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Intel's full Atom 'Bay Trail' roadmap leaked: 22nm, Ivy Bridge graphics, quad-core
We saw a leaked hint of what was coming for Intel's Valleyview system-on-a-chip (SoC), but now the full plan appears to have been outed by Chinese blog Expreview. The lineup will feature four models of the 22nm chips, with the D- and M-series looking to replace the Cedar Trail 32nm SoC chips used in current netbook and low-end desktop devices. The I-series is for embedded and industrial use, while the T-series would appear in tablets and other small form-factor devices, according to the leaked slides. That model would supersede the Clover Trail SoCs, which are only just arriving themselves in upcoming Windows 8 slates like the Acer W510 or Asus Tablet 810. The chips should offer a burly horsepower bump over their predecessors, with up to four cores and clock speeds topping out at 2.4Ghz. The icing on the cake will be the integrated Gen 7 graphics engines of Ivy Bridge fame, featuring the same HD 4000 and HD 2500 GPU's as the grownup chips, but with only four "execution units" instead of the 16 you'd find there. That would offload functions like video decoding and 3D rendering from the CPU and allow simultaneous display to a TV or monitor. Bay Trail would also support 8GB of DDR3 RAM, double that of the "last" gen, as well as USB 3.0, SATA 2.0 and a host of other connection options. If the leak is accurate, the processors would arrive sometime next year, we'll just have to wait and see if that's soon enough for Intel to take a run at its formidable competition.
Possibly fake MacBook Pro spec sheet: USB 3.0, Ivy Bridge and no Retina Display
It's hard not to drown in Apple rumors right now, but here comes another one to help things along. As a counterweight to recent reports of MacBook Airs getting Retina Displays, the label above hints that the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro could be stuck with plain-Jane 1280 x 800. There's nothing to say that this bit of paper didn't derive from an inkjet hooked up to someone's imagination, but some of the other new specs have been rumored already from separate sources: notably the HD 4000 graphics reflecting the presence of Ivy Bridge, plus Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 co-starring on the I/O front. Those hypothetical additions would be great for productivity, but if there's nothing resolutionary about the new Pros then Apple had better find something else to console us with at WWDC. [Thanks, Josh]
Acer Aspire V3 coming to Japan for $1,100 with right processor, wrong ppi
Want a 2.1GHz Ivy Bridge Core i7 in your next media laptop? Mmm, yes please. And a 1080p LED backlit display to devour movies on? Well, of course. Then keep looking, because the Acer Aspire V3 maxes out at just 1366 x 768 -- despite being equipped with a Blu-ray spinner and Dolby Theater v4, and also despite the eye-popping competition. Then again, at 15.6-inches that resolution might not be a total deal-breaker, plus our hands-on taster at CeBIT (before we even knew about the Ivy Bridge internals) wasn't totally unpleasant. The HD 4000 graphics should give you the odd gaming snack, even if not a full meal, while a 750GB HDD, up to 8GB RAM and a ton of I/O options take care of the back room. The V3 will hit Japanese shelves on April 29th for around $1,100 -- but watch out for a 17-incher too (which will do 1080p) plus cheaper Core i5 variants coming later.
Intel Core i7-3770K CPU review roundup: crossing the Ivy Bridge
Today is officially Ivy Bridge day, in case you didn't already know. Intel took the wraps off the latest member of its processor family and the internet wasted no time putting the flagship Core i7-3770K through its paces. The 3.5GHz quad-core desktop chip comes packing not only some architectural tweaks, but a brand new integrated GPU in the form of the HD 4000. Oh, and it does all this using a brand new 22nm manufacturing process and 3D "Tri-Gate" transistors. What does that mean for you, the user? Lower power consumption, better performance and, surprisingly, unbelievably fast media transcoding. When AnandTech turned its eyes towards Quick Sync, the on-die media transcode engine introduced with Sandy Bridge, the 3770K practically buried the competition. Using Cyberlink Media Espresso the new chip turned a DRM-stripped Blu-ray of Harry Potter (130 minutes of 1080p video) into an iPad friendly format in just seven minutes without taxing the CPU. At idle, power consumption hasn't changed much, but when TechSpot put the pedal to the metal things looked quite a bit different. The new i7-3770K sucked down just 147 watts, which was even four watts less than lower clocked i5-2500K. And, of course, it delivered much better performance. In fact, in Bit-Tech's tests, the only chip that was able to routinely best it was the hexa-core 3960X Extreme Edition -- and even that CPU barely eked out its victories. While AMD's offerings simply can't compete with Intel's on pure performance or power consumption, it does still outrun run Chipzilla's GPU. The HD 4000 is, undeniably, a huge step forward for the Core line, but it falls just short of matching the A8's integrated Radeon on Tech Report's tests. For more benchmarks than your heart can handle check out the pile of links below. Read - AnandTech Read - Bit-Tech Read - TechSpot Read - Tech Report Read - Hot Hardware
NVIDIA: there's nothing 'Ultra' about Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks unless you add Kepler
This is a vaguely awkward message for NVIDIA to be putting out. On one hand, the company is best buddies with Intel and is hoping to see its next-gen GPUs bundled with a large portion of the Ivy Bridge notebooks that will ship this year. But to reach that target, it must risk irking Chipzilla by emphasizing the limitations of Ivy Bridge's integrated graphics. That's exactly what happened at a recent presentation, when NVIDIA told us there'll be "nothing Ultra" about the performance of a regular Ivy Bridge Ultrabook because the integrated HD 4000 graphics will only handle around 43 percent of current games. By contrast, if you add in a GeForce GT 640M you'll find that 100 percent of current games are playable with frame rates over 30fps and high detail settings, including Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, Crysis 2 and many others. If you leave the lightweight Ultrabook spec behind and combine Ivy Bridge with a GT 670M GPU then you can go even higher -- as we just discovered in our review of the MSI's GT70 gaming laptop. Fortunately, Intel was pretty magnanimous about HD 4000 when it briefed us, and readily accepted that enthusiasts will still want discrete graphics, so we don't imagine the slide above will cause too many hurt feelings.
Intel puts Ivy Bridge on the map: first 22nm product, decent official benchmarks, desktop quad-cores from $174
We hear that pilgrims have already started flocking to the town of Ivybridge (population 12,056) in the forested depths of southwest England. Very soon though, you'll be able to pay homage to Moore's law without travelling further than your favorite online retailer, because the third generation of Intel Core processors has just launched and should be available to buy before the end of this month. These include eight different variants of Core i7 for desktops and notebooks (including Ultrabooks of course), plus five types of Core i5 destined for desktops only. Those watching out for cheaper dual-core i5, i3 and Pentium-branded options will have to wait a little longer, because today's launch is all about the high-end. And just how high is 'high'? Judging from the gossip we've heard, and from benchmarks of leaked desktop and notebook chips, we're looking a significant improvement over Sandy Bridge. But if you want the first official boasts, then read on.
Intel says 75 Ultrabooks in the pipeline with 3rd-gen HD 2500 and 4000 GPUs
Intel's new laptop chips should start hitting shelves soon, packing those new 2500 and 4000 HD graphics chips in a package manufactured using Chipzilla's new 22nm process. And we're not talking about just one or two either. The CPU giant reiterated that 75 Ultrabook-branded machines are planned by various manufacturers for 2012, including "many touch-enabled systems." Which we take to mean some of those convertible tablets we saw at CES may actually see the light of day. If you're in the mood for a bit of corporate fluff check out the PR after the break.[Image credit: Anandtech]
Intel leaks: ValleyView chip could bring 4x graphics boost to netbooks in 2013
One of many reasons to still be excited about Ivy Bridge is the integrated HD4000 graphics, which are zippy enough to handle Skyrim at modest settings. Desktoppers may not be so enthused if they stick to discrete GPUs anyway, but the potential for better graphics in cheaper, low-power mobile PCs is huge. That's why we're hyped to hear talk of a forthcoming 22nm "ValleyView" processor, described by Intel insider Jesse Barnes as a "CedarView-like chip but with an Ivy Bridge graphics core". That implies HD4000 may not only be destined for desktops, laptops and Project Fionas, but for future netbooks too. Meanwhile, leaked slides (shown above and after the break) from an outfit called Advantech spill more beans. Listed under a chipset codenamed "Balboa Pier", the Cedar Trail successor is described as fanless, packing "4x Gfx performance" compared to current PowerVR-equipped Atoms, and scheduled to arrive early next year. Will it be enough to bring netbooks back into vogue? It can't hurt.
Ivy Bridge benchmarks: CPU boosted 5-15 percent, onboard GPU handles Skyrim
We've heard whispers of Ivy Bridge's benchmarking prowess, but now we have more comprehensive and independent test results of a Core i7 3770K CPU, courtesy of AnandTech. The conclusion? The upgrade is "quite good," which is Anand Lal Shimpi's way of describing a 5-15 percent boost in CPU performance for the same money as Sandy Bridge, not to mention lower power consumption and the ability to run the latest games on the HD 4000 integrated graphics. Of course, this latter discovery requires clarification: some games, such as Metro 2033 could only achieve 30fps at a max resolution of 1366 x 768, but others fared better. Crysis Warhead ran at 50fps even at 1680 x 1050. With that type of onboard oomph, you'd have to spend over $100 on a discrete graphics card for it to be worthwhile, which even Lal Shimpi acknowledges is "sort of insane". Check out the source link for more.
New Intel Ivy Bridge i5 details leaked in Intel sales book
Word on the street is Ivy Bridge has been delayed, but that doesn't mean you have to wait till June to get the low down on some of the shiny new silicon Intel has in store for you. Chipzilla posted a sales book, presumably on accident since it's been pulled, with details about upcoming i5 and i7 refreshes. The only page we were able to find was loaded with Core i5s, including third generation parts like the 3.4GHz 3570K which packs the new HD4000 and, most likely, an unlocked multiplier. Most of the rest of the lineup, save the 3475S, is rocking Intel's HD2500 IGP, while the lone dual-core part is the 3470T, which is also the only chip to sport Hyper-Threading and ship with only 3MB of cache. Now, as far as when you can buy these processors or how much they'll cost, we're still in dark, but at least we've got a better idea of what we'll be shopping for. Head on after the break for a slightly better look at the new parts.
Nintendo Wii U console shown off in its bright, minimalistic entirety
Nintendo hasn't been too keen on letting us mere mortals stroke the Wii U, as no amount of coins could unlock the console's cabinet at E3. Surprisingly though, Inside Games managed to get up close and personal to this white box outside its little cave, and then came home alive with a few clear shots. Mind you, there's hardly anything exciting here: we're just gazing at some air vents on the side and back, plus a few ports -- including HDMI -- on the latter. As pointed out by our brethren over at Joystiq, only time will tell whether this curvy Wii U will come with an attachment to imitate its predecessor's vertical standing. Check out the backside after the break.
