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Intel Sandy Bridge Desktop and Mobile CPUs
Vigile writes "The new Intel Sandy Bridge architecture is being launched at CES this week but the reviews and benchmarks are out today. PC Perspective took a look at both the desktop and mobile variants, the former of which turns out to be quite an impressive processor for both highly threaded and single threaded applications. With some tweaks to the execution unit, a new Turbo Boost mode that increases clock speeds dynamically and a vastly improved integrated graphics implementation, the Core i7-2600K improves in every aspect. Also interestingly, the most expensive desktop part will start at $317, putting the screws to AMD yet again. On the mobile side of things, PC Perspective tested the quad-core Core i7-2820QM and the benchmark results are equally impressive; especially when looking at the gaming performance using integrated graphics. Sandy Bridge will no doubt put quite a dent in the discrete notebook graphics market for NVIDIA and AMD."
What benchmarks is the poster reading exactly ? On the Mac side, the SB IGP barely beat out the current nVidia 320M in shipping MacBooks, at low settings (a CPU bound task) and couldn't match the performance at medium settings meaning the SB IGP is slower than nVidia's offering from 2009!
There's nothing impressive, this is standard Intel IGP fare.
"Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
HotHardware Mobile: http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Intel-Core-i72820QM-Mobile-Sandy-Bridge-Processor-Review/
HH Desktop: http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Intel-Core-i72600K-and-i52500K-Processors-Debut/
Anandtech: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i5-2600k-i5-2500k-and-core-i3-2100-tested
Tech Report: http://techreport.com/articles.x/20188
Legit Reviews: http://legitreviews.com/article/1506/1/ (mobile)
Legit: http://legitreviews.com/article/1501/1/ (desktop)
They reviewed the best intel can offer, and it's significantly weaker than the $30, several generations old, bargain basement 3D cards they compared it to. It's a step up from the previous generation of intel graphics, but it's still very weak indeed - and I just know it'll be in everything because it's dirt cheap and laptop vendors manage to make it sound good (enough). Not impressed.
CmdrTaco, you duped the links, which appears to be an accident.
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
Summary is a bit light on sources... pcper.com is good, but you should be looking at multiple reviews to get a well rounded perspective.
Here's a few:
http://www.overclockers.com/intel-i7-2600k-sandy-bridge-review
http://legitreviews.com/article/1501/1/
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3754/intel_core_i7_2600k_and_core_i5_2500k_sandy_bridge_cpus/index.html
http://www.hitechlegion.com/reviews/processors/7689-intel-core-i5-2500k-processor-review
Overclockers
The Sandy Bridge architecture, aside from the die shrink and subsequent increase in clock rate which that entails, in my opinion, is not that much of an improvement over the previous i7 Lynnfield architecture (i7 860, 870, 875k, 880). Here is an article that benchmarks a Sandy Bridge CPU vs an i875k where the frequency of both processors set to 3.4 GHZ... not that big of an improvement.
Funny thing is many of the articles today are praising the chip as a big improvement over Lynnfield not making it clear that this is most likely due to the clock rate increase.
Personally I'm more looking forward to the octi-core units which are scheduled for in Q3 2011.
Combined with a decent dedicated GFX card they'll make a good basis for a new 3D workstation.
So the rumors are true: according to the article all Sandy Bridge CPUs are Socket LGA 1155, replacing the 18 month old LGA 1366 and 17 month old LGA 1156.
I'm all for bigger and better but it's a pain to throw away a $500 motherboard every 18 months because Intel decided they want to change the socket.
On the other hand the latest 6-core processors from AMD still support 3+ yr old AM2+ motherboards. It's nice to see someone still looking out for the budget shopper.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Bridges are bad enough lately, and I ain't using NO SANDY BRIDGE DRM CRAP and that's a fact Jack !!
a new MARKETING Boost mode that dumbs down your processor for most of your session
There. fixed that slashvertisment for you.
intel also needs more PCI-E lanes as just X16 for video is not ok with Light peak , USB 3 , cable card tuners and more on the way that needs more then just a pci-e x1 slot should have 20 so you can have x16 video and x4 for a add in card.
Anyone know whether or not Dell's M6xxx mobile workstation line will start offering Sandy Bridge processors on/around the official Sandy Bridge launch date?
I've read that Dell will roll out a new product (M6600) with Sandy Bridge, but I don't know if it's happening this week, or something later.
Nobody will comment about the deal with Intel and MAFIAA to put DRM in Sandy Bridge?
Slow day.
And we still have no decent quality low cost mobile computer. Don't try to tell me the Atom is decent or low cost!
Athiesm is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.
Also interestingly, the most expensive desktop part will start at $317, putting the screws to AMD yet again.
When has Intel ever lowered prices without needing to?
It's more likely that instead of putting the screws to AMD, Intel is worried about Bobcat and Bulldozer coming out pretty soon and factoring that into their prices (to gain market share before AMD chips get out). On merit Bobcat CPUs should dominate the low-end laptop/netbook market with low power use and real integrated graphics. Bulldozer should do well in the high-end server market again with low-power and more cores... basically where intel CPUs have hyperthreading, Bulldozer has another actual core (for integer instructions).
According to semiaccurate:
" If you try to use Sandy Bridge under Linux, it is simply broken. We tried to test an Intel DH67BL (Bearup Lake) with 2GB of Kingston HyperX DDR3, an Intel 32GB SLC SSD, and a ThermalTake Toughpower 550W PSU. At first we tried to install vanilla Ubuntu 10.10/AMD64 from a Kingston Datatraveler Ultimate 32GB USB3 stick. The idea was that it would speed things up significantly on install.
That's when the crippling bug surfaced. It seems the USB3 ports on the Intel DH67BL don't want to work. Ubuntu 10.10 installs fail during the install, no fix was found. Plug the same stick into a USB2 port, and it works fine. Alternately, install from a USB2 stick on a USB3 port, and things work fine."
source: http://semiaccurate.com/2011/01/02/sandy-bridge-biggest-disapointment-year/
There's one benchmark here that could reasonably be compiled on a processor specific basis, to show what the processor really can do (as opposed to all the other benchmarks, which are based on proprietary least-common-denominator executables: Euler3D.
And there are processor specific enhancements that could have great influence (150%?) on this code's performance... As it happens, this benchmark the one of greatest professional interest to me, anyway :-)
I'd really like to know how its performance would compare with Gulftown, if the benchmark were compiled for SandyBridge, with the latest (SandyBridge-supporting) edition of ifort.
"My opinions are my own, and I've got *lots* of them!"
That's 16 lanes coming directly out of the CPU; the chipset also provides an additional 8 lanes.
This means that in order to get data from a discrete GPU to a PCIe lightpeak card will require a journey from the GPU, through the CPU PCIe lanes, through the CPU, down whatever they're calling the Frontside Bus this week, into the Chipset's PCIe controller, down those lanes and into the lightpeak card. I don't know if that will affect performance much.
Of course, I doubt we'll see GPU support for Lightpeak monitor connections OR Lightpeak monitors for at least a year after Lightpeak itself comes out, so its unlikely to see use this CPU generation.
Sandy Bridge implements treacherous computing.
FreeSpeech.org
How do I turn it off? I'm blinded by the SPEED! Is Intel stealing 15 year old marketing shtick from Gateway?
Apparently plus an embedded DRM according to this article from The Inquirer. Previous generation is looking better and better.
or use a Voodoo 2 like Loopback Cable to get the video on the light peek bus.
Sandy Bridge is expected to be implemented in the Sandy Vagina wearable platform.
but apple is pushing open CL and weaker video does not help.
" a new Turbo Boost mode that increases clock speeds dynamically "
Dynamically? I want my Turbo Boost button back. 66 megahertz or bust!
Also interestingly, the most expensive desktop part will start at $317, putting the screws to AMD yet again
I don't see any screws. The business analysts at Intel determined the "correct" price based on the performance of the chip. AMD's most expensive desktop CPU is $265. About 17% less than the i7-2600K. The graphs I'm looking at on Anandtech right now show this to be about in line with the performance delta between these 2 CPUs.
Intel has almost always had an idiotically-priced Extreme Edition CPU at $999 (or $500, or some other price that will ensure worldwide sales can be measured in dozens). They didn't do that in this round, but they didn't price these chips at a level that makes AMD not worthy of consideration. Bring on Bulldozer!
From hell's heart I fstab at /dev/hdc