Intel’s Sandy Bridge extensively tested

Anandtech has extensively tested Intel’s upcoming platform, codenamed Sandy Bridge. The platform consists of processors with integrated GPUs, a new chipset and corresponding socket.

Anand managed to get hold of a Core i5 2400, an engineering sample with hyperthreading and without a turbo. However, the retail version of the processor, which has a clock speed of 3.1GHz, will be delivered without hyperthreading, but with turbo up to 3.4GHz. This means that the retail variant of the tested processor would probably perform faster in some tests than was shown in the review.

The 2 in the processor name indicates the generation of the CPU; all Sandy Bridge processors are given a 2 as the first digit. The naming of the current processors, including the brand names Core i7, i5 and i3, will be maintained. The integrated GPU has a base speed of 850MHz and, depending on the processor series, a turbo mode of 1100 or 1350MHz. The CPUs have a TDP of 95W on the Core i3 processors; the Core i3s have a tdp of 65W thanks to their two instead of four cores.

According to Anands preview the new processors should perform significantly better than a Lynnfield, the current quad cores on the 1156 platform. In addition, the upcoming generation of processors, which are baked at 32 instead of 45 nm, would be more economical than the Lynnfields. The integrated GPU in the Sandy Bridge processors shows up in the tests as comparable to the Radeon HD5450, which is sufficient for casual gaming. The overclocking potential is quite low, but Intel should have K versions with unlocked multiplier in the offing.