Intel unleashes 8th Gen Core Coffee Lake lineup

To better compete with AMD, Intel launched a few strategic Coffee Lake-based parts in October 2017. Today, Intel is finally launching the full 8th Generation Core line based on the Coffee Lake microarchitecture fabricated on their enhanced third-generation 14nm++ process.

Mainstream Desktop Parts

For the mainstream desktop market, three standard-TDP (65 W) CFL parts are being introduced as well as six low-power (35 W) ‘T’ variants. All models have the following common features:

• 3rd Generation 14nm++ process
• Supports up to 64 GiB of dual-channel DDR4
• 300-series chipset via DMI 3.0 links (8 GT/s)
• Optane memory support
• UHD Graphics 630
  • 23-24 execution units
  • 350 MHz base frequency
  • 1.05-1.20 GHz burst frequency
  • Up to three displays supported (HDMI, DP, eDP, DVI)
  • Quick Sync, InTru 3D, Clear Video, Clear Video HD
• x16 PCIe lanes
• Everything up to AVX2 (SMM, FPU, NX, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AES, AVX, FMA3, and AVX2)
• SpeedStep (EIST), VT-x/VT-d/EPT, IPT

8th Generation Core Desktop Processors
Standard Power
Model	Price	Base	Turbo		C/T	TDP	Memory
			All	One
Core i5-8600	$213	3.1 GHz	4.1 GHz	4.3 GHz	6/6	65 W	2666 MT/s
Core i5-8500	$192	3.0 GHz	3.9 GHz	4.1 GHz	6/6	65 W	2666 MT/s
Core i3-8300	$138	3.7 GHz	–	–	4/4	62 W	2400 MT/s
Low Power
Model	Price	Base	Turbo		C/T	TDP	Memory
			All	One
Core i7-8700T	$303	2.4 GHz	3.8 GHz	4.0 GHz	6/12	35 W	2666 MT/s
Core i5-8600T	$213	2.3 GHz	3.5 GHz	3.7 GHz	6/6	35 W	2666 MT/s
Core i5-8500T	$192	2.1 GHz	3.2 GHz	3.5 GHz	6/6	35 W	2666 MT/s
Core i5-8400T	$182	1.7 GHz	3.0 GHz	3.3 GHz	6/6	35 W	2666 MT/s
Core i3-8300T	$138	3.2 GHz	–	–	4/4	35 W	2400 MT/s
Core i3-8100T	$117	3.1 GHz	–	–	4/4	35 W	2400 MT/s

By the way, all the low-power ‘T’ variant have a configurable TDP-down of 25 W.

New Bundled Optane

Intel introduced a number of boxed CPUs with Optane bundled as a one SKU. Those SKUs are specifically labeled as “Core iX+”. For now it looks like only a few boxed parts will be available.

8th Generation Core+ Desktop Processors With Optane
Model	Price	CPU Only Price
Core i7+ i7-8700 with Optane Memory (16GB)	$346	$312
Core i5+ i5-8500 with Optane Memory (16GB)	$235	$202
Core i5+ i5-8400 with Optane Memory (16GB)	$215	$187

Mainstream Mobile Parts

For the mainstream mobile market, four mobile parts with Iris Plus Graphics are being introduced. Those would be complementing the 8th Gen Core with Radeon RX Vega Graphics Intel only just launched back in January. All models have the following common features:

• 3rd Generation 14nm++ process
• Supports up to 32 GiB of dual-channel DDR4-2400/LPDDR3-2133
• Optane memory support
• Iris Plus Graphics 655
  • 47-48 execution units
  • 300 MHz base frequency
  • 1-1.2 GHz burst frequency
  • Up to three displays supported (HDMI, DP, eDP, DVI)
  • Quick Sync, InTru 3D, Clear Video, Clear Video HD
• x16 PCIe lanes
• Everything up to AVX2 (SMM, FPU, NX, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AES, AVX, FMA3, and AVX2)
• SpeedStep (EIST), VT-x/VT-d/EPT, IPT, Flex Memory, My WiFi, Speed Shift, Secure Key, SGX, MPX, OS Guard

Incorporating the Iris Plus Graphics 655 means they all incorporate a large, 128 MiB, eDRAM side cache on-package as well.

8th Generation Core Mobile Processors
Model	Base/Turbo	C/T	TDP	L3	Memory
Core i7-8559U	2.7 GHz / 4.5 GHz	4 / 8	28 W	8 MiB	2 × DDR4-2400
Core i5-8269U	2.6 GHz / 4.2 GHz	4 / 8	28 W	6 MiB	2 × DDR4-2400
Core i5-8259U	2.3 GHz / 3.8 GHz	4 / 8	28 W	6 MiB	2 × DDR4-2400
Core i3-8109U	3.0 GHz / 3.6 GHz	2 / 4	28 W	4 MiB	2 × DDR4-2400

The new mobile chips have a new package which is slightly larger than previous generations and adds 172 additional balls. Prior Skylake and Kaby Lake used a 1356-contacts flip-chip ball grid array (BGA) package measuring 42 mm x 24 mm. The new package consists of 1528 contacts and measure 46 mm x 24 mm, eating up an additional 96 mm² area.

Performance Mobile Parts

For the mobile performance market, seven new models are being introduced. With this launch Intel is also introducing the Xeon E family which will be replacing the previous Xeon E3 family. All models have the following common features:

• 3rd Generation 14nm++ process
• Supports up to 64 GiB of dual-channel DDR4-2666 / LPDDR3-2133
  • Xeon E have ECC support
• 300-series chipset via DMI 3.0 links (8 GT/s)
• Optane memory support
• UHD Graphics 630
  • 23-24 execution units
  • 350 MHz base frequency
  • 1-1.20 GHz burst frequency
  • Up to three displays supported (HDMI, DP, eDP, DVI)
  • Quick Sync, InTru 3D, Clear Video, Clear Video HD
• x16 PCIe lanes
• Everything up to AVX2 (SMM, FPU, NX, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AES, AVX, FMA3, and AVX2)
• SpeedStep (EIST), VT-x/VT-d/EPT, IPT, Flex Memory, My WiFi, Speed Shift, Secure Key, SGX, MPX, OS Guard

Note that the Core i9-8950HK is fully unlocked while the Core i7-8850H is “partially unlocked” meaning limited multiplier option (up to 5 bins).

8th Generation Core Performance Mobile Processors
Model	Base/Turbo	C/T	TDP	L3	Memory
Core i9-8950HK	2.9 GHz / 4.6/4.8 GHz	6 / 12	45 W	12 MiB	2 × DDR4-2666
Core i7-8850H	2.6 GHz / 4.3 GHz	6 / 12	45 W	9 MiB	2 × DDR4-2666
Core i7-8750H	2.2 GHz / 4.2 GHz	6 / 12	45 W	9 MiB	2 × DDR4-2666
Core i5-8400H	2.5 GHz / 4.2 GHz	4 / 8	45 W	8 MiB	2 × DDR4-2666
Core i5-8300H	2.3 GHz / 4.0 GHz	4 / 8	45 W	8 MiB	2 × DDR4-2666
Mobile Workstation
Model	Base/Turbo	C/T	TDP	L3	Memory
Xeon E-2186M	2.9 GHz / 4.6/4.8 GHz	6 / 12	45 W	12 MiB	2 × DDR4-2666
Xeon E-2176M	2.7 GHz / 4.4 GHz	6 / 12	45 W	12 MiB	2 × DDR4-2666

Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB)

Notice that the E-2186M and the i9-8950HK have two boosts listed – at 4.6 GHz and 4.8 GHz. This is because their turbo is indeed 4.6 GHz. For products with even a more superior cooling solution Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) will kick in, provided the processor is within the predefined temperature of 50°C or lower and turbo power budget is available. TVB can bump up the single-core performance for a short period of time by another 200 MHz. Obviously this is not sustainable, but for short bursty workloads the impact can be fairly significant.

High-Power Mobile

Intel has also introduced a number of relatively high-power (65 Watt TDP) mobile SKUs. Those parts are, as far as we can tell, identical to the desktop parts with the exception of the package which will be using the same package as Coffee Lake H – 1440-ball flip-chip BGA package and lack of Secure Boot. Those parts are marked with the ‘B’ suffix, presumably meaning ‘BGA’, and are otherwise almost identical to their non-B suffixed counterparts.

8th Generation Core 65W Mobile Processors
Standard Power
Model	Base	Turbo	C/T	TDP	Memory
Core i7-8700B	3.2 GHz	4.6 GHz	6/12	65 W	2666 MT/s
Core i5-8500B	3.0 GHz	4.1 GHz	6/6	65 W	2666 MT/s
Core i5-8400B	2.8 GHz	4.0 GHz	6/6	65 W	2666 MT/s

Budget Processors

For the budget market, Intel is introducing three Celeron processors and five Pentium processors. All models are dual-core with Pentiums having hyperthreading and 2 MiB of L3 per core.

• 3rd Generation 14nm++ process
• Supports up to 64 GiB of dual-channel DDR4-2400 with ECC support
• 300-series chipset via DMI 3.0 links (8 GT/s)
• No Optane memory support
• Pentium Gold: UHD Graphics 630
  • 23-24 execution units
  • 350 MHz base frequency
  • 1-1.20 GHz burst frequency
  • Up to three displays supported (HDMI, DP, eDP, DVI)
  • Quick Sync, InTru 3D, Clear Video, Clear Video HD
• Celeron: UHD Graphics 610
  • 12 execution units
  • 350 MHz base frequency
  • 1.05 GHz burst frequency
  • Up to three displays supported (HDMI, DP, eDP, DVI)
  • Quick Sync, InTru 3D, Clear Video, Clear Video HD
• x16 PCIe lanes
• Everything up to SSE4.2 (SMM, FPU, NX, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AES)
• SpeedStep (EIST), VT-x/VT-d/EPT, Secure Key, SGX

CFL-based Budget Processors
Standard Power
Model	Price	Base	C/T	TDP	Memory
Celeron G4900	$42	3.10 GHz	2/2	54 W	2400 MT/s
Celeron G4920	$52	3.20 GHz	2/2	54 W	2400 MT/s
Pentium Gold G5400	$64	3.70 GHz	2/4	54 W	2400 MT/s
Pentium Gold G5500	$75	3.80 GHz	2/4	54 W	2400 MT/s
Pentium Gold G5600	$86	3.90 GHz	2/4	54 W	2400 MT/s
Low Power
Celeron G4900T	$42	2.90 GHz	2/2	35 W	2400 MT/s
Pentium Gold G5400T	$64	3.10 GHz	2/4	35 W	2400 MT/s
Pentium Gold G5500T	$75	3.20 GHz	2/4	35 W	2400 MT/s

Chipset

The four remaining chipsets have also been launched. Those 300-series chipsets were originally designed for Cannon Lake which is still MIA. Those parts have new 802.11ac WiFi support but it’s not a full solution, it’s what Intel calls integrated connectivity (CNVi) which requires a companion RF (CRF) module to be operational.

Interestingly, because those chipsets were originally designed for Cannon Lake which would’ve transitioned the consumer PC market to 10 nm, all the new 300-series chipsets (except for the Z370 which launched last year) are fabricated on Intel’s 14 nm process. Due to problems with their 10nm process, we are in an unusual situation where everything is made on the same process.

300 Series Chipset
Model	Max I/O	Max PCIe	Max SATA	USB			802.11ac	SST
				Total	3.1G1	3.1G2
H370	30	x20 (3.0)	6 (3.0)	14	8	4	✔	✔
Q370	30	x24 (3.0)	6 (3.0)	14	10	6	✔	✔
B360	24	x12 (3.0)	6 (3.0)	12	6	4	✔	✔
H310	14	x6 (2.0)	4 (3.0)	10	4	–	✔	✘

Spectre Guidance

8th Generation Core microcode update for CVE-2017-5715 (Spectre, Variant 2) is already in production as of March 6 2018.