Do you remember thata couple months agowe spoke about theHaswell processorsfrom Intel?This is indeed the new generation of Intel chips and is expected to be released around the middle of this year, ie in only 2 or 3 months.New reports indicate that Intel has begun shipping itsHaswell chipsto the main market OEMs to begin testing and others.
The company is expected to give more details about it or make some announcement about this new generation of processors during IDF conference to be held next week in Beijing.Haswell processors will not only be the best ofIntelin terms of power, but is also expected to have a very low energy expenditure without implying a yield loss.
Notably, these processors will be used in PCs, laptops and tablets also, contrary to early rumors saying that would be available only for desktops.
The Haswell chips have the same process for the generation 22nm Ivy Bridge, although it has designed a new microarchitecture to improve the performance.It is expected that 14 new lines processors Core i5 and Core i7 will be launched between 2013 and 2014.
What will the ultrabooks in a year? And yes, I mean the beginning of 2014. For Intel knows how and has allowed a look at the models in their first hours at CES. The new laptop , which carries the code name North Cape, is not a real product yet, but Intel created a team to demonstrate its new generation of Intel Core processors, the Haswell, corresponding to the fourth generation. These CPUs will be released around mid-2013. The laptop shown is intended to be very similar to model future, even in size and weight. Most striking is that the screen is 13.3 inch long. Exactly resized. How is it possible? Because it is a convertible laptop (tablet hybrid) whose screen is scaled to a size of 11 inches with only pressing a button.
One of the main advantages of Intel's laptop shows us that we will use
next year against Ivy Bridge models is an extended battery life that
will be very noticeable.
The notebook presented, as said, would have a total duration of about
13 hours since it incorporates batteries on the screen and on the
keyboard. We hope that in the coming days will give more insight into the technology of the North Cape.
Haswell is the name of the new family of Intel processors which was announced in last September but of which we know little or nothing. Recently leaked a document detailing more of the processors that will be part of this new line of high technology .
The line Haswell will, at least, with 14 different processor models and all designed for computer desktops. First place takes it a 3.5GHz Core i7 model able to reach 3.9GHz with Boorst Mode. It is a quad-core CPU with eight threads.
The great line Haswell will continue to include 22nm process used to
manufacture the current Ivy Bridge processors, but otherwise implement a
new microarchitecture to improve performance. It seems that the company has also made adjustments for integrated cards, which will now be a Intel HD 4600. As stated also the first processor of this new family will be coming to market between April and June 2013. Remember that none of this has been confirmed yet, so I can make things very different.
We all know
that every time you get a new generation of processors it is more
powerful than the last, and in some cases also achieved an improvement
in terms of energy consumption of chips. For Intel Core processors, may consume less energy comes earlier than expected. Intel plans to reduce its water consumption by modern Core processors, better known as Ivy Bridge, which some are used in most PCs and Macs on the market. While Intel planned to reduce energy consumption in the next generation, called Haswell, now it seems there was a change of plans. All indications are that the new version of Ivy Bridge processors will also be more friendly devices laptops such as laptops and tablets, and mainly the latter.
The power to create tablets with Intel Core processors without
sacrificing portability or battery life leaves the door open for the
creation of a greater number of hybrid models, ie notebooks that can be
used as tablets.
Ivy Bridge is the codename for Intel's 22 nm die shrink of the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture based on tri-gate ("3D") transistors. Ivy Bridge processors will be backwards-compatible with the Sandy Bridge platform, but might require a firmware update (vendor specific). Intel has released new 7-series Panther Point chipsets with integrated USB 3.0 to complement Ivy Bridge.
Intel announced that it had begun volume production of Ivy Bridge chips in the third quarter of 2011,with the launch of 15 quad-core processors on 23 April 2012. Launch of the dual-core mobile CPUs will be delayed until June 2012 to allow more time to sell surplus inventory of previous generation Sandy Bridge CPUs, which accumulated due to slower than expected computer sales. Meanwhile, dual-core desktop processors are said to arrive in the third quarter of 2012.
If you’re in the market for a new computer over the next few months,
you’ll have a clear choice: Buy a brand-spanking new machine with
Intel’s latest chip technology, Ivy Bridge, or opt for a machine with
last year’s tech for less money.
On Monday, Intel made a good case for not cheaping out.
At an event broadcast live over the web, Intel officially launched its Ivy Bridge
processors, which revamp its top chip lines, the Core i7 and i5
designs. In total Intel launched 13 different flavors of Ivy Bridge, all
of them quad-core, with more on the way.
Notably, the chip designs for Ultrabooks — those super-thin laptops that resemble the MacBook Air
— aren’t among the 13. Intel faced some challenges in producing the
chips for the extremely thin designs, so Ivy Bridge won’t be coming to
them for a couple of months, Intel PC business chief Kirk Skaugen said
(see update below). The Ultrabook processors will be dual-core and run
at lower voltages to conserve power.
Even though the Ivy Bridge party is postponed for Ultrabooks, Intel
said there were 570 PC designs in the works that will include the new
chips, and any desktop, laptop or all-in-one design (think iMac) will
enjoy many benefits from the 22nm tech.
For the full run-down on Ivy Bridge and its benefits, check out the
video below. Ivy Bridge’s main advantage is with multimedia and graphics
performance. Although the overall performance is about 20% better than
the last generation (Sandy Bridge), Skaugen said visual activities like
high-definition gameplay and transcoding HD video would see a
performance boost of up to 100%.
Features
Ivy Bridge feature improvements over Sandy Bridge include:
Tri-gate transistor ("3-D") technology (up to 50% less power consumption at the same performance level as 2-D planar transistors).
PCI Express 3.0 support.
Max CPU multiplier of 63 (57 for Sandy Bridge).
RAM support up to 2800 MT/s in 200 MHz increments.
Intel HD Graphics 2500/4000 with DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.1, and OpenCL 1.1 support.
The built-in GPU will have up to 16 execution units (EUs), compared to Sandy Bridge's maximum of 12.
A new random number generator and the RdRand instruction, codenamed Bull Mountain.
DDR3L and Configurable TDP for mobile processors.
Multiple 4K video playback.
Intel Quick Sync Video.
The new chips also include full support for both USB 3.0 and Intel’s own high-speed connector tech, Thunderbolt.
USB 3.0 offers 10x the speed of 2.0 connectors, and Thunderbolt — used
on all Mac computers — is rated even faster (though that can vary
depending on the device you’re hooking up).
Ivy Bridge represents a bigger leap than usual for Intel. Not only
does the tech shrink the distance between transistors on a processor
(from 32 to 22 nanometers), but it also is a fundamentally different
chip design called Tri-Gate.
When Intel updates its processors, it typically either shrinks the
transistor size or changes the architecture. It doesn’t normally do
both.
The 13 Ivy Bridge processors Intel unveiled today are just the
beginning, and the company’s vision is to extend 22-nanometer chip tech
to all products based on the company’s tech, from high-end servers to
Intel-based smartphones that are just coming out (most phones are based on a different chip architecture called ARM).
Intel’s also hard at work on the chip designs that will replace Ivy
Bridge. The first will be Haswell, due in 2013, which is also based on
22nm tech. The company also has 14nm and 10nm chips in the works.
What excites you about the coming of Ivy Bridge PCs? Share your thoughts in the comments.
On the matter of the Ivy Bridge for Ultrabooks
“delay,” Skaugen subsequently said Intel is rolling out the products in
sequence, and the Ivy Bridge Ultrabook chips would come after the
quad-core designs as part of the company’s overall strategy.
FAQ
Q:Should I look for an Ivy Bridge sticker at the store?
A:Post-launch, you'll likely rarely hear that name again. It's an internal
code name (like Sandy Bridge before it), that we use as a quick
shorthand. In reality, this is Intel's third-generation Core series
processor family, which will use the same Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7
names as the previous two generations.
Q:If the names are the same, how can I tell which PCs have the newest parts?
A:On the mobile side, it's easier. The 2012 Ivy Bridge (or
third-generation) CPUs have a part number that begins with the number 3.
For example, one of our test systems has an Intel i7-3720QM CPU. Our
Sandy Bridge test system from last year had an Intel Core i7-2820QM. The
new mobile CPUs are: i7-3920XM, i7-3820QM, i7-3720QM, i7-3612QM, and
3610QM. The desktop CPUs are: i7-3770K, i7-3770, i7-3770T, i7-3770S,
i5-3570K, i5-3550, i5-3450, i5-3550S, and i5-3450S. Q:So if I buy a laptop now, it'll have the new CPUs, right?
A:Hold on, partner. You knew it wasn't going to be that easy, right? The
first systems with Ivy Bridge CPUs are getting reviewed right now, but
they won't be available to order until at least April 29. Additionally,
those are just going to be the very high-end quad-core Core i7 versions.
The more-mainstream dual-core Core i5 and Core i3 parts should start
appearing sometime around the end of May.
Q:Is the third-generation Core i-series much faster than the second-generation?
A:The leap between generations is not going to be as great as between the
first- and second-gen Core i-series chips. In fact,when it comes to
actual CPU performance, we really don't expect you'd notice too much of a
difference at all in everyday use. Where the new platform really shines
is in its integrated graphics.
Intel's new HD 4000 graphics replaces the current HD 3000, and the
company promises that you'll be able to play current high-end PC games
without needing a separate Nvidia or AMD GPU. Of course, they say that
with just about every generation of integrated graphics, and it's never
quite true.
Q:So, how good are the new integrated HD 4000 graphics?
A:Definitely better. If you keep the detail levels turned down, you can
get a very playable experience from most current PC games. But, keep in
mind the early test systems we have all include very high-end quad-core
Core i7 CPUs, which can help in some games. We'll have to wait until we
can test midrange Core i3 and Core i5 laptops to see if you can skip the
discrete GPU and still play Skyrim on your midprice laptop (on these
high-end system, Skyrim worked fine at full 1,920x1,080-pixel
resolution, but with detail levels set to low).
For a more in-depth look at the HD 4000's gaming chops. Q:Will these new CPUs make my next PC cost more?
A:From the vendors we've spoken to, there should be no price difference to
consumers once second-gen CPUs are swapped out for third-gen ones.
Q:Does Ivy Bridge improve battery life?
A:After the big leap made by last year's Sandy Bridge Intel chips, both
battery life and application performance are in for modest gains. In
comparing somewhat similar 17-inch Origin gaming laptops (one Ivy
Bridge, one Sandy Bridge), we saw a small drop in battery life, but
those were both outlier systems with power-hungry overclocked parts. In
comparing two similar Asus N-series laptops, the newer Ivy Bridge
version ran for an additional 12 minutes (226 versus 214 minutes). Keep
in mind that these are all examples of high-powered Core i7 laptops that
aren't expected to have great battery life. We'll have to wait until
the mainstream versions of Ivy Bridge hit to really test battery life. Q:I really need a mainstream laptop right now, should I tough it out and wait four to eight weeks?
A:This is a topic recently debated here at the CNET offices.
Besides Intel's new chips, it may also be worth waiting for Windows 8,
or at least the free upgrade coupons we expect to see bundled with new
laptops starting in late summer.
One thing to definitely watch out for is new laptop models or refreshes
announced right now or in the next few weeks. In some unfortunate cases,
if you order (or preorder) right away, you'll actually be getting a laptop with the older second-generation CPUs,
but if you wait another week or so (for quad-core, longer for
dual-core), the same systems will be for sale with newer Ivy Bridge
parts.
The PC makers in question blame Intel for shifting the
release dates of these new CPUs. We say, if you're launching a new
product right around the time of a processor upgrade, don't take
people's money for an extra week or so and make sure every customer has
the newest parts.
ASUS Ivy Bridge Questions
Over Clock
Whenever a new processor line gets released by Intel or AMD,
the enthusiasts are usually the first to pick them up. As well as
enjoying the increased stock performance, many also decide to overclock
their chip to see how much extra performance can be squeezed out.
However, anyone who has overclocked a Sandy Bridge processor successfully may be in for a shock when they pick up an Ivy Bridge
part. It has been discovered through testing that Ivy Bridge runs
significantly hotter when overclocked. By significantly, I mean as much
as 20 degrees Celsius more at the same clock speed.
The Tech Report did a real-world test where they pitted a Sandy
Bridge Core i7-2600K against an Ivy Bridge Core i7-3770K. Both chips
were pushed to 4.9GHz using air cooling and the results logged.
The power use was slightly higher for the 3770K (236w vs. 231w),
voltages were almost the same, but again Ivy Bridge was a little higher
(1.368V vs. 1.381V). Heat is where the two chips really differed,
though. At 4.9GHz the Sandy Bridge chip held a steady 80 degrees
Celsius, but Ivy Bridge was at 100 degrees Celsius. That may still be
within operational limits, but suggests anyone wanting to run an
overclocked Ivy Bridge is going to have to invest in some better
cooling.
As for why there is such a big difference in temperatures, the
culprit is most likely going to be the change Intel has made to the
thermal interface. Sandy Bridge chips use a fluxless solder for the link
between the CPU and the heat spreader. Ivy Bridge has switched to
thermal paste, which is less efficient at dissipating heat.
Intel has confirmed the additional temperature is down to “different
package thermal technology” and a “higher thermal density” for the Ivy
Bridge chips. Neither of which are going to change, so if you intend to
overclock one of these new chips, be sure to invest in rock solid
cooling.
Heat Problem ?
It has been pretty much confirmed, even by Intel, that
Ivy Bridge runs a whole lot hotter than Sandy Bridge when overclocked
and it appears that the reason for it was hiding under the Integrated
Heat Spreader all along. It appears that Intel decided to use TIM paste
rather than fluxless solder which is a much better heat conductor.
As
there has always been a possibility that some Ivy Bridge CPU would die
during testing, it was only a matter of time before someone took the IHS
off just to have some fun and see the CPU die in its glory. The heat
problem was usually attributed to either the fact that power density is
greater on Ivy Bridge or to problems that Intel has with 22nm tri-gate
manufacturing process.
According to a post over at
Overclockers.com, the first reason is only partly true as although the
power density is indeed greater it can't explain a difference of up to
20°C when overclocked Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge are compared.
Although, there is also a minor possibility that second reason has
something to do with it as Ivy Bridge certainly has a lower overclocking
potential, but mostly due to heat, as some reviewers were even scared
to push it beyond 4.5GHz.
Apparently, Intel decided to use TIM
paste between the CPU die and IHS which results in lower heat
conductivity or simply the IHS actually becomes a heat barrier rather
than the heat spreader. Of course, the TIM paste usage might only be
limited to engineering samples sent to reviewers, and Intel is still to
give any official details regarding this issue, but for now it is quite
possible that this could be Ivy Bridge's main problem, or should we say,
its Cougar Point.
As briefly noted by Overclockers.com, the same
issue was with Intel's E6xxx and E4xxx CPU lines and probably some
others in past. Unfortunately, it looks like all is not well in Ivy
Bridge world, and to make things worse we heard a few other things but
we'll leave that for another article.
You can check out the Overclockers.com post here and you can check out Intel Ivy Bridge 3570K IHS removal video below.
