Ivy Bridge Processors

Intel’s latest computer processors have recently been released in Pakistan. They are called Ivy Bridge CPUs and are the successors to the Sandy Bridge line of Central Processing Units.

Ivy Bridge CPUs are a die shrink of the Sandy Bridge line of CPUs. This means that a newer manufacturing process was used to make Ivy Bridge CPUs. This manufacturing process allows for smaller transistors thereby reducing cost of production and power consumption of the CPUs.

• Ivy Bridge CPUs perform between 5% and 15% faster than Sandy Bridge CPUs running at the same clock speed.
• Ivy Bridge CPUs have a faster Integrated Graphics Processor (IGP) compared to Sandy Bridge CPUs. The IGP is around 25% faster.
• The new CPUs are compatible with existing H61/67 P67 and Z68 chipset motherboards. However, a BIOS upgrade is required for the new CPUs to work.
• A new line of chipsets has also been introduced for Ivy Bridge CPUs. These are the 7 series chipsets like the H77/Z77. These chipsets support PCI-E 3.0 and USB 3.0.
• Ivy Bridge CPUs carry the same Core i3/i5/i7 monikers as previous generation Sandy Bridge CPUs. The only difference is that the model numbers begin with a ’3′ instead of a ’2′. So for example the Core i5 3450 is an Ivy Bridge CPU.
• Only quad core CPUs have been released so far. Dual core i3 CPUs are due to be released in the last quarter of this year.

Ivy Bridge CPUs are slightly faster than the previous generation Sandy Bridge CPUs. That makes them a good choice for new computer builds but a not a worthwhile upgrade for existing systems running Sandy Bridge CPUs.