Intel Releases New Sandy Bridge Processors
by Andrew Cunningham on September 6, 2011 12:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Intel
- CPUs
- Sandy Bridge
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 CPUs | |||||||
| Name | Cores/Threads | CPU Clock | L3 Cache | GPU | GPU Clock | TDP | Price |
| i5-2320 | 4/4 | 3.0 GHz (3.3GHz Turbo) | 6MB | HD 2000 | 850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 95W | $177 |
| i3-2130 | 2/4 | 3.4 GHz | 3MB | HD 2000 | 850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 65W | $138 |
| i3-2125 | 2/4 | 3.3GHz | 3MB | HD 3000 | 850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 65W | $134 |
| i3-2120T | 2/4 | 2.6GHz | 3MB | HD 2000 | 650 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 35W | $127 |
| Pentium G860 | 2/2 | 3.0GHz | 3MB | HD | 850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 65W | $86 |
| Pentium G630 | 2/2 | 2.7GHz | 3MB | HD | 850 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 65W | $75 |
| Pentium G630T | 2/2 | 2.3GHz | 3MB | HD | 650 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 35W | $70 |
| Celeron G540 | 2/2 | 2.5GHz | 2MB | HD | 850 MHz (1000 MHz turbo) | 65W | $52 |
| Celeron G530 | 2/2 | 2.4GHz | 2MB | HD | 850 MHz (1000 MHz turbo) | 65W | $42 |
| Celeron G530T | 2/2 | 2.0GHz | 2MB | HD | 650 MHz (1100 MHz turbo) | 35W | $47 |
| Celeron G440 | 1/1 | 1.6GHz | 1MB | HD | 650 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 CPUs | |||||||
| Name | Cores/Threads | CPU Clock | L3 Cache | GPU Clock | TDP | Price | |
| i7-2960XM | 4/8 | 2.7 GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) | 8MB | 650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo) | 55W | $1096 | |
| i7-2860QM | 4/8 | 2.5 GHz (3.6 GHz Turbo) | 8MB | 650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo) | 45W | $568 | |
| i7-2760QM | 4/8 | 2.4GHz (3.5 GHz Turbo) | 6MB | 650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo) | 45W | $378 | |
| i7-2640M | 2/4 | 2.8GHz (3.5 GHz Turbo) | 4MB | 650 MHz (1300 MHz turbo) | 35W | $346 | |
| Celeron B840 | 2/2 | 1.9GHz | 2MB | 650 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.
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SNORK - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
If the i7-2760 is a QM part, it is a quad core with 8 threads.mrscrib - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
Why bother coming out with anything less than HD3000 anyway? It's not like it makes a huge difference energy-wise, and when push comes to shove, a Llano, though not powerful, is still going to be a lot more tempting at the lower price points.DanNeely - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
The Q in the part name implies a quad core part, but it's listed as a dual core processor. CPU world shows it as 4 core, 8 thread so I assume it's just a transcription error here.Kristian Vättö - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
Seems to be a typo, I fixed it.z0mb13n3d - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
I really don't know who at Intel decides how a SKU is defined. In the 'New Sandy Bridge Desktop CPUs' tablet above, the i3-2130 has a 3.4GHz clock paired with an HD 2000 GPU running at 850/1100 MHz, priced at $138. The i3-2125 on the other hand has a 3.3GHz clock paired with an HD3000 GPU also running at 850/1100 MHz, priced at $134 lower.Firstly, for the general retail consumer market, I fail to understand the need for 2 SKU's separated by $4! To make matters worse, the --cheaper-- one supposedly has a GPU with --more-- features enabled. WHY?!?! 0_o
z0mb13n3d - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
table* and priced at a lower $134*DanNeely - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
They're probably equal quality bin parts; one just uses more of it's TDP for the GPU than the other. I'm guessing the pricing reflects that most of the buyers of those systems will be sufficiently non-technical that they'll only look at the GHZ and not the GPU part number and not have the knowledge to realize that 2125 is the better part for probably 95% what the systems will be used for (most of the 5% being boxes with a discrete GPU).Taft12 - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
Buy the one with the HD2000 GPU if you have a discrete video card. May as well maximize the CPU TDP if you will never touch the GPU anyway.Shadowmaster625 - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
Celeron 787.Celeron 847.
Celeron 857.
Celeron B800?
Celeron B840?
Where are these parts? I havent seen anything for sale that uses any of these chips. Until I actually see something it is just vapor/paper.
You'd think these would be a major hit. Faster than brazos, for possibly even less money. (Due solely to economies of scale.) And longer battery life.
Taft12 - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - link
Slower than Brazos for almost everything most users do with a PC (Flash games, Youtube, ...)