Intel Leaked Roadmap for Sandy Bridge E-series

By Marcus Yam
published

E-series to be the new X?

An Intel slide deck leak from German site Computer Base has given Wccftech a look at the roadmap for desktop processors over the next year.

A high-end Sandy Bridge, denoted with a letter E, will launch late this year in a 6-core, 12-thread configuration. It will also support quad-channel DDR3 and PCIe 2x16 graphics. Sandy Bridge-E will rule the "extreme" performance realm for at least until mid-2012.

Those looking beyond Sandy Bridge will get to see Intel's new process refresh of the technology in Ivy Bridge which will appear in the first half of 2012. Perhaps it will have a coming out party at CES in January 2012.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
49 Comments Comment from the forums
  • itguy_nyc
    I wish intel would stick to one socket type. Then maybe i could upgrade my CPU without feeling used..........
    Reply
  • atikkur
    keduax gan. . .

    i feel confused with intel roadmap
    Reply
  • Ivy Bridge processors are seamlessly compatible with existing LGA1155 platforms, and "Cougar Point" P67, H67, H61, Z68, chipsets, although it will come with its own 7-series chipset.

    Reply
  • jdamon113
    Not that it is a bad thing, but why would Intel rush to get new items out, they have nothing to fear with AMD, and anyone else would be a laugh... maybe they know something we do not.
    I thing AMD is still 18-24 months of even being close to intel. So its a price thing for AMD>
    Reply
  • deweycd
    itguy_nycI wish intel would stick to one socket type. Then maybe i could upgrade my CPU without feeling used..........
    I agree. I know that the new LGA 1155 is said to be compatable going forward, but what about my LGA 1366 or the LGA 1156. They didn't last long at all.
    Reply
  • Destroysall
    jdamon113Not that it is a bad thing, but why would Intel rush to get new items out, they have nothing to fear with AMD, and anyone else would be a laugh... maybe they know something we do not. I thing AMD is still 18-24 months of even being close to intel. So its a price thing for AMD>
    I don't know. AMD's latest Llano APUs seem to have given a slight competition to Intel's SB as they seem to process multiple applications with ease at once while Intel's SB couldn't. I think that showed Intel that AMD is perhaps going to kick it in to gear and not worry about the bang for the buck too much. Not saying they're going to hit the prices of Intel's processors, but they are certainly going to be much better.
    Reply
  • pelov
    the llano apu's are based on phenom architecture, shrunk down to 32nm. Maybe better performance-per-watt, but the llano's are more about an all-in-one chip that doubles/triples the on-die graphics of sandy bridge counterparts. Basically a low or mid chip that provides graphics and good performance while not consuming a lot of power for cheap. Low end desktops and notebooks is what the llano will be targeting, i think. Definitely not going up against the mid or upper SB's. and forget about the E-series/ivy bridge.

    Is this new e-series SB on a new socket or 1155? what about ivy bridge? chipset doesn't necessarily mean same socket and intel already announced a new socket; just look at the MSI/asus/asrock anouncements with regards to am3/am3+ compatibility. same chipset but compatible on either socket. Quad channel is making me think it'll likely be new?

    The ivy bridge CPUs will supposedly be another 20% increase over current SB models, which is essentially the jump intel made from the 1156>1155.
    Reply
  • robochump
    Well Intel is a business so they are milking consumers for all their worth by introducing incremental upgrades rather than a big jump. Intel's last big jump was from Pentium to Core 2 but that rarely happens and was necessary to regain top spot from AMD. So lets hope AMD can also innovate to keep the pressure on!
    Reply
  • Leaps-from-Shadows
    Pelov -- look at the color codes near the bottom of the "Desktop Platform: Roadmap" slide. The light blue colored blocks are Sandy Bridge-E in an LGA2011 socket. It has to be a new socket because that CPU will have quad-channel memory plus up to 20MB of L3 cache and LGA1155 doesn't have enough connections for that. Ivy Bridge will be LGA1155 socket to start.
    Reply
  • ares1214
    deweycdI agree. I know that the new LGA 1155 is said to be compatable going forward, but what about my LGA 1366 or the LGA 1156. They didn't last long at all.
    I dont know what you are talking about, but 1366 was one of the longest lasting sockets ever. It's still going! 990x is still the fastest CPU according to Intel. I mean, the i7 Series was released 2008, and has held the performance crown for 3 years. Thats even better than AM3, which is 2-2.5 years, and 775 was fragmented by different incompatible chipsets, so I believe it was better than that too! 1156 was a bit disappointing given its relatively tiny lifespan of less than a year, i think around 8 months? Hopefully 1155 will last into Ivy Bridge, and up until what would be called something like Ivy Bridge EX. Thats a solid 1.5-2 years out of it at the least, which is fairly average or decent for a socket. And besides, better a new socket, than using an old one that holds your CPU design back.
    Reply