The Verge - Intel's Ivy Bridge CPU architecture: from rumors and roadmaps to release

New MacBook Pro rumored for summer with Retina display, ultrathin design, USB 3.0

2012-05-14T12:06:38Z

It's no news to say that Apple will upgrade its MacBook Pro laptop range to Intel's latest generation Core processors, but what else can we look forward to? 9to5Mac has been in touch with sources within Apple's supply chain, who suggest that the 2012 iteration of MBP hardware will be the first in the Mac line to include Retina displays, while also slimming down in the most significant design alteration since 2008.

Specifically addressing a new 15-inch model, the site's informants claim it will omit the optical disc drive in an effort to reach a new thinner profile — albeit one that's still thicker than the MacBook Air — with the power button taking the place of the now-defunct eject key on the keyboard. Their familiarity with Apple's...

Ivy Bridge update to Samsung Series 9 ultrabook appears online

2012-05-03T08:52:02Z

Samsung's Series 9 ultrabook is the thinnest 15-inch laptop around, which would seem to make it a good candidate for a new low power Ivy Bridge processor. Sure enough, Samsung's UK site is listing a model called the N900X46 with a 1.7Ghz Intel Core i5 3317u chip, which is an ultra-low voltage unit that we first caught wind of back in March. Beyond the new processor the internals are much the same — you're still looking at a 128GB SSD, 8GB RAM, and a 1600 x 900 display. While the external design looks almost identical the N900X46 is 14.9mm thick, which is a likely imperceptible gain of 0.2mm on the previous model. Unfortunately there aren't any details on pricing or a release date, but since the 3317u wasn't included in Intel's initial...

Intel's Ivy Bridge processor review roundup: integrated graphics see a big bump

2012-04-23T18:23:03Z

Intel has just revealed its third-generation Core processors, codenamed Ivy Bridge, and the reviews are already starting to pile up. At first just the quad-core versions are going to be available — ultra low voltage and dual-core Ivy Bridge processors are slated to come out later this spring — so the reviews only cover two of the beefier chips offered by Intel today: the 3.5GHz Core i7-3770K for desktops and the 2.6GHz Core i7-3720QM for laptops. The new processors all represent a "tick" in Intel's upgrade cycle; it's a refinement and improvement of the previous Sandy Bridge processors that offers improved integrated graphics and power savings in a smaller package (it's built on the company's new 22nm architecture). Most of those...

Intel launches 22nm Ivy Bridge processors: here's what you need to know

2012-04-23T16:00:18Z

If you haven't yet heard of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, you might be living under the proverbial rock: between Intel's own boasts of having invented a new 3-D transistor, countless leaked roadmaps, and overeager OEMs intent on deploying the silicon, we've known practically everything there was to know about the company's 3rd Generation Intel Core Processor (codename Ivy Bridge) for weeks, if not months. Today, however, Ivy Bridge is official, and Intel's announcing its first fifteen chips: six quad-core mobile powerhouses, five full-voltage desktop parts, and four low-power desktop CPUs.

Here's what you need to know:

Though it's built on Intel's new 22nm architecture and uses 3-D transistors, Ivy Bridge is more of a refresh than a...

Intel's Ivy Bridge processors launch today, but dual-core and low-voltage MIA until later in spring

2012-04-23T03:56:08Z

Intel launched its highly-anticipated 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge processors today. However, while the initial launch of quad-core processors in the Core i5 and Core i7 families for desktop and full-sized laptops will start immediately, dual-core chips and low-power chips for thin, ultrabook-style computers won't be available until later this spring, the company revealed. Ivy Bridge marks the shift from 32-nanometer to 22-nanometer transistor technology, with the smaller size bringing enhanced efficiency and more computational power — "about 20 percent more processor performance using 20 percent less average power," Intel's PC business chief Kirk Skaugen told the BBC. The new chips also feature "3D" Tri-Gate transistors that add vertical...

Ivy Bridge HP EliteBook gets first review, high performance scores

2012-04-17T13:12:05Z

We've been eagerly following specifications, release dates, and all sorts of rumors about Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors, but until now, we haven't had much of a chance to see how the chips perform in the wild. Laptop Reviews has obtained a still-unannounced HP EliteBook 8470p that contains an engineering sample of an Ivy Bridge Core i7. After double-checking the chip, they confirmed that it's indeed one of the new 22nm versions, as opposed to the 32nm Sandy Bridge.

Next, they tested the processor with several benchmark tools, both for general performance and specialized tasks like using 3D graphics. Ivy Bridge apparently performed consistently well, with fast performance, low heat, and sparing battery use. In the PCMark 7 suite test,...

Intel: ultrabook prices will drop to $699, 75 new designs already in the pipeline

2012-04-11T10:07:46Z

After teasing 50 new ultrabook designs for CES earlier this year, Intel's now promising we'll see 75 even newer SKUs over the coming months. The x86 chip designer and producer is feeling bullish about its future laptop strategy and even forecasts that entry-level prices for ultrabooks will dip below the $700 mark in time for the back-to-school shopping period this autumn. Aggressive pricing wasn't supposed to be at the core of the ultrabook ethos (and Acer even told us that $799 prices aren't sustainable), but Intel clearly appreciates the pressure it's under from ARM-based devices, whether they be tablets like the iPad or forthcoming laptops running Windows 8.

Toshiba's Ivy Bridge laptop line revealed, will be available in Q3 2012

2012-04-10T12:01:36Z

As if new tablets and all-in-one PCs weren't enough, Toshiba has updated its laptop lineup and given options for Intel Ivy Bridge processors almost across the board — though the spec sheets we have unfortunately don't go into detail on the precise chips available. Heading up the lineup is the Satellite P800 series, which (depending on configuration) puts an Nvidia GeForce 630M GPU, Blu-ray drive, and Harman Kardon speakers inside a sleek aluminum body with an Ivy Bridge processor. The S800 series is the next step down, with a choice between Ivy Bridge and AMD processors, options for a Blu-ray drive and ATI graphics card, and a blue brushed aluminum case. Both the P800 and S800 series laptops come in 14-inch, 15.6-inch, and 17.3-inch...