Intel: Sandy Bridge
Sandy Bridge does borrow from Nehalem. However, this is a new architecture for Intel, so there are also a lot of new features, including a more advanced HD Graphics component and a ring bus able to feed on-die subsystems faster and more efficiently.
Previously, graphics, PCI Express, and memory control were separate from the processing cores. Now, all of the logic exists on the same piece of silicon, manufactured at 32 nm. Intel maintains the Core i3, i5, and i7 brands, but adjusts its model names to indicate that Sandy Bridge is the second generation of Core processors. Gone is LGA 1156, unfortunately, replaced by the LGA 1155 interface.
Sandy Bridge-based chips can be found with two, four, or six cores. All of the dual- and hexa-core versions, along with some of the quad-core models, have Hyper-Threading enabled, doubling the number of threads that the processor can handle simultaneously. In other words, six-core Sandy Bridge-E-based CPUs juggle up to 12 threads at a time. That sort of complexity imposes hefty power requirements, though: up to 130 W.
Really, most power users don't need those LGA 2011-based chips, since Intel's quad-core products that center on Sandy Bridge have little trouble competing against AMD's six-core Phenom IIs.
More information:
- Sandy Bridge-E: Core i7-3960X Is Fast, But Is It Any More Efficient?
- Intel Core i7-3960X Review: Sandy Bridge-E And X79 Express
- Core i7-2600K Overclocked: Speed Meets Efficiency
- Intel’s Second-Gen Core CPUs: The Sandy Bridge Review
Benchmarked Intel Sandy Bridge-Based CPUs:
Sandy Bridge | Code Name | Rev. | Socket | Number ofCores | ClockFrequency | L2 Cache | L3 Cache | iGPU | MemoryController | TDP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pentium G620 | Sandy Bridge | Q0 | 1155 | 2 | 2.6 GHz | 2 x 256 KB | 3 MB | HD Graphics850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1066 | 65 W |
Pentium G630 | Sandy Bridge | Q0 | 1155 | 2 | 2.7 GHz | 2 x 256 KB | 3 MB | HD Graphics850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1066 | 65 W |
Pentium G630T | Sandy Bridge | Q0 | 1155 | 2 | 2.3 GHz | 2 x 256 KB | 3 MB | HD Graphics650-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1066 | 35 W |
Core i5-2300 | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 2.8 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | HD Graphics 2000850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 95 W |
Core i5-2310 | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 2.9 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | HD Graphics 2000850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 95 W |
Core i5-2400 | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 3.1 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | HD Graphics 2000850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 95 W |
Core i5-2400S | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 2.5 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | HD Graphics 2000850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 65 W |
Core i5-2500K | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 3.3 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | HD Graphics 3000850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 65 W |
Core i5-2500T | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 2.3 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | HD Graphics 2000850-1100 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 65 W |
Core i7-2600K | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 3.4 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 8MB | HD Graphics 3000850-1350 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 95 W |
Core i7-2700K | Sandy Bridge | D2 | 1155 | 4 | 3.5 GHz | 4 x 256 KB | 8 MB | HD Graphics 3000850-1350 MHz | integrated up to DDR3-1333 | 95 W |
Core i7-3930K | Sandy Bridge-E | C1 | 2011 | 6 | 3.2 GHz | 6 x 256 KB | 12 MB | - | integrated up to DDR3-1600 | 130 W |
Core i7-3960X | Sandy Bridge-E | C1 | 2011 | 6 | 3.3 GHz | 6 x 256 KB | 12 MB | - | integrated up to DDR3-1600 | 130 W |