Intel works on what it calls a ‘tick-tock cycle. With the latest “tick” Intel launches fresh manufacturing processors. In 2010, the company launched Clarkdale desktop processors decreased the business Nehalem Micro-architecture to 32 nanometers, offering improved energy saving and performance. With every “tock” Intel launched a fresh Micro-architecture.
The next tick in processing power is coming…
In 2011, Intel launched the Sandy Bridge central processing Unit, which offers greater performance compared to their Clarkdale predecessors while lowering energy consumption and increasing the integrated Graphics capacity.
We will see the next “tick” early start of 2012, when Intel shrinks the Modern Sandy Bridge Micro-architecture down to the 22-nanometer works. The specifications of this latest Intel CPU (code named Ivy Bridge) promise even better energy saving and superior performance increase, even more so than the latest iterations.
What do you get if you take an old “Sandy Bridge” computer, downscale it, and give it a pretty second kick? You get the latest “Ivy Bridge” generation processors coming this year from Intel. And while the manufacturer remains secretive about it, there have been information leaks which allow us a glimpse of what’s ahead.
Information leaks reveal details about the Ivy Bridge
According to details reported by X-bit Labs, a lineup of Core i7 and Core i5 “Ivy Bridge processor” will be on hand in Q2 2012. They are all core quad processors, except possibly one of the lesser i5. The rest of the core i5s reportedly have a 7MB cache and powerful ranging from 2.7GHZ to 4GHZ. The core i7 link up has 8MB cache and speeds clock from 3GHz to 4 GHz.
The latest Ivy Bridge processors will benefit from PCIe 3.0×16, featuring native support for USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt. It will be up to the hardware manufacturers to decide which of those ports and slot technologies a particular system will include, though.
What’s the key innovation introduced by these CPUs?
The biggest difference between Ivy Bridge processor and Old Sandy Bridge processor is that Intel is building the next generation Central Processing Unit using a 22nm architecture—a nearly 35% drop in size from the existing 32nm computer chips. This decrease in architecture size will allow for various benefits compared to the previous generation.
First, Ivy Bridge central processing unit will consume less energy. That translates to lower power costs, and lower heat up, which snowballs the lower power costs because less energy is then needed to cool the computer system as well. When used in laptops, these processors should allow for significant increase in battery autonomy.
Second, the smaller central processing unit makes more room for the integrated modern graphics chip, permitting Intel to boost the graphics processing capabilities. The latest Ivy Bridge graphics capabilities are estimated to be up to 70% faster will help Microsoft Direct X11.
Should you look forward to the Ivy Bridge processors?
“Ivy Bridge” will offer a substantial improvement compared to the “Sandy Bridge” processors offered today. However, if your present computer is dragging and makes you want to chuck it through a window every day, I don’t advise you hold out until the Summer 2012.
The latest news is that “Ivy Bridge processor” will work with existing “sandy Bridge” old motherboards. So, if you do get a fresh computer system now with a “modern sandy bridge central processing unit, you will have an upgrade path on hand, and would not be painting yourself into the figurative corner.
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