Intel Releases New Sandy Bridge Processors

Intel has announced a total of 16 new Sandy Bridge processors today, augmenting its lineup in the mid and low-end markets on the desktop and in the high and low-end markets on laptops.

On the desktop side, we have four new Core-series processors, one i5 (the 2320) along with three i3s (the 2130, 2125, and 2120T. Along with these comes three new Pentium processors (the G860, G630, and G630T) and four low-end Celerons (the G540, G530, G530T, and G440). The G440 has the dubious honor of being the only single-core Sandy Bridge of which I am aware.

New Sandy Bridge Desktop CPUsNameCores/ThreadsCPU ClockL3 CacheGPUGPU ClockTDPPricei5-23204/43.0 GHz (3.3GHz Turbo)6MBHD 2000850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)95W$177i3-21302/43.4 GHz3MBHD 2000850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)65W$138i3-21252/43.3GHz3MBHD 3000850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)65W$134i3-2120T2/42.6GHz3MBHD 2000650 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)35W$127Pentium G8602/23.0GHz3MBHD850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)65W$86Pentium G6302/22.7GHz3MBHD850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)65W$75Pentium G630T2/22.3GHz3MBHD650 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)35W$70Celeron G5402/22.5GHz2MBHD850 MHz (1000 MHz turbo)65W$52Celeron G5302/22.4GHz2MBHD850 MHz (1000 MHz turbo)65W$42Celeron G530T2/22.0GHz2MBHD650 MHz (1100 MHz turbo)35W$47Celeron G4401/11.6GHz1MBHD650 MHz (1000 MHz turbo)35W$37

Most of these processors are simple clock bumps of existing processors and their energy-effecient T-series counterparts. What's new here is the Celeron series of processors, most of which sacrifice 100 MHz of GPU Turbo speed and another MB of L3 cache compared to their Pentium counterparts (according to CPU World's listings, VT-x and EM64T remain available on all models). It's also important to remember here that the HD-series graphics has nothing to do with Intel's last-gen IGP - in Sandy Bridge models, the HD graphics series is basically the HD 2000 series with QuickSync and a few other video features disabled - see our Sandy Bridge Pentium review for more information on this.

The new laptop CPUs are fewer in number, and aimed at both the high-end and very low-end of the market.

New Sandy Bridge Laptop CPUsNameCores/ThreadsCPU ClockL3 CacheGPU ClockTDPPricei7-2960XM4/82.7 GHz (3.7GHz Turbo)8MB650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo)55W$1096i7-2860QM4/82.5 GHz (3.6 GHz Turbo)8MB650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo)45W$568i7-2760QM4/82.4GHz (3.5 GHz Turbo)6MB650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo)45W$378i7-2640M2/42.8GHz (3.5 GHz Turbo)4MB650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo)35W$346Celeron B8402/21.9GHz2MB650 MHz (950 MHz turbo)35W$86

The Core i7-2960XM is an Extreme Edition processor and is the fastest quad-core chip that Intel currently offers, and it has a pricetag to match. On the other end of the spectrum, the Celeron B840 is a dual-core processor that loses L3 cache and some GPU Turbo speed, though it retains VT-x and the same HD 3000-series GPU that all mobile Sandy Bridge CPUs possess.

Source: CPU World, CPU World

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Intel Cuts Prices of Some Sandy Bridge CPUs and Discontinues Some Pentium CPUs

In addition to releasing 16 new CPUs earlier this week, Intel has also discounted six low-power CPUs and discontinued three Pentium CPUs. 

Discounts

All of the discounted CPUs are based on the Sandy Bridge micro-architecture, which Intel released in January 2011. They are all low-power variants as well, meaning that their TDP value is lower than the standard. Low-power models can be identified by an S or T at the end (S stands for 65W while T stands for 35W). The actual price cuts are very modest though, only up to $12. Below is a table listing the CPUs and their old and new prices:

Discounted Sandy Bridge ProcessorsModelCore/Thread CountFrequencyL3 CacheOld PriceNew PricePrice ChangeCore i5-2390T2/42.7GHz3MB$195$184-$11 (-5.6%)Core i5-2400S4/42.5GHz6MB$195$184-$11 (-5.6%)Core i5-2405S4/42.5GHz6MB$205$201-$4 (-2%)Core i5-2500S4/42.7GHz6MB$216$205-$11 (-5.1%)Core i5-2500T4/42.3GHz6MB$216$205-$11 (-5.1%)Core i7-2600S4/82.8GHz6MB$306$294-$12 (-3.9%)

It's worth to note that these are the prices in one thousand quantities. Resellers don't always follow this pricing scheme and for example NewEgg is still selling the i5-2400S for $201, although even the old price was $195. Low-power models can also be harder to find since they aren't that popular and are more meant for OEM systems with more limited cooling (such as Apple's iMac). 

Discontinuances

The discontinued CPUs are listed under the Pentium brand and are based on Intel's Core micro-architecture with 45nm manufacturing process. While these CPUs are not based on the latest technologies, they were all released between 2009 and 2010. Intel will still be taking orders until November 23rd and the last shipment date is December 30th. 

Discontinued Pentium ProcessorsModelCore/Thread CountFrequencyL2 CachePricePentium E58002/23.2GHz2MB$64Pentium E67002/23.2GHz2MB$75Pentium E68002/23.33GHz2MB$86

Considering that Intel has already populated the same price points with newer and faster CPUs (see our review of Sandy Bridge Pentiums), the discontinuation makes sense. 

Source: Intel, Intel

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GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 images revealed; Sandy Bridge for extreme gaming

We’ve just uploaded some new images of the our forthcoming GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 motherboard to our Facebook page. This was actually on display during Computex 2011 under the name ‘Z68 Gaming’. The G1.Sniper 2 will feature the latest Intel Z68 chipset supporting the high-performance Sandy Bridge processors.

 

That’s all we can really say for now. We’ll keep you informed regarding official launch dates etc.

Remember, you can view the complete GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 2 image collection on our Facebook page here.  And don’t be afraid to give us a ‘Like’ if you feel inclined to do so.

Chinese version here. 中文版

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Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Sandy Bridge Processor Review

Legit Processor Reviews

Intel Core i3-2120 CPU - BX80623I32120

Last week when we reviewed the AMD A-Series Llano A8-3850 APU we had a bunch of readers wanting to see performance compared to more Intel Sandy Bridge processors. One of the processors that we were asked about was the Intel Core i3-2120, which retails for $149.68 and is one of the most popular budget-minded processors in the Intel arsenal today. We heard you and have gotten our hands on a retail boxed Intel Core i3-2120 processor to see how it performs against the Intel Core i3-2105, Core i7-2600k and the AMD A8-3850 APU. Before we jump into the benchmarks and testing we should at least show you the basic features of this processor and what comes with the retail boxed version.

The Intel Core i3-2120 is based on the 32nm 'Sandy Bridge' architecture and is a 3.3GHz dual-core processor with Hyper-Threading. The CPU does have a GPU on it and that would be the Intel HD Graphics 2000, which runs between 850MHz and 1100MHz thanks to a dynamic clock cycle. The multiplier is locked on the Core i3-2120 processor as it is not part of the 'K-series' of processors that are aimed at enthusiasts with unlocked multipliers. 

Intel Core i3-2120 CPU Specifications:

• Model #: BX80623I32120


• S-spec: SR05Y
  


• Launch Date: Q1'11


• Processor Number: i3-2120


• Supported Socket: LGA1155
  


• # of Cores: 2


• # of Threads: 4


• Clock Speed: 3.3 GHz


• Intel Smart Cache: 3 MB


• Bus/Core Ratio: 33


• Instruction Set: 64-bit


• Instruction Set Extensions: SSE4.1/4.2, AVX


• Turbo Core: No


• Hyper-Threading Technology: Yes
  


• Lithography: 32 nm


• Processor Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 2000


• Graphics Base Frequency: 850MHz
  


• Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency: 1100MHz
  


• Max TDP: 65 W


• Recommended Channel Price: $138.00

Since our review sample it the retail box Core i3-2120 (part number BX80623I32120) the processor comes with a CPU cooler along with a three year limited warranty. If you buy a tray processor you do not get the Heatsink Fan combo or the longer warranty.

As you can see this Intel Core i3-2120 is not an Engineering Sample processor and batch number of L047B255. You can also see the S-Spec number SR05Y on the integrated heat spreader (IHS) and that it was made in the country of Malaysia.

The Intel Core i3-2120 processor is designed for LGA1155 platforms and has a slightly different arrangement of resistors on the bottom of the processor compared to some of the other Sandy Bridge processors since some use Intel HD Graphics 2000 and others use Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics.  In the image above you can see the difference between the Intel Core i3-2120 with Intel HD Graphics 2000 and the Intel Core i3-2105 and Core i7-2600K that use Intel HD Graphics 3000.  If you want to use Intel Processor Graphics (PG) of the CPU you need to use a motherboard with the H67, or Z68 chipset that has video outputs and not the P67 based motherboards that don't support PG. 

Next Page - The Test System

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Sandy Bridge Buyer’s Guide

Almost a half-year after the launch of the second-generation Core processors, Intel’s newest CPUs remain dominant in the mid- to high-end desktop computing markets. Since the January release of the initial Sandy Bridge chips, myriad newer, niche-specific CPUs have arrived at retailers. Importantly, the Cougar Point chipset debacle is entirely resolved, with all Sandy Bridge-supporting motherboards available through reputable retailers free of the degrading SATA ports that plagued Sandy Bridge’s first few months.

Like the Sandy Bridge CPUs themselves, the Cougar Point motherboards have diversified into a range of budgets and feature sets. Given the recently announced delay of AMD’s upcoming Bulldozer processors for desktops, Sandy Bridge will remain unchallenged at the high-end of desktop computing until at least September. If you want to build a powerful desktop to use when you’re not lounging by the pool and grilling delicious meats this summer, this guide has you covered with a $500 budget build, a $1,000 midrange system, and a $2,000 high-end gaming-centered system (give or take).

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Correction: Ivy Bridge and Thunderbolt - Featured, not Integrated

Intel just emailed me to clarify a point from its Ivy Bridge presentation on Tuesday. While USB 3.0 will finally be integrated into the chipset, Thunderbolt will not. Intel clarified that the interface will be featured on some 2012 platforms but it wouldn't be on all and it won't be integrated into the chipset.

Thanks to the readers who questioned our original interpretation of the slide and my apologies for the confusion.

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HP Pavilion dv7 in addition to Intel Sandy Bridge processor shown

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HP Support web pages had shown by accident two dv7 Pavilion laptop computer versions offering Intel Sandy Bridge processor on their site. Later the web link was removed.

Although the fresh HP Pavilion dv7 version links were removed, CNET got as display grab of the Intel Sandy Bridge processor version numbers for the Pavilion dv7 notebooks. One of the Pavilion dv7 version has 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7-2820QM processor shown with SC Turbo Speed of 3.4 GHz. Its the Intel Turbo Boost technology which raises and decreases the processor chip speed to enhance the efficiency and power utilization.

As the additional Pavilion dv7 version was listed with 2 i7-2630QM  GHz Intel Core with SC speed Turbo of 2.90 GHz. Intel Core i7-2820QM and Core i7-2630QM both have a thermal type power of 45 Watts rating. A number of the Pavilion dv7 notebook versions feature Super Speed USB 3.0 slot with the regular USB 2.0 too.

Number of Lenovo and Gateway laptop computer versions sporting Intel Sandy Bridge processors was identified last month. Hopefully to view few notebooks running Intel Sandy Bridge processors at the CES 2011 beginning next week.

HP Pavilion dv7picture

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Computex 2011: Intel Demonstrates Fanless 95W TDP Sandy Bridge All-in-One System

That's right, what you're looking at is a 95W TDP Sandy Bridge All-in-One system that is cooled only via large heatsinks and no fan. Heat rises upwards and is vented out of the top of the machine but Intel says it doesn't need a fan. Apparently Intel holds some patents on the design and is willing to share it with its partners. 

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Computex 2011: Intel's Thin miniITX Sandy Bridge Platform

Intel's Mooly Eden just showed off its new thin mini ITX Sandy Bridge platform. The form factor is a standard mini ITX but with a low profile backplane so it can fit into thinner systems - particular all-in-ones.

Could this be the start of a DIY all-in-one market? I'm not sure about that, but it will help standardize components there and hopefully lower costs as you can reduce the number of custom components in the system.

{gallery 1095}

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Intel Integrates USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt into Ivy Bridge Platform

We knew about the first feature on this list (USB 3.0) would come with Ivy Bridge's 7-series chipset, but the second one was something I just heard about today. Ivy Bridge will integrate Thunderbolt into the chipset. Expect Thunderbolt adoption to skyrocket as a result in 2012.

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A Quick Look at a 22nm Ivy Bridge Wafer

Just before a couple of key Ivy Bridge disclosures, Mooly Eden held up a wafer of 22nm Ivy Bridge CPUs. Presumably these are quad-core versions with 16 EUs, the largest version Intel will make at least at launch. Mooly mentioned that Ivy Bridge will have more than a billion transistors (obviously, SNB was 995M), but he wouldn't reveal the actual count. 

Knowing that these wafers are 300mm in diameter, you should be able to get a decent idea of Ivy Bridge die size based on the photo below.

I seem to count approximately 37 die up and 15 die across, which would put a single Ivy Bridge die at 8.1mm x 20mm or around 162mm^2. A 32nm quad-core Sandy Bridge die is 216mm^2 by comparison.

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ASUS 2011 UX Series: Ultra Thin and Light Sandy Bridge

ASUS just unveiled its 2011 UX Series, which looks a lot like a MacBook Air:

 

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px}The new UX comes with a 6Gbps SATA SSD, although ASUS didn’t reveal the manufacturer of the drive or the controller inside. The SSD enables what ASUS promises will be a 2 second wake time on the notebook, a trend that you’ll hear more about later this week.

 

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p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px}With the lid shut the new UX will last for up to 7 days in sleep mode. 

 

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Asus bamboo upgraded to Sandy Bridge @ www.engadget.com

This laptop comes with an Nvidia Optimus configuration: Integrated Intel® GMA HD and
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 520M with 1GB DDR3 VRAM.

ASUS' bamboo-plated U43SD laptop graduates to Sandy Bridge, so does plain-jane U41SV -- Engadget

When we reviewed ASUS' first bamboo laptop, we raved about more than just its unconventional looks -- we were also impressed with its solid performance. So we're pleased, although not at all surprised, that ASUS is refreshing the line with Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processors. The U43SD doesn't appear to stray from its predecessor's industrial design (save for its bigger 14-inch screen), but it steps up to the latest Core i3 and Core i5 processors, along with NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics with 1GB of video memory. You can also choose from 5,400RPM and 7,200RPM hard drive options and either a six- or eight-cell battery. While the company was at it, it also quietly unveiled another Sandy Bridge laptop, the U41SV, which offers the same configuration options as the U43SD -- and a plainer design. No word on pricing, and a cursory search turned up no availability. For now, though, you can have a gander at some official photos lifted from ASUS' own product pages.

ASUS U43SD

ASUS U41SV

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HP Pavilion g6s Notebook with Sandy Bridge

For those who like colorful notebooks, HP introduce the Pavilion g6s low budget and easy  use notebook powered by Intel Sandy Bridge platform. The new laptop arrives in a option of glossy colors including charcoal gray (standard), sonoma red, pacific blue, sweet purple, luminous rose. It runs by a optional selection of Intel Core i3/i5 processors, up to 6GB of RAM, integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000, optional Radon 6470M graphics card, and up to 750GB hard drive.
 

The Pavilion g6s has a 15.6-inch 1366×768 LED-backlit display and provides HDMI output. It characteristic a HP webcam with microphone, built-in Altec Lansing speakers, multi-in-one card reader and a DVD SuperMulti burner The notebook is DLNA certified and supports Bluetooth and WiFi.

This laptop has  A 6-cell battery to provide much power to the system and it runs with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.It has a  borderless touchpad and chiclet-like keyboard.The HP Pavilion g6s notebook price  starts at $549.99

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Lenovo X1 Leaked: Sandy Bridge Gets Thin

 

 Lenovo is taking another swing at the MacBook Air. Having discontinued their X300 ultraportable line, Lenovo seemed content to compete at the 11" and 12" form factor, without sitting a horse at the popular but Air dominated 13.3" form factor. But a listing on a Swiss computer distributor's site leaked and documents released on the Lenovo channel distributors' site confirmed that the ThinkPad purveyor is planning to take on the Air with a 21.5 mm thick ultraportable notebook called the X1.   While not quite as thin as the much hailed MBA, the X1 packs impressive specifications, especially for a device targeted at those of us used to sacrificing performance for lightweight. Headlining the device is a 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M CPU, the same processor as can be found in the 34.6 mm thick X220. Let me say that again, Lenovo managed to grow the screen and pack the same processor into a device one third less thick. A 13.3" 1366 x 768 Gorilla Glass screen, 160GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, an SDXC card reader and the excellent keyboard and build quality we've come to expect from the ThinkPad line round out the specifications. But that's not all.

Earlier today, Lenovo released slides from a distribution webinar that reveals that the X1 will sport a new type of battery which promise significant improvements in stamina and charging speed. Lenovo claims an 80% charge in just 30 plugged in minutes, for the sealed battery. This battery technology is expected to be included in all their future ultraportable notebooks including the previously announced Edge 220s and 420s, and the X1 is rated at 5 hours of use between charges. And there's one more thing.  In the same slide discussing the new warranty policies regarding these new batteries, Lenovo reveals that the battery tech will be included in the X Slate - presumably Lenovo's upcoming Honeycomb based tablet offering.]]>

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Lucid's Virtu Enables Simultaneous Integrated/Discrete GPU on Sandy Bridge Platforms

We first met LucidLogix (now just Lucid) 2.5 years ago at IDF. The promise was vendor-agnostic multi-GPU setups with perfect performance scaling. The technology was announced at a very important time. Intel and NVIDIA were battling out support for SLI on Nehalem motherboards. NVIDIA didn't want SLI enabled on any non-NVIDIA chipsets, and Intel wasn't about to let NVIDIA build any chipsets for Nehalem. Lucid's Hydra technology seemed to be exactly what we needed to get around the legal holdup that kept Nehalem users from enjoying SLI.

Three things made Lucid's technology less interesting as time went on. Hydra took two years to come to market, NVIDIA enabled SLI on Intel platforms and single GPU performance got really, really good.

What made Lucid's Hydra tech possible was a software layer that intercepted OpenGL and DirectX calls from the CPU and directed them to a GPU of Lucid's choosing. While Hydra saw limited success, parts of the technology had another application.

Read on for our performance preview of Lucid's Virtu for Sandy Bridge platforms.

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MSI Giveaway: GT680R Sandy Bridge Notebook

I've been working with MSI for nearly as long as AnandTech has been around. So when MSI came to us with a giveaway opportunity we jumped on it. The grand prize? A Sandy Bridge equipped MSI GT680R Notebook. The notebook is powered by a quad-core Core i7-2630QM which runs at 2.0GHz by default but can turbo up to 2.9GHz with only a single core active. 

The GT680R includes three USB 3.0 ports and a pair of 500GB 7200RPM drives in RAID-0. The system will ship with 8GB of DDR3 memory making it a pretty beefy desktop alternative. The integrated GeForce GTX 460M is paired with 1.5GB of GDDR5 memory and it drives a high resolution 1920 x 1080 15.6-inch panel.

Read on for the full specs as well as details on how to enter.

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Mobility Sector Updates: Waiting for Sandy Bridge and Market Analysis

The past week shook up the whole computer industry with Intel’s announcement that a potential flaw in their Cougar Point chipset required a respin to fix. In the ensuing chaos, we’ve had quite a few reviews put on hold or pulled altogether as we await the revised chipset. We also have a few other items to discuss in regards to the mobility sector, so if you’re debating purchasing a new laptop/notebook vs. waiting for “fixed” hardware, we hope to shed some light on the situation.

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Lucid Enables Quick Sync with Discrete Graphics on Sandy Bridge

If you read our Sandy Bridge Review you’ll know that we were very excited about Intel’s Quick Sync hardware transcode engine. It easily offers at least twice the performance of existing GPU based transcoding solutions without sacrificing image quality. There’s just one little problem: you can’t use Quick Sync you're using a discrete GPU, you need to use Intel's processor graphics.

Lucid presented a potential solution to the problem at this year’s CES. Through software alone, Lucid is able to copy the frame buffer from a discrete PCIe GPU to the frame buffer of SNB’s HD Graphics in main memory. The result is that you can hook a single monitor up to your motherboard’s video output and use a discrete GPU when you want it. Lucid’s technology would enable switchable graphics on the desktop, without any hardware requirements (it still obviously won’t work on P67, shame on Intel).

To demonstrate the technology Intel ran an H67 motherboard with a GeForce GTX 480. Lucid’s software was installed which allowed for the GTX 480 to run and its frame buffer output to be copied to main memory and sent out via Intel’s Flexible Display Interface through the DVI port on the back of the motherboard. 

At the same time, Intel demonstrated that it could run a Quick Sync enabled transcode in Cyberlink’s Media Espresso 6 - all thanks to Lucid’s software.

Lucid expects that there will only be a 1 - 3% impact in performance (although that’s something we’d have to see for ourselves), but there’s no firm date on when the driver will be available. I’m expecting a beta version of Lucid’s software in the coming weeks however.

Motherboard manufacturers could bundle Lucid’s solution with their boards to avoid upsetting end users thanks to Intel’s Quick Sync oversight. There’s still no getting around the fact that you can’t overclock your CPU on H67 motherboards. You’ll still have to wait for Z68 to fix that problem.

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Intel Insider: Sandy Bridge Gets 1080p High Bitrate Streaming

In an attempt to ultimately raise its stock price, Intel is trying to shock and surprise investors by keeping details scarce on unannounced products. We saw the first example of this last year with Sandy Bridge. Intel was very late in disclosing architectural details, and it took a leak to even find out about Intel’s hardware transcode engine - arguably one of the biggest, tangible features of Sandy Bridge. I’m not a financial analyst nor do I have any influence on stock price, but this seems to be a strategy that ultimately won’t work. It’s not Apple’s withholding of information that results in its very healthy stock. If Intel wants to raise its share price it will ultimately have to do two things: 1) release killer technology, 2) put said technology to good use right away without waiting on its partners to do so.

We are seeing examples of this in the market already. Intel’s Wireless Display technology leverages Intel hardware with Intel developed software. Intel Insider, is another, more recent example.

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