Latest Kaby Lake, Zen chips will support only Windows 10

Update:Intel showed off a glimpse of what its latest chips are capable of during its IDF 2016 keynote, but not much else so far. Read on to learn more about that very glimpse.

Kaby Lake is the next generation of CPUs from Intel. Right now we're in the Skylake generation. You'll still see quite a few laptops from the previous Broadwell and Haswell series on sale, but they are officially past-it.

Here are all the details you need to know on the upcoming Intel Kaby Lake CPU revolution.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Intel's 7th-generation Core processor
• When is it out? Before the end of 2016
• What will it cost? Likely similar to Intel's current Skylake processors

Intel Kaby Lake release date

Kaby Lake is on our doorstep. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich confirmed on July 22 that Kaby Lake chipsets have made their way to PC builders.

This means we can expect to see a few Kaby Lake PCs arrive before the end of 2016. However, right now we don't know the exact chipsets that will arrive in the first wave.

Kaby Lake includes desktop CPUs, Intel Core i3/i5/i7 laptop CPUs and new Core M chipsets, as well as server-class models.

Even after Intel's keynote at its very own 2016 Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Calif., we do not yet know the release date of the 7th generation of Intel Core series processors. However, at the show, Intel showed off a Dell XPS machine running a 7th generation Core i5 chip running recent shooter darling Overwatch using its own onboard GPU. We expect to learn more details shortly...

Kaby Lake Intel Core processor: 7th-gen CPU news, rumors and release date | TechRadar

Microsoft made 'em do it: The latest Kaby Lake, Zen chips will support only Windows 10

Microsoft is slamming the door on PC builders and upgraders who might have hoped to use the new Intel Kaby Lake or AMD Zen chips for Windows 7 or Windows 8 PCs. Sorry: Both chips are officially supported only by Microsoft’s Windows 10.

Microsoft's mandate is discreet rather than secret. In January, the company tried to shorten its support lifecycle for Intel Skylake PCs running Windows 7 and 8, a policy the company subsequently abandoned after much outcry. But Microsoft’s statements have also consistently included a critical caveat: The latest generations of silicon—specifically Intel’s Kaby Lake chip, Qualcomm’s 8996, and AMD’s Bristol Ridge silicon—will all require Windows 10.

Microsoft made 'em do it: The latest Kaby Lake, Zen chips will support only Windows 10 | PCWorld

There was an update on the article,

Updated at 10:03 AM with additional details about Intel's Kaby Lake drivers. Clarification: Microsoft's support strategy applies to the use of the chips within Windows PCs, not Linux or Apple Macs.

So it looks like Linux & Apple would still be supported.

MORE:

There has been quite a bit of noise and plenty of confusion online lately, since news broke that Microsoft would only be fully supporting Intel’s and AMD’s next-generation processor microarchitectures – codenamed Kaby Lake and Zen, respectively – with Windows 10. Some publications and scores of readers pegged the decision as a pure marketing move by Microsoft and derided the company for forcing users to upgrade to Windows 10.

On the surface, we understand why such a statement would make some people cringe. Not supporting Windows 7, which remains the second most popular desktop OS with enthusiasts, or the much-maligned Windows 8, means consumers will technically have fewer options and less choice when these processors actually hit the market. But that’s not necessarily the case...

Here's Why Intel Kaby Lake And AMD Zen Will Only Be Optimized On Windows 10 | HotHardware