Putting the alluring name aside, Skylake is just like any other launch of Intel's new CPUs - but this one is extra special for one major reason: DDR4 memory.
Intel is "bringing DDR4 to the mainstream" with their new Skylake processors.
What is DDR4 RAM?
DDR4 RAM is just like DDR3 RAM except for a few small but major differences.
The first difference is the price. DDR4 is slightly more expensive than DDR3 although prices are falling quickly.
Second, DDR4 operates at lower voltages, up to 15V less, which may not mean much to you, but to anyone that owns a server this will be life changing.
Another key difference is the speed at which it performs. DDR3 RAM, when fully operating, could reach speeds up to 2133 MHz whereas DDR4 starts at 2133 MHz. If you already have 2133 MHz DDR3 RAM, there won't be much performance gain. If you happen to save up and spring for faster memory or overclock slower memory, you will see noticable but not super dramatic performance increases.
What's new?
*Excludes the X99 chipset becuase those are Enthusiast grade CPU's, not Consumer grade like Skylake*
There are a few differences between the Z170 and Z97 chipsets with the first being a new socket for your CPU to sit in. This does indeed mean that you will need a new motherboard if you're planning on upgrading. Z97 had socket LGA 1150 and Z170 has socket LGA 1151.
Another difference is the number of PCI-E lanes jumping from 8x to 20x. All this means is that if you happen to be using more than one video card in Nvidia's SLI or AMD's Crossfire, they will perform better. PCI-E 3.0 is now the standard as opposed to 2.0 as well, which also helps improve multi-card performance.
The last main difference is that Intel launched their unlocked K-Series processors first rather than after launching their weaker chips first. If you acquire either the i5-6600k or i7-6700k CPUs then you will be able to overclock them, hence them being K-Series.
Intel is planning on launching other non-K-series chips later and other weaker chips but a confirmed date for when has yet to be announced.
What does this mean for you?
If you're planning on upgrading to Skylake, you will need to acquire some new RAM and a new motherboard at the very least. Also, in the box there is no included heatsink for your chip so you will have to acquire one of your own.
If you do happen to get one of these CPUs you should be able to expect an average performance increase from the i5-4690k to the i5-6600k and/or the i7-4790k to the i7-6700k of around 6 - 12 percent.
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Lesley Warren is a writer for the VAVEL USA Technology section. Follow him on Twitter at @Lesley_Dublyu.
