In a somewhat uncharacteristic turn from Intel, we were hooked up and loaded in to a press conference call this week regarding the announcement of some exciting new products coming to market. The purpose of the press conference call was to explain some new technologies coming to the scene, as well as Intel stating that they are listening to their userbase, including enthusiasts. As an enthusiast, these announcements make me very excited, although they do produce more questions than they answer.

The announcement is the introduction of a socketed version of Iris Pro, coming to Intel’s Broadwell platform.

So the first big thing here is Iris Pro coming to a socketed platform, which we have requested since the release of Crystal Well BGA parts in devices like the Apple iMac and GIGABYTE BRIX Pro. This should allow users to build SFF socketed systems with Intel’s highest end integrated graphics. What was not mentioned was if this will be a new Iris Pro for Broadwell, or just another Iris Pro HD 5200 part with a Broadwell CPU.

The second big part from this one announcement is that the CPU is said to come fully unlocked. This should mean that the CPU multiplier, CPU strap, memory and the uncore should be fully adjustable - Intel have told us that this part will have a similar set of overclocking tools as the other unlocked parts. Intel are not disclosing what the limits are or what is expected, and equally no information regarding the release date, whether this CPU will come with the Broadwell CPU launch or at a later date afterwards.

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  • lazarpandar - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link

    first!
  • tipoo - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link

    I think "first" posts with nothing else should constitute insta-bans :)
  • R0H1T - Thursday, March 20, 2014 - link

    Agreed btw I'm willing to bet that even the most ardent of Intel fans would think thrice(if not more) to spend ~700$ on Iris Pro, even if it's unlocked, cause you're better off spending a grand on an 8 core monstrosity (-:
  • Homeles - Thursday, March 20, 2014 - link

    Good thing these won't be selling for $700. Not even close. Iris Pro *today* can be picked up for ~$255.
  • R0H1T - Thursday, March 20, 2014 - link

    So you're saying a socketed version of Iris Pro can be had for ~255 hmmm I'd like to see that, as in where can I buy it & I'm assuming you meant retail products & not just for OEM's right ?
  • nathanddrews - Thursday, March 20, 2014 - link

    4th Gen (current) Intel IGP supports DX12. Wowza.
  • 8steve8 - Thursday, March 20, 2014 - link

    I don't see any reason to believe they'll significantly more expensive then the haswell k-series parts.. If you have evidence to suggest it'll be $700, share it.
  • Klimax - Friday, March 21, 2014 - link

    Most likely it is taken from price of Gigabyte Brix Pro forgetting it isn't just CPU...
  • Samus - Saturday, March 22, 2014 - link

    should be interesting to see how well iris gpu core overclocks. being 14nm i doubt it will be clocked the same as the HD5200.
  • ryrynz - Saturday, April 12, 2014 - link

    I remember reading there will be more execution units and no doubt there will be a frequency increase as well. I expect a good 20% improvement, possibly more.

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