, may have plenty of appeal for enterprise clients. The new CPUs feature several small improvements in efficiency and performance over Intel’s previous Skylake models.
Improved Integrated Graphics
One of the key differences between Kaby Lake and Skylake is an upgraded video engine. This can be important for laptops that lack the space for a dedicated graphics card, but often has little impact on the desktop market where users can add a dedicated GPU.
But most corporate customers aren’t going to invest in separate graphics cards for their employees’ desktops. For these buyers, the improved media engine offers the promise of improved graphics and video rendering performance during their next upgrade cycles without having to spend any extra cash on a GPU.
“With the latest 7th Gen Intel Core vPro processors, business owners and IT managers can offer new PCs with up to 10 hours of battery life and a 65 percent increase in productivity when compared with a 5-year-old PC,” Navin Shenoy (pictured above), senior vice president and general manager for the Client Computing Group at Intel, said in a statement about the launch. “And with many Millennials today taking technology into consideration when choosing their workplace, I’m confident the new 7th Gen Intel Core processor-based 2 in 1s and AIOs will delight them.”
Enhanced Security for Enterprises
The new Kaby Lake chips make use of the same 14nm manufacturing process that Intel introduced with the launch of its Broadwell chips several years ago. Nevertheless, Intel is claiming that the new chips show a significant improvement in performance over the previous Skylake processors, with up to 20 percent improvement for performance and gaming notebooks and 25 percent for desktops. For 4K and 360-degree content, users can expect up to 65 percent faster performance on notebooks and 35 percent faster on desktops, the company said.
But the biggest news for enterprise clients is likely the new improvements in security. The new chips feature several advances in hardware-enhanced security and two-factor authentication. The new processors feature Intel’s hardware-based Authenticate multi-factor authentication solution.
Authenticate verifies user identity using a combination of hardened factors such as a PIN, a Bluetooth signal from the user’s phone or a biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint, making employee logins many times more secure than traditional password logins.
The new integrated graphics engine and hardwired security features of the Kaby Lake chips will likely make it appealing to businesses that were already looking to replace their aging IT infrastructures.
