In Search of the Elusive 35W Ivy Bridge Quad-Core
by Anand Lal Shimpi on December 13, 2011 1:21 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- Ivy Bridge
- Laptops
Prior to this year's IDF, Intel told its partners that Ivy Bridge would be available in a quad-core mobile variant with a 35W TDP. This was particularly exciting news as it meant OEMs could design even smaller quad-core notebooks, potentially even getting four Ivy Bridge cores into something the size of a 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The most recent Ivy Bridge roadmap leaks however haven't mentioned anything about a 35W quad-core part. Kristian hypothesized that the missing 35W CPUs may be OEM only and we might just have to bide our time before they show up. Today, VR-Zone identified a handful of unlisted OEM-only mobile IVB parts that may be the elusive 35W quad-cores we've been looking for. The Core i7-361x series (3610, 3612, 3615 - QE/QM suffixes) are all supposed to run at either 2.1GHz or 2.3GHz (down from 2.6 - 2.9GHz with the standard 45W parts) and feature a 6MB L3 cache. The significantly lower base clock is normally indicative of a lower TDP, which lends credibility to the theory that these are the missing 35W parts. Despite the lower base clock, turbo is supported at up to 3.1GHz or 3.3GHz depending on the CPU.
We're still waiting to see an official-looking Intel document confirming this, but given VR-Zone's track record with Intel roadmap leaks I'd say this is a promising start.
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Beenthere - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
Trinity will offer more for less and use less power so that's where my money is going.MrTeal - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
Considering how much power even the two BD modules in the FX-4100 suck down, you might be waiting awhile. Unless PD and the 7xxx GPU make huge improvements over BD a 35W two module Trinity would have to be clocked so low that it would get soundly beaten by even SB.Beenthere - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
I'll take that bet ! :)frozentundra123456 - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
Well, hope you are right. But Bulldozer/Trinity has a long way to go to match CPU performance with Intel. I mean they arent even close to Llano IPC, much less Ivy Bridge. My main hope for trinity is that it will have improved graphics maybe up to the level of a 5670. If the graphics was improved to something like that level I could perhaps accept inferior CPU performance.And I must say so far I am not overly impressed with Ivy Bridge. No real clockspeed improvements, small IPC improvements, and where is the power savings from the die shrink and the new transistor architecture? The only major improvement is the IGP.
I suppose if IB could improve the the level of Llano in the IGP department and Trinity could further improve the IGP without sacrificing CPU performance, both could be attractive based on your needs: IB with better CPU performance and an OK IGP, or Trinity with better IGP and so/so CPU performance.
extide - Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - link
What do you mean where is the power savings? They are delivering the same or better performance with lower TDP.MrSpadge - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
At 4 x 2.1 GHz you're not gaining much any more over a 3+ GHz dual core. I still think 2 core + HT is the sweet spot for regular laptops. Although, if given for free, having the other 2 cores in reserve wouldn't hurt..MrS
Iketh - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
different people use different programs.............................piroroadkill - Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - link
Of course, but faster single threaded performance always improves everything, whereas faster multi thread performance only improves certain things and multitasking.mlkmade - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
I thought the 2 core/ 4 thread was the sweet spot too. I've owned one for 1 1/2 years now. Core i7 (arrandale). I definitely wish I had 2 more cores and picked up the clarks version..despite the huge clock difference. Especially for the work I do.But hindsight is a b.
Death666Angel - Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - link
You know about turbo modes though, right? There are quad core CPUs that match the SC/DC clock speeds of dedicated dual core CPUs. As Anand has said throughout his CPU reviews these last years, there is no trade off between more cores and SC/DC performance anymore.