Intel: Broadwell to launch in time for Windows 10 this summer; Skylake to follow in the second half

Intel's Broadwell to launch in time for Microsoft Windows 10 - and Apple will use Broadwell on its next-generation MacBook Air

Intel's next-generation Broadwell-based micro-architecture processors will be released in time for the launch of Windows 10, Intel has confirmed, along with the Skylake parts, which will follow in the second-half of the year

It is hoped that a combination of the new 14-nanometre parts, whose release has already been pushed back from 2014 to 2015, combined with the launch of Windows 10, will help re-ignite PC sales, which have been largely flat or falling for four years.

It follows a demonstration of the unit at the Game Developers' Conference (GDC 15) in San Francisco this week in which a PC running a Broadwell chip was hooked up to a 5K display. The aim of the demonstration was to emphasise the on-board graphics capabilities that Broadwell parts will offer.

Intel claims that the Broadwell parts will have Iris Pro integrated graphics, which were originally introduced at the end of 2013 in the current Haswell range, and which has helped improve the graphics capabilities of Intel's integrated GPUs. However, the Skylake series of microprocessors, which will be launched around the same time, will finally retire support for VGA video output.

The new 14nm microprocessors offer the prospect of either around 30 per cent better power consumption, or better performance. According to reports, Intel is planning on making Broadwell chips unlocked, enabling enthusiasts and specialist PC makers to easily overclock it to boost performance.

Apple is also expected to use Broadwell parts in its next refresh of the MacBook Air, which will be able to boast up to 90 minutes extra battery life compared to current Haswell-powered MacBooks.

One of the key targets for Intel with the forthcoming releases, especially of Broadwell, is to help drive sales of smaller PCs, which have much lower thermal tolerances than a standard desktop PC or even a laptop. The aim is also to power appliances that require PC-like performance, such as living-room media hubs.

Intel has also promised to release a Core i7 Broadwell version of its highly rated Next Unit of Computing (NUC) mini-PC. The Core i7 Broadwell NUC will use a 28-watt part, while the on-board Iris Pro graphics GPU ought to make it capable of running some sophisticated games without either slowing down or melting down.