Intel Sets Sights on Reinvention of Desktop Computing

Intel Corporation, an American multinational semiconductor chip maker, unveiled a set of roadmap enhancements, platform features, and software partnerships to help drive the reinvention of desktop computing.

Compelling new form factors such as mini PCs and desktop all-in-ones (AIOs) are driving excitement within the category, and Intel is helping to deliver new capabilities that consumers and businesses want.

Enthusiast users are among the most important proponents of desktop computing, and Intel is announcing roadmap enhancements especially for them. Intel’s desktop business was particularly strong in Q4 of 2013; on a year-over-year basis, desktop platform volume was up 7 percent.

“The desktop business is a large and important segment for Intel, and we are investing in it – reinventing form factors, experiences and products for our customers,” said Lisa Graff, vice president and general manager, Intel’s Desktop Client Platform Group. She further added, “Enthusiasts are the heart and soul of the desktop and they asked us to give them more. We are delivering – more cores, better overclocking, faster speeds.”

At the Game Developers Conference, Intel previewed a special unlocked 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor code-named “Devil’s Canyon.” Due in mid-2014, it includes improved thermal interface and CPU packaging materials that are expected to enable significant enhancements to performance and overclocking capabilities.

For those who demand the highest processor core count and memory bandwidth on the desktop, Intel will deliver an 8-core, 16-thread Intel Core processor Extreme Edition in the second half of this year. This product will support the new DDR4 memory standard and provide blazing performance for gaming, video editing, 3-D content and other high-end uses.

Intel also announced plans for an Intel® Pentium® processor Anniversary Edition commemorating more than 20 years of the Pentium brand, featuring unlocked multipliers that allow the ability to increase the core and memory frequencies independently from the rest of the system.

Additionally, plans for unlocked desktop versions of the upcoming 5th gen Intel® Core™ processor with Iris™ Pro graphics, code-named “Broadwell,” were confirmed.