Intel’s Core i7-6700K “Skylake” overclocked to 5.2 GHz with air cooling

Intel’s Core i7-6700K “Skylake” CPU was always going to be impressive. It’s hard to expect anything less from a CPU that runs at 4.0 GHz out of the box and that packs 8mb of cache.

“Sounds a lot like the i7-4790K,” we hear you saying. All things being equal, however, the i7-6700K is more equal than the other.

If Skylake’s architecture has anything to say about it, the architecture boasts some substantial improvements. According to early tests, in fact, the newer Skylake CPU is up to 29% faster than its Devil’s Canyon compatriot in certain scenarios, and is generally faster everywhere else.

Impressed? “Not yet,” you say. Then take a look at this:

Intel Core i7-6700K 5.2 GHz Overclock – CpuZ

That, friends, is an i7-6700K at 5.2 GHz, and it was achieved on air cooling. No matter who you are, that’s one heck of an overclock.

You can thank HKEPC, and their Chief-Reporter Lam Chu-Kui, for the overclock on Intel’s new consumer-grade flagship CPU.

Lam Chu-Kui was apparently able to achieve that overclock with just 1.35V; keep in mind that the i7-4790K needed a voltage of 1.5 – 1.52V before it would reach that same 5.2 GHz.

That means a lower, more manageable temperature, a more stable CPU and, generally, more CPUs that should readily reach that mark.

Intel’s i7-6700K as well as the i5-6600K will be shown off at Gamescom, come August 5^th – we can’t wait.

We just hope the i5 variant is just as capable. And think what Kaby Lake, Intel’s next 14nm CPU family, will be capable come their release.