Intel Ivy Bridge: Tech Specs and Release Dates

More information seems to be trickling through to the media about Intel's new Ivy Bridge range of CPUs, including tech specs and provisional release dates.

Intel Ivy Bridge processors are due to take over from the current range of Sandy Bridge processors with socket 1155 chipsets, like the Core i7 2600K or the i5 2500K. Performances aren't likely to be pushed through the roof in this new generation of CPUs, but power use is expected to be trimmed and performance optimised thanks to Intel's special 3D Tri-Gate transistors. Plus, the integrated graphics unit apparently offers higher performances than the current HD 2000 and HD 3000 systems.

No Less Than 18 CPUs!

According to CPU World, Intel has 18 Ivy Bridge processors in the pipeline, some with two cores and some with four cores. The range follows the same logic as the current Sandy Bridge CPU series too:

- Core i7: 4 cores, Hyper-Threading, Turbo, 8 MB cache
- Core i5: 4 cores, Turbo, 6 MB cache

Intel is also likely to keep the K, S and T suffixes to show which CPUs are designed for overclocking and which offer low- and ultra-low power use. According to CPU World, the clock speeds won't be any higher than those in Intel's current processors ... not at first, at least.

In fact, the current top-of-the-range Sandy Bridge CPU, the Core i7 2700K, looks to have exactly the same clock speeds as the upcoming Core i7 3770K—that's 3.5 GHz as standard and 3.9 GHz in Turbo mode.

CPU World is also reporting that Intel's provisional release date for Ivy Bridge processors is April 2012. Watch this space for more information.

> CPU Reviews

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products