Originally Posted by Paradaz
What are you/your quoted links classing as 'flagship cpus' out of interest? Intel has had 12 core cpus available since 2013.


Quote
Intel 7th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor i7-7700K (BX80677I77700K)

Date First Available [at Amazon] January 5, 2017


Above is latest installment of the i7-x700K line (the cores of which) Intel has been improving "incrementally" (article's term) for a while now. Articles, posters, and Intel advertising have pushed this as the top gamer's CPU (most still do).

If one wants to go by price or core count, then Intel 12 core would be tops for most users (however, its per core performance is only so-so). But, I've never seen that one "advertised to the masses" and "showcased" like a "flagship" product -- because significantly lower per-core performance would not do the job for a gamer.

The new 18 core is projected/rumored to cost $1999 -- that would make it the new flagship by the price definition.

Jumping from 4 cores or 12 cores right to 16 or 18 (with steps in between) is not an "incremental" improvement -- its a "dramatic" improvement (to most folks).

As I've mentioned, I think the argument (even for gamers) will shift (over the next couple years) from maximum single core performance (or per clock performance) towards maximum threaded performance. Intel seems to believe this too -- according to some articles.

To be clear, the articles I read are not saying Ryzen "blows Intel CPUs away". Rather, now the field is competitive. Intel needs to "step up" its game to remain competitive -- and Intel will step up its game -- as 18 cores indicates. However, they may still charge a "premium" price for an "Intel product".

AMD's next "jump" is rumored to be direct from 14nm to 7nm (deliberately bypassing 10nm to gain an edge). Intel is rumored to have planned a line of 10nm next. We'll see how that "competition" goes.

Last edited by Allen; 06/04/17 11:43 AM. Reason: additional thoughts

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