pastrychef
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Yes, I believe the Kaby Lake CPUs work with Z170 motherboards.
Intel is calling Kabylake an optimization of Skylake, not a new architecture. Based on the same 14 nm process. You will be able to install them on your z170 mobo with a simple BIOS update.Since Skylake only seems to have lasted a year (introduced a year ago), does that mean that we can expect a new architecture once a year? Or is it just the CPU? If you can rip out your i7-6700K and then install a Kaby CPU without having to buy a new mobo, then it won't be too bad. But if it's a new architecture then that probably means a new mobo.
Just like the transition from Z87 to Z97, the new 200-series chipset will mostly remain the same but will include increased I/O performance that is very important for the platform to be ready for Intel’s next generation Optane storage products that use Intel’s 3D XPoint memory architecture. So the basic features of the 200-series chipset aside from supporting Kaby Lake-S processors will include up to 24 PCI-e 3.0 lanes (up from 20 on 100-Series Chipset),
Another crucial feature of the new lineup is that not only will the Kaby Lake processors be compatible with the current 100-series motherboards but Skylake processors, available today, will also be compatible with the 200-series platform. This cross-generation support will be quite useful, not only for new users but also existing user base that may see the need to update to faster processors in the Kaby Lake-S lineup. Intel’s disruptive Optane SSDs and DIMMs will be a major feature set for the 200-series chipset as the faster storage solutions will not only result in responsive PCs but also better system utilization that is otherwise bottlenecked by conventional HDDs and even some older SSDs.
I've been making my list to build my first Hackintosh and I'm torn about waiting for the Kaby Lake chip. I want native Thunderbolt and USB-C. Is it worth the wait or should I just go with the current fastest chip? How long does it take to test out a chip to see if it's stable to use in a hackintosh? This computer will be used for Pro Tools audio mixing, Adobe Lightroom, and Adobe Premiere.
Thanks for any help you can give.