![]() The maximum clock speeds for these EUs also vary it's either up to 1350MHz or 1100MHz, depending on the processor model. The extra units will come in handy when it comes to gaming performance. 2000 comes with only six such EUs while the 3000 doubles that to 12. The main difference between the two lies in the number of graphics processing units or Execution Units (EUs) as Intel calls them. There are two variants, found on different Sandy Bridge processor models. Known as Intel Quick Sync, the implementation includes hardware support for the entire encoding process (for up to 1080p MPEG2, VC-1 and AVC), making it faster than ever for tasks like transcoding videos.Īdding to this, the new integrated graphics now support HDMI 1.4 and 3D Blu-ray, so you can play these videos on your Sandy Bridge PC without requiring a graphics card from AMD or NVIDIA (3D glasses and TV not included). Sandy Bridge builds on this, like having even more fixed function hardware for video processing for example. With each generation however, we have seen the media processing capabilities for Intel's HD graphics expand. ![]() Intel has been improving on this aspect, albeit slowly. It only means that integrated graphics have to get better. This issue is especially pertinent for notebooks, which due to battery and weight constraints, are less likely to have discrete graphics solutions. Tasks like encoding, decoding video require specialized hardware that can be found on discrete graphics cards and while they can be done through software, the CPU is not best equipped to handle them. The Secret Sauce - True Integrated GraphicsĪs Intel explains it, this integration reflects the shift in computing trends and how we're increasingly consuming media which stumps the CPU. The graphics is finally truly integrated. ![]() Unlike the transitional 32nm Clarkdale where there was a pseudo-integrated but in reality, distinct graphics core on the CPU die package (the graphics core was in fact built with a 45nm process), there's no separation between the CPU and graphics on Sandy Bridge. While Nehalem saw the debut of QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) and the integration of a memory controller, Sandy Bridge sees the integration of graphics processing units within the CPU die itself. Sandy Bridge is therefore Intel's first new CPU microarchitecture since Nehalem, which was itself quite a departure from the Core 2 microarchitecture before. Following that, we'll see Ivy Bridge next year, which presumably is an even more optimized Sandy Bridge using a 22nm process.īut we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Hence, Sandy Bridge is the new microarchitecture that is built on Intel's now mature 32nm process. As it's not the wisest decision to have both a new manufacturing process (like going from 45nm to 32nm) together with a new CPU architecture (just ask NVIDIA), Intel's strategy has been to field-test the new process on an existing architecture. Westmere is of course where we first saw Intel's debut 6-core processor, the Intel Core i7-980X. Going by Intel's relentless Tick-tock strategy, Sandy Bridge is the 'tock' to Westmere's 'tick'. A new, more refined version of Turbo Boost that allows for greater speed bins above its base frequency, including the ability to dynamically increase the graphics clock, a new ring bus architecture with a shared cache that's accessible by both the general-purpose and the graphics processing units, new Intel Advanced Vector Extensions instructions that aid in floating point intensive applications, and lower power consumption due to its use of 32nm process technology - these are but some of the highlights of Intel's new CPU architecture. In our short time with the Sandy Bridge samples, any doubts that we had about Intel's first monolithic processor to integrate graphics processing elements have been answered. However, we didn't actually get our hands on the processors until last December so we had no idea what kind of performance improvements that Sandy Bridge would bring. We heard about the underlying CPU microarchitecture at last year's IDF and covered it in some detail. Sandy Bridge Arrives Sandy Bridge ArrivesĪfter numerous leaks interspersed with the official word from Intel, it's no secret that Intel's next-gen Core processors, codenamed Sandy Bridge, were coming out in January 2011.
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