Intel debuts 2nd-gen Sandy Bridge Core i-series CPUs

One the eve of the 2011 CES show, Intel has officially unveiled the details about its new line of desktop and laptop CPUs. Code-named Sandy Bridge, these chips will in actuality carry the same Core i3/i5/i7 naming as the 2010 generation of Intel processors.

The basics of the Sandy Bridge platform have been known for some time, and a few PCs with the new chips have even leaked onto the market early.

According to Intel, highlights of the second-generation Core processors, built around a new 32nm microarchitecture, include more energy-efficient performance and improved 3D and graphics performance. The latest version of Intel’s Turbo Boost technology, called Turbo Boost 2.0, lets each core boost performance past its base clock speed as needed for dynamic workloads, while balancing the thermal headroom to avoid overheating. Intel claims that with this new generation of CPUs, “content creation is up to 42 percent faster and gaming up to 50 percent faster,” than previous generations. (For more on how these chips will be utilized, see this companion report.)

Probably the most interesting new feature is the completely revamped Intel HD graphics system. Previously, the integrated graphics found in most laptops and desktops weren’t able to play even basic 3D games at reasonable performance levels.

For playing high-end games at higher resolutions, we’re not sure the era of the dedicated video card is behind us, but in some anecdotal use with a generic Sandy Bridge test laptop, the integrated Intel HD graphics were usable, running Street Fighter IV at 1,600×900 at about 27 frames per second. Keep in mind, however, that this was with a high-end quad-core i7-2820QM CPU. Still, for playing World of Warcraft on your basic integrated graphics laptop, it should more than do the job.

Also set for an upgrade is Intel’s Wireless Display technology. Currently built into a handful of laptops, WiDi, as it’s sometimes known, allows one to beam the video output from a laptop to a $99 Netgear receiver box, which in turn connects via HDMI to any TV or other display.

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