Ivy Bridge is a computer processor, which is an improvement of the Sandy Bridge micro architecture. Intel first announced them in the third quarter of 2011, with sale starting in April 2012. The Ivy Bridge laptops will be as efficient as the Sandy Bridge CPU, with respect to the performance, but it will consume less power. In addition, when consuming the same amount of power, it will act better than the Sandy Bridge central processor unit will.
General information
Most of the information about Ivy Bridge came from the implementation forum, organized by Intel, in early 2011. The most important thing about Ivy Bridge processors is that they are using 22nm shrink dies, instead of the 32nm that Sandy Bridge processors use. The implementation of a smaller shrink die, allows processor manufacturers to manufacture central processing units that consume less power, thus making them more efficient. Earlier this year, Intel uncovered a new technology in transistor manufacturing, named 3D (tri-gate), which eases the implementation of the 22nm shrink dies. Now, the new transistors are smaller, faster, are more power-efficient, and are the key (according to Intel) to the performance benefits that Ivy Bridge will provide.
A look under the hood
There is no confirmation about the types of Ivy Bridge processors. Xbit Labs leaked some information about the possible Ivy Bridge lineup, concerning the naming and the frequencies the processors will work on. According to Xbit Labs, the naming convention will be the same as with the Intel Core processors. A reminder, Intel Core processors include Core i3, Core i5, and core i7. Although Ivy Bridge will use the LGA 2011 socket, the leaked information tells us that the new Ivy Bridge processors will be compatible with the LGA 1155 socket, which should make the Sandy Bridge processor owners happy. You should be able to upgrade to it without problems. Other upgrades include an updated graphics core, which is embedded in the CPU, thus allowing Intel’s integrated graphics DirectX 2011 support. It is clear that the implementation of Intel’s integrated graphics is improving with every new processor that comes out on the market. By default, Intel Ivy Bridge will offer support of USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, which brings more connectivity options, especially for desktop computers.
Here is a graphic presentation of the possible Ivy Bridge lineup for desktop computers.
Ivy Bridge vs. Sandy Bridge
In the information leaked by Xbit Labs, there are several slides, probably from Intel’s offices, but are not meant for the public. They could give us information of how will the Ivy Bridge processor act, once it hits the stores.
Following is a comparison between two central processing units, one Ivy Bridge, one Sandy Bridge. They both have 4 cores (8 threads), 3.40 GHz working frequency, and 8MB L3 cache.
The picture shows a significant improvement with the new Ivy Bridge processor. According to Intel, the improvement is due to the modified architecture, and the higher turbo boost performance.
This picture shows a drastic improvement in the integrated graphics department.