Intel announces Ivy Bridge desktop and mobile CPUs

Today Intel announced Ivy Bridge (IVB) microarchitecture, as well as 15 quad-core microprocessors, and 5 wireless chipset options. Initial IVB line-up includes six mobile processors, four desktop Core i7 CPUs with Hyper-Threading, and five Core 5 desktop models without Hyper-Threading. All processors will be available in OEM systems and in retail later this month. Some processor benchmark results are already available on Intel website, and earlier today many hardware news sites posted their own reviews with detailed benchmarks.

Internally Ivy Bridge CPUs are not much different from Sandy Bridge parts: they both pack up to 4 CPU cores with dedicated L1 and L2 caches, up to 8 MB shared L3 cache, dual-channel DDR3-memory controller, PCI-Express controller, and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Ivy Bridge microprocessors are built on brand new 22nm process, utilizing 3D tri-gate transistor technology, which allowed Intel to reduce chip's die size, provide better frequency scaling and lower power consumption. Additionally, Ivy Bridge CPUs incorporate such new features as PCI-Express 3.0, on-chip random number generator, and support for Direct-X 11. A number of features, like Quick Sync video and Wireless Display, were enhanced. Performance of on-chip GPU was significantly improved, and the IVB CPUs now support up to 3 digital displays. Also, the Graphics Processing Unit on IVB processors will support OpenCL 1.1, so these microprocessors are in effect first Intel APUs.

Mobile Ivy Bridge Core i7s, released today, are high-performance CPUs with 45 Watt and higher Thermal Design Power. Only one of these SKUs, Core i7-3612QM, has 35 Watt TDP. The CPUs have 6 or 8 MB L3 cache, and all of them have HD 4000 graphics, which is the fastest possible on IVB platform. Core frequencies of Core i7s are in the range from 2.1 GHz to 2.9 GHz, and Turbo Boost technology can add another 900 MHz or 1 GHz on top of that. Core i7-3920XM boasts unlocked clock multiplier, and it can be easily overclocked to gain extra performance. CPUs from Core i7-3600 series don't support Vpro features, like VT-d virtualization and Trusted Execution technology, however these features are enabled on Core i7-3720QM and faster SKUs. The table below lists six models, but some models will come in two variations - in BGA (soldered) and PGA (socketed) packages:

Model	Cores / Threads	Frequency	Turbo Frequency	L3 cache	Socket Type	TDP	Price
Core i7-3610QM	4 / 8	2.3 GHz	3.3 GHz	6 MB	Socket G2	45 Watt
Core i7-3612QM	4 / 8	2.1 GHz	3.1 GHz	6 MB	BGA1224	35 Watt
Core i7-3615QM	4 / 8	2.3 GHz	3.3 GHz	6 MB	BGA1224	45 Watt
Core i7-3720QM	4 / 8	2.6 GHz	3.6 GHz	6 MB	BGA1224 / Socket G2	45 Watt	$378
Core i7-3820QM	4 / 8	2.7 GHz	3.7 GHz	8 MB	BGA1224 / Socket G2	45 Watt	$568
Core i7-3920XM	4 / 8	2.9 GHz	3.8 GHz	8 MB	Socket G2	55 Watt	$1096

Desktop Ivy Bridge lineup consists of Core i7 CPUs with 8 MB L3 cache and Hyper-Threading enabled, and Core i5s with 6 MB L3 cache and no Hyper-Threading. IVB chips have almost 20% lower maximum TDP than Sandy Bridge counterparts. Several Ivy Bridge microprocessors sport even lower power requirements, 65 Watt for "S", and 45 Watt for "T" models. Initial lineup also includes two "K" products with unlocked clock multiplier: Core i5-3570K and Core i7-3770K. All "K" and Core i7 SKUs integrate HD 4000 graphics, whereas remaining Core i5 parts have slower HD 2500 GPU. The desktop processors are priced from $174 to $313, or up to $20 less than current Sandy Bridge quad-cores. As an example, Core i7-3770K has $19 lower official price than Core i7-2700K, which has very similar characteristics and less capable graphics. The summary of IVB desktop processors' features and prices is provided in the table below:

Model	Cores / Threads	Frequency	Turbo Frequency	L3 cache	Graphics	TDP	Price
Core i5-3450	4 / 4	3.1 GHz	3.5 GHz	6 MB	HD 2500	77 Watt	$174
Core i5-3450S	4 / 4	2.8 GHz	3.5 GHz	6 MB	HD 2500	65 Watt	$174
Core i5-3550	4 / 4	3.3 GHz	3.7 GHz	6 MB	HD 2500	77 Watt	$194
Core i5-3550S	4 / 4	3 GHz	3.7 GHz	6 MB	HD 2500	65 Watt	$194
Core i5-3570K	4 / 4	3.4 GHz	3.8 GHz	6 MB	HD 4000	77 Watt	$212
Core i7-3770	4 / 8	3.4 GHz	3.9 GHz	8 MB	HD 4000	77 Watt	$278
Core i7-3770K	4 / 8	3.5 GHz	3.9 GHz	8 MB	HD 4000	77 Watt	$313
Core i7-3770S	4 / 8	3.1 GHz	3.9 GHz	8 MB	HD 4000	65 Watt	$278
Core i7-3770T	4 / 8	2.5 GHz	3.7 GHz	8 MB	HD 4000	45 Watt	$278

New microprocessors should be in retail stores later this month. In our older stories we reported that the CPUs will be announced on the week of April 22, and released on April 29. We presume that April 29 availability date may still be valid.

Update (April 24): All new microprocessors were added to Intel ARK database, including one SKU that was not mentioned in the article. Core i7-3570T desktop processor has 4 cores, clocked at 2.3 GHz under normal conditions, and up to 3.3 GHz when Turbo Boost is activated. This SKU has 6 MB L3 cache, HD 2500 graphics, and 45 Watt average maximum power consumption. This and all other Ivy Bridge microprocessors have status "Announced" in the ARK database, and, as we presumed, their launch date is April 29.