Intel Announces 3rd Generation Core "Ivy Bridge" Processor Family

[btarunr]

Intel finally got the ball rolling on its third generation Core processor family codenamed "Ivy Bridge", which will go into making most of the company's client processor portfolio for 2012. These chips are characterized as being the world's first microprocessors built on the 22 nanometer silicon fabrication process. Intel aided miniaturization of circuits to such tiny scale thanks to 3D Transistor technology, a space-efficient nano-scale transistor design that enables chip-designers to achieve higher transistor densities, and come up with ever more powerful chips.

The third-generation Core processor family is based around a single die design (pictured below), from which it will carve out numerous SKUs in the client market in May-June, and enterprise market (under its Xeon brand, towards the end of June). These SKUs will be carved out by toggling the various parallel components (such as x86 cores, cache banks, processor graphics cores, and of course clock-speeds). The new Core processor family is expected to feature higher performance per clock-speed, and higher efficiency. Intel's Kirk Skaugen has been quoted by the BBC as saying "This is the world's first 22 nm product and we'll be delivering about 20% more processor performance using 20% less average power."



Fancy new design technology aside, Ivy Bridge features an improved core design from "Sandy Bridge", it packs four x86-64 cores, with an expansive instruction set that includes AVX and AES-NI acceleration, second-generation Turbo Boost technology that tweaks clock speeds of the processor within available Turbo bins quicker, resulting in more energy efficiency, and a new integrated graphics core that is supports DirectX 11. The graphics core also lends a hand at highly parallelized tasks such as video-encoding, using its improved QuickSync Video feature, and can stream display output wirelessly over WiDi.



Each of the four cores is aided by 256 KB of dedicated L2 cache, there is 8 MB of shared L3 cache on board, but the amount of this cache enabled varies between models. The chip has a completely integrated northbridge, a dual-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller (IMC), and a PCI-Express gen. 3.0 root complex, which has 16 lanes to spare for graphics (can be arranged as x16, x8/x8, and x8/x4/x4, depending on the motherboard chipset). The processor talks to the motherboard chipset over a 20 Gb/s DMI link. Intel's new 7-series "Panther Point" chipsets are natively supported, and enable some new features, while previous-generation 6-series "Cougar Point" chipsets are also supported, provided the motherboards come with ME8L firmware.

Launched today, are no less than 13 quad-core models under the Core i5 and Core i7 brand extensions. Dual-core parts are reserved for launch "later this spring." Core i7 desktop processors launched today include Core i7-3770K (the crown-jewel of this series), with 3.50 GHz clock speed that cranks itself up to 3.90 GHz on demand, has nearly all components on the Ivy Bridge silicon unlocked, including its base-clock multiplier, which makes overclocking possible. This part is priced around US $330 (prices vary by market). Intel has a more affordable part for overclockers, called the Core i5-3570. This chip features clock speeds of 3.40 GHz with 3.80 GHz max. Turbo speed, and has 6 MB of L3 cache enabled. The Core i5-3570K will be priced around US $230. There are various other models included in today's launch, including the Core i5-3550, i5-3470, and i5-3330. Leading the notebook processor lineup will be Core i7-3615QM, i7-3612QM, and i7-3610QM, etc. Intel's 3rd Generation Core processor family will be gradually available in the retail channel, across all markets.



Says Intel on availability, "Systems based on quad-core 3rd generation Intel Core processor products will be available beginning this month from leading system makers. Boxed versions of these processors will also be available this month from online, retail and channel resellers. Additional versions of the 3rd generation Intel Core processor products for servers, intelligent systems in retail, healthcare and other industries, Ultrabook devices and laptops and more will be available later this year."

Source: BBC

[Jizzler]

Nice.

Though I see I'll have to wait (not too long) for the dual-core i5-3470T. Have a project box that it'll go nicely with.

[Delta6326]

i7 3770K already at 6.9GHz! Can't wait to see more of these, besides a shrink and 3d transistors is there anything else that is notably different from SB?

[MeanBruce]

The Intel live webcast is still on, its pretty good, no mention of heat production, like duh!


Now they are taking questions, wonder if anyone will ask about OCing to stable 5Ghz on good air?

[hellrazor]

Awesome.

[Delta6326]

Originally Posted by MeanBruce

The Intel live webcast is still on, its pretty good, no mention of heat production, like duh!


Now they are taking questions, wonder if anyone will ask about OCing to stable 5Ghz on good air?

Do you have a link to this? I would like to watch it.

[Recus]

Reviews:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...-3770K-Reviews

[MeanBruce]

Originally Posted by Delta6326

Do you have a link to this? I would like to watch it.

Here's the link:


http://www.intc.com/events.cfm


Its the event listed at the top..

it says click to listen but its a video...

[GoriLLakoS]

Sandy Bridge 2500K Vs Sandy Bridge-E 3930K Vs Ivy Bridge 3570K
at Stock Vs 4GHz Vs 4.5GHz in a lot of benchmarks

After Page 7 there are many many charts:

http://www.hwbox.gr/reviews/16498-in...0k-review.html

[Atom_Anti]

Anybody knows a 3DMark11 point?

[Random Murderer]

Originally Posted by Delta6326

i7 3770K already at 6.9GHz! Can't wait to see more of these, besides a shrink and 3d transistors is there anything else that is notably different from SB?

apparently they have a more powerful IMC as well.
though don't expect to see huge OCs with them, the 3d transistor tech raises the heat output and makes the silicon vary even more between chips.

[EarthDog]

Originally Posted by Atom_Anti

Anybody knows a 3DMark11 point?

Thats a GPU test mostly... but it does score a hair better in the Phsyics/combined testing. Not remotely enough to displace an Intel hex, but more than 26/2700k.

Problem is, you will only get 4.5Ghz-4.8Ghz on IB with air/ambient cooling vs 5Ghz+ for SB.

[Atom_Anti]

Originally Posted by EarthDog

Thats a GPU test mostly... but it does score a hair better in the Phsyics/combined testing. Not remotely enough to displace an Intel hex, but more than 26/2700k.

I'm interested in laptops so curios how much better Ivy IGP than Sandy or Llano... I go green, so I won't add discrete graphics, therefore overall performance more important to me than CPU.

[Steevo]

I want. Too see this overclocked to 5Ghz.

[NC37]

Originally Posted by Atom_Anti

I'm interested in laptops so curios how much better Ivy IGP than Sandy or Llano... I go green, so I won't add discrete graphics, therefore overall performance more important to me than CPU.

Already been numbers out on this. IB will be better than SB IGP but it is still behind AMD. If you want graphics without discrete you'll want Trinity. Llano won't be bad but Trinity gets a big jump in GPU over Llano.

If the 3D transistor is the culprit of the heat then that would make sense why IB runs so much hotter than SB. I may just do a SB build if they do some price cutting on it.

[TheHunter]

Disappoint.

Apparently it OC's like crap, max 4.6-4.8ghz (1.35-1.40v max max), heh i was hoping this 3d gate will boost OC not the opposite.

The process is still young and likely biased a bit towards the lower leakage characteristics of lower voltage/lower wattage CPUs, such as those that would be used in Ultrabooks. These two factors combined with some architectural decisions focused on increasing power efficiency result in what many of you may have heard by now: Ivy Bridge won't typically overclock as high as Sandy Bridge on air.

The frequency delta isn't huge. You'll still be able to hit 4.4—4.6GHz without resorting to exotic cooling, but success in the 4.8—5.0GHz range will be limited to water alone for most. Ivy Bridge is also far more sensitive to voltage than Sandy Bridge. Heat dissipation can increase significantly as a function of voltage, so you'll want to stay below 1.3V in your overclocking attempts.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5771/t...3770k-review/4


Now im kinda in dilemma with X79 (i7 3820) and later Ivybridge-E 8core, I guess it will have the same ~ 4.6ghz limit.. at least its 16 (IvyBridge pimped) threads

[Disruptor4]

Tpu. Y u no release review?

[Atom_Anti]

Originally Posted by NC37

If the 3D transistor is the culprit of the heat then that would make sense why IB runs so much hotter than SB. I may just do a SB build if they do some price cutting on it.

Wow, Ivy runs much hotter than Sandy? Where you see that? I taught Ivy will be colder, because of less TDP. If so than Ivy is for desktops, there heating and fan noise is ok.

[TheHunter]

Originally Posted by Atom_Anti

Wow, Ivy runs much hotter than Sandy? Where you see that? I taught Ivy will be colder, because of less TDP. If so than Ivy is for desktops, there heating and fan noise is ok.

Its cooler, but gets quite hot once you start to OC.

Especially over 4.6ghz+ (1.35v+)..

[Soylent Joe]

[Prima.Vera]

I think the best processor here is the Core i5-3570. Almost the same performance as the latest i7 for 100$ less. A real winner.

[TheHunter]

There is a new mini OC review undervotlage vs overclocking, looks interesting
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5763/u...-on-ivy-bridge