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."

Comments

Additional Story Resources

[Anonymous Coward]

This article is too significant to post only one source for the information. Here are the other top sites:

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)

Re:Additional Story Resources

[declain]

Tom's Hardware Guide: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833.html

Re:Additional Story Resources

[Vigile]

Agreed! The more people read about these products the better informed. A couple more:

bit-tech: http://bit-tech.net/hardware/2011/01/03/intel-sandy-bridge-review/1

Neoseeker: http://neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/Intel_i7_2600K_Intel_i5_2500K

Duplicate Links

[Aldenissin]

CmdrTaco, you duped the links, which appears to be an accident.

More Reviews...

[I.M.O.G.]

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

Is this the Tock?

[cyclocommuter]

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.

Re:Is this the Tock?

[Anonymous Coward]

All if they don't like you they can disable the processor from afar. All that at no extra cost! That will be a boon for stopping the computers spreading to countries they don't like.

http://www.techspot.com/news/41643-intels-sandy-bridge-processors-have-a-remote-kill-switch.html

Goodbye LGA 1366 and 1156

[iamhassi]

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.

Re:Goodbye LGA 1366 and 1156

[networkBoy]

I would attribute this mostly to growing pains related to moving the memory controller into the CPU directly. IIRC AMD had some socket thrash when they did this (though one certainly can wish Intel learned from AMD and only changed the socket once, not twice.)
-nB

Re:Goodbye LGA 1366 and 1156

[Pojut]

This is pretty much the only reason I still stick with AMD. My upgrade cycles are every 2-4 years, so you'd think it would make more sense for me to go Intel since their stuff is "better". Nope! I've kept the same motherboard for the past two cycles, and even though I'm getting a better CPU (going from Ahtlon II x4 to Phenom II x6) and better video card (going from ATI 4850 to nVidia 570), I'm STILL going to keep the same motherboard and RAM. The Phenom II will be the third CPU I've dropped into this motherboard (Athlon X2 -> Athlon II X4 -> Phenom II X6).

Re:Goodbye LGA 1366 and 1156

[Kjella]

Hint: Dropping $300 on every processor generation Intel makes is a waste of money. If you got that much to spend, buy a more expensive CPU and keep it a generation or two longer. It not like it goes broke just because it's not the newest toy anymore, you know.

So in order of why is this is mostly irrelevant to the market:
1) The majority is laptops now (since 2008) and nobody upgrades the CPU there
2) Most people will get their desktop from an OEM and never upgrade
3) If you assume a new Intel will require a new mobo, you buy accordingly

Ok, so maybe you made a smart upgrade investment. Hurray, you belong to 1% of the market. Intel is still laughing all the way to the bank...

Re:Impressive graphics ?

[timeOday]

I disagree; if integrated graphics are now trailing discrete by only 12-16 months, then NVidia has a problem. Not many games require a graphics card less than a year old, and not many people bother to buy one that often. And the integrated solution will be overall cheaper, smaller, and more power efficient.

Re:Impressive graphics ?

[RedK]

The 320M is not a discrete graphics option, it's an integrated graphics option, same as this SB GPU. So you disagree out of ignorance more than disagreement. This is again a really poor showing on Intel's part.

Re:Impressive graphics ?

[Shivetya]

Well from the article it is my impression they are trying to work more with Direct X than any other solutions. Since the Mac does not support Microsoft Direct X graphics I assume we will still see Nvidia Discreet graphics for time to come.

Price vs Performance

[cryptoluddite]

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).

Re:Price vs Performance

[Kjella]

When has Intel ever lowered prices without needing to?

Intel will act rather aggressively to deny AMD any high margin CPUs if they can, they know keeping AMD cash starved is the best guarantee for their continued dominance while Intel has plenty markets to get their margins. Intel is way ahead of the game at this point, they know AMD has some launches soon and for one they empty the market of people looking for a new CPU soon and second they make sure that instead of praising reviews and reports that AMD force Intel to price cuts they instead get "too little, too late" reviews. This is the first volley, I expect another volley after the AMD launches with new $500-1000 processors just to rub in their performance dominance and get another round of positive reviews. Intel has AMD way backed up into the "value" corner, they're not getting out that easily...

Re:Beware if you want to install Linux!

[CajunArson]

Uh... so you install a several months old version of Linux on a brand new architecture and it doesn't work, therefore the architecture is "broken"????? There are fully 100% open source drivers available for Sandy Bridge RIGHT NOW. Phoronix (usually the purveyor of sensationalism but a voice of reason in this case) goes out of its way to detail exactly what you need to run Sandy Bridge with 100% open source code. Now... is it 100% released yet? No, but at the same time, you have to remember that SB isn't even officially for sale yet. It WILL be fully released in the next round of distro updates, and you can get all the stuff to run it right now if you are truly as l33t as you think you are. I'm just sitting back and waiting for the AMD fanboys to scream about how AMD is so wonderful and all AMD graphics work perfectly in Linux when someone gets GLX gears running on a 6000 series part in 6 months......

Re:Impressive graphics ?

[RedK]

The 320M used in Macs shares memory with main system memory. That used the be the definition of an integrated graphics part. Dedicated/discrete GPUs have their own memory, hence the dedicated/discrete part of the name. I've been following graphics cards/benchmarks/terminology since the mid-90s and 3Dfx's rise to fame.

The 320M I'm talking about and that Anand used is integrated in the chipset, same as all the Intel graphics before it, so it shares its die with a memory controller, a SATA controller, a PCI interface and a USB controller. It is the very definition of an integrated graphics part. Intel only decided to move the part from the chipset and integrate more on the CPU die itself. That doesn't make their showing any more impressive.

Treacherous Computing

[Skjellifetti]

Sandy Bridge implements treacherous computing.

Re:On die DRM

[RightSaidFred99]

Nobody with any sense gives a shit - if you don't like the DRM features, don't use programs that require them.