Sandy Bridge

Sandy Bridge is the codename for Intel's 32 nm microarchitecture used in the second generation of the Intel Core processors (Core i7, i5, i3). The Sandy Bridge microarchitecture is the successor to Nehalem and Westmere microarchitecture. Intel demonstrated an A1 stepping Sandy Bridge processor in 2009 during Intel Developer Forum (IDF), and released first products based on the architecture in January 2011 under the Core brand.^[2][3]

Sandy Bridge

Top of a Core i5-2500
General information
Launched	January 9, 2011; 13 years ago (January 9, 2011)
Discontinued	September 27, 2013[1]
Marketed by	Intel
Designed by	Intel
Common manufacturer	Intel
Product code	80619 (extreme desktop) 80620 (server LGA1356) 80621 (server LGA2011) 80623 (desktop) 80627 (mobile)
Performance
Max. CPU clock rate	1.60 GHz to 3.60 GHz
QPI speeds	6.4 GT/s to 8.0 GT/s
DMI speeds	4 GT/s
Cache
L1 cache	64 KB per core
L2 cache	256 KB per core
L3 cache	1 MB to 8 MB shared 10 MB to 15 MB (Extreme) 3 MB to 20 MB (Xeon)
Architecture and classification
Microarchitecture	Sandy Bridge
Instruction set	x86-64
Instructions	x86-16, IA-32, x86-64
Extensions	MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX VT-x, VT-d AES-NI, CLMUL, TXT
Physical specifications
Transistors	504M to 2.27B 32nm
Cores	1–4 (4-6 Extreme, 2-8 Xeon)
GPUs	HD Graphics 650 MHz to 1100 MHz HD Graphics 2000 650 MHz to 1250 MHz HD Graphics 3000 650 MHz to 1350 MHz HD Graphics P3000 850 MHz to 1350 MHz
Sockets	LGA 1155 (desktops and workstations) LGA 2011 (high-end servers) LGA 1356 (low-end, dual-processor servers) Socket G2 BGA-1023 BGA-1224 BGA-1284
Products, models, variants
Product code name	Gesher
Model	Celeron Pentium Core i3/i5/i7/i7 Extreme Xeon E3/E5
History
Predecessors	Nehalem (tock) Westmere (tick)
Successors	Ivy Bridge (tick) Haswell (tock)
Support status
Unsupported

Bottom view of a Core i7-2600K

Sandy Bridge is manufactured in the 32 nm process and has a soldered contact with the die and IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader), while Intel's subsequent generation Ivy Bridge uses a 22 nm die shrink and a TIM (Thermal Interface Material) between the die and the IHS.

Technology

Intel demonstrated a Sandy Bridge processor with A1 stepping at 2 GHz during the Intel Developer Forum in September 2009.^[4]

Upgraded features from Nehalem include:

CPU

• Intel Turbo Boost 2.0^[5][6][7]
• 32 KB data + 32 KB instruction L1 cache and 256 KB L2 cache per core^[8]
• Shared L3 cache which includes the processor graphics (LGA 1155)
• 64-byte cache line size
• New μOP cache, up to 1536-entry
• Improved 3 integer ALU, 2 vector ALU and 2 AGU per core^[9][10]
• Two load/store operations per CPU cycle for each memory channel
• Decoded micro-operation cache,^[11] and enlarged, optimized branch predictor
• Sandy Bridge retains the four branch predictors found in Nehalem: the branch target buffer (BTB), indirect branch target array, loop detector and renamed return stack buffer (RSB). Sandy Bridge has a single BTB that holds twice as many branch targets as the L1 and L2 BTBs in Nehalem.^[12]
• Improved performance for transcendental mathematics, AES encryption (AES instruction set), and SHA-1 hashing
• 256-bit/cycle ring bus interconnect between cores, graphics, cache and System Agent Domain
• Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) 256-bit instruction set with wider vectors, new extensible syntax and rich functionality^[13]
• Up to 8 physical cores, or 16 logical cores through hyper-threading (From 6 core/12 thread)
• Integration of the GMCH (integrated graphics and memory controller) and processor into a single die inside the processor package. In contrast, Sandy Bridge's predecessor, Clarkdale, has two separate dies (one for GMCH, one for processor) within the processor package. This tighter integration reduces memory latency even more.
• A 14- to 19-stage instruction pipeline, depending on the micro-operation cache hit or miss^[14]
• Increased ROB to 168 entries (From 128)^[15]
• Larger Scheduler buffer (54-entry, up from 26-entry)

Translation lookaside buffer sizes^[16][17]

Cache		Page Size
Name	Level	4 KB	2 MB	1 GB
DTLB	1st	64	32	4
ITLB	1st	128	8 / logical core	none
STLB	2nd	512	none	none

All translation lookaside buffers (TLBs) are 4-way associative.^{[citation needed]}

GPU

• Intel Quick Sync Video, hardware support for video encoding and decoding
• Integrated graphics is now integrated on the same die

I/O

• Integrated PCIe Controller

Models and steppings

All Sandy Bridge processors with one, two, or four cores report the same CPUID model 0206A7h^[18] and are closely related. The stepping number cannot be seen from the CPUID but only from the PCI configuration space. The later Sandy Bridge-E processors with up to eight cores and no graphics are using CPUIDs 0206D6h and 0206D7h.^[19] Ivy Bridge CPUs all have CPUID 0306A9h to date, and are built in four different configurations differing in the number of cores, L3 cache and GPU execution units:

Die codename	CPUID	Stepping	Cores	GPU EUs	L3 cache	Socket(s)
Sandy Bridge-HE-4	0206A7h	D2	04	012	08 MB	LGA 1155, Socket G2, BGA-1023, BGA-1224
Sandy Bridge-H-2		J1	02		04 MB	LGA 1155, Socket G2, BGA-1023
Sandy Bridge-M-2		Q0		006	03 MB
Sandy Bridge-EP-8	0206D6h	C1	08	none	20 MB	LGA 2011
	0206D7h	C2
Sandy Bridge-EP-4	0206D6h	M0	04		10 MB
	0206D7h	M1

Performance

• The average performance increase, according to IXBT Labs and Semi Accurate as well as many other benchmarking sites, at clock to clock is 11.3% compared to the Nehalem generation, which includes Bloomfield, Clarkdale, and Lynnfield processors.^[20]
• Around twice the integrated graphics performance compared to Clarkdale's (12 EUs comparison).

List of Sandy Bridge processors

¹Processors featuring Intel's HD 3000 graphics are set in bold. Other processors feature HD 2000 graphics, HD graphics (Pentium and Celeron models) or no graphics core (Graphics Clock rate indicated by N/A).

• This list may not contain all the Sandy Bridge processors released by Intel. A more complete listing can be found on Intel's website.

Desktop platform

^{[21] [22] [23]}

Sandy Bridge-DT and Sandy Bridge-E

Processor branding and model		Cores (threads)	CPU clock rate		Graphics clock rate		L3 Cache	TDP	Release date (Y-M-D)	Price (USD)	Motherboard
			Normal	Turbo	Normal	Turbo					Socket	Interface	Memory
Core i7 Extreme	3970X	6 (12)	3.5 GHz	4.0 GHz	—		15 MB	150 W	2012-11-12	$999	LGA 2011	DMI 2.0 40× PCIe 8 GT/s [24][29]	Up to quad channel DDR3-1600[30]
	3960X		3.3 GHz	3.9 GHz				130 W	2011-11-14
Core i7	3930K		3.2 GHz	3.8 GHz			12 MB			$583
	3820	4 (8)	3.6 GHz				10 MB		2012-02-13[31]	$294
	2700K		3.5 GHz	3.9 GHz	850 MHz	1350 MHz	8 MB	95 W	2011-10-24	$332	LGA 1155	DMI 2.0 16× PCIe 2.0	Up to dual channel DDR3-1333
	2600K		3.4 GHz	3.8 GHz					2011-01-09	$317
	2600									$294
	2600S		2.8 GHz					65 W		$306
Core i5	2550K	4 (4)	3.4 GHz		—		6 MB	95 W	2012-01-30	$225
	2500K		3.3 GHz	3.7 GHz	850 MHz	1100 MHz			2011-01-09	$216
	2500									$205
	2500S		2.7 GHz					65 W		$216
	2500T		2.3 GHz	3.3 GHz	650 MHz	1250 MHz		45 W
	2450P		3.2 GHz	3.5 GHz	—			95 W	2012-01-30	$195
	2400		3.1 GHz	3.4 GHz	850 MHz	1100 MHz			2011-01-09	$184
	2405S		2.5 GHz	3.3 GHz				65 W	2011-05-22	$205
	2400S								2011-01-09	$195
	2380P		3.1 GHz	3.4 GHz	—			95 W	2012-01-30	$177
	2320		3.0 GHz	3.3 GHz	850 MHz	1100 MHz			2011-09-04
	2310		2.9 GHz	3.2 GHz					2011-05-22
	2300		2.8 GHz	3.1 GHz					2011-01-09
	2390T	2 (4)	2.7 GHz	3.5 GHz	650 MHz		3 MB	35 W	2011-02-20	$195
Core i3	2120T		2.6 GHz	—					2011-09-04	$127
	2100T		2.5 GHz						2011-02-20
	2115C		2.0 GHz		—			25 W	2012-05	$241	BGA 1284
	2130		3.4 GHz		850 MHz	1100 MHz		65 W	2011-09-04	$138	LGA 1155
	2125		3.3 GHz							$134
	2120								2011-02-20	$138
	2105		3.1 GHz						2011-05-22	$134
	2102								Q2 2011	$127
	2100								2011-02-20	$117
Pentium	G870	2 (2)							2012-06-03	$86
	G860		3.0 GHz						2011-09-04
	G860T		2.6 GHz		650 MHz			35 W	2012-06-03	$75
	G850		2.9 GHz		850 MHz			65 W	2011-05-24	$86
	G840		2.8 GHz							$75
	G645		2.9 GHz						2012-09-03	$64			Up to dual channel DDR3-1066
	G640		2.8 GHz						2012-06-03
	G632		2.7 GHz						Q3 2011
	G630								2011-09-04	$75
	G622		2.6 GHz						Q2 2011
	G620								2011-05-24	$64
	G645T		2.5 GHz		650 MHz			35 W	2012-09-03
	G640T		2.4 GHz						2012-06-03
	G630T		2.3 GHz						2011-09-04	$70
	G620T		2.2 GHz						2011-05-24
Celeron	G555		2.7 GHz		850 MHz	1000 MHz	2 MB	65 W	2012-09-02	$52
	G550		2.6 GHz						2012-06-03
	G540		2.5 GHz						2011-09-04
	G530		2.4 GHz							$42
	G550T		2.2 GHz		650 MHz			35 W	2012-09-02
	G540T		2.1 GHz						2012-06-03
	G530T		2.0 GHz						2011-09-04	$47
	G470	1 (2)					1.5 MB		2013-06-09	$37			Up to dual channel DDR3-1333
	G465		1.9 GHz						2012-09-02				Up to dual channel DDR3-1066
	G460		1.8 GHz						2011-12-11
	G440	1 (1)	1.6 GHz				1 MB		2011-09-04

Suffixes to denote:

• K – Unlocked (adjustable CPU ratio up to 57 bins)
• P – Versions clocked slightly higher than similar models, but with onboard-graphics deactivated
• S – Performance-optimized lifestyle (low power with 65W TDP)
• T – Power-optimized lifestyle (ultra low power with 35-45W TDP)
• X – Extreme performance and unlocked (adjustable CPU ratio with no ratio limit)
• C – Embedded/Communications - BGA packaging

NOTE: 3970X, 3960X, 3930K, and 3820 are actually of Sandy Bridge-E edition.

Server platform

Main article: Intel Sandy Bridge-based Xeon microprocessors

All 1600/2600/4600-series models:

• support 40 PCI Express 3.0 lanes
• support DMI 2.0
• support LGA 2011 as a socket with varying scalabilities

Sandy Bridge-EP Xeon E5-1600/2600/4600

Model		Cores (threads)	L3 Cache	CPU clock rate		Interfaces		Supported memory	TDP	Release date	Price (USD)
				Base	Turbo	Scalability	QPI
Xeon E5 4S	4650	8 (16)	20 MB	2.7 GHz	3.3 GHz	4 sockets (4S)	2× 8.0 GT/s	4× DDR3-1600	130 W	May 14, 2012	$3616
	4650L			2.6 GHz	3.1 GHz				115 W
	4640			2.4 GHz	2.8 GHz				95 W		$2725
	4620		16 MB	2.2 GHz	2.6 GHz		2× 7.2 GT/s	4× DDR3-1333			$1611
	4617	6 (6)	15 MB	2.9 GHz	3.4 GHz			4× DDR3-1600	130 W
	4610	6 (12)		2.4 GHz	2.9 GHz			4× DDR3-1333	95 W		$1219
	4607		12 MB	2.2 GHz	N/A		2× 6.0 GT/s	4× DDR3-1066			$885
	4603	4 (8)	10 MB	2.0 GHz							$551
Xeon E5 2S	2687W	8 (16)	20 MB	3.1 GHz	3.8 GHz	2 sockets (2S)	2× 8.0 GT/s	4× DDR3-1600	150 W	March 6, 2012	$1885
	2690			2.9 GHz	3.8 GHz				135 W		$2057
	2680			2.7 GHz	3.5 GHz				130 W		$1723
	2689			2.6 GHz	3.6 GHz				115 W		OEM
	2670				3.3 GHz						$1552
	2665			2.4 GHz	3.1 GHz						$1440
	2660			2.2 GHz	3.0 GHz				95 W		$1329
	2658			2.1 GHz	2.4 GHz						$1186
	2650			2.0 GHz	2.8 GHz						$1107
	2650L			1.8 GHz	2.3 GHz				70 W
	2648L				2.1 GHz						$1186
	2667	6 (12)	15MB	2.9 GHz	3.5 GHz				130 W		$1552
	2640			2.5 GHz	3.0 GHz		2× 7.2 GT/s	4× DDR3-1333	95 W		$884
	2630			2.3 GHz	2.8 GHz						$612
	2620			2.0 GHz	2.5 GHz						$406
	2630L								60 W		$662
	2628L			1.8 GHz	N/A					July 22, 2013	OEM
	2643	4 (8)	10MB	3.3 GHz	3.5 GHz		2× 8.0 GT/s	4× DDR3-1600	130 W	March 6, 2012	$884
	2637	2 (4)	5MB	3.0 GHz					80 W
	2618L	4 (8)	10MB	1.8 GHz	N/A		2× 6.4 GT/s	4× DDR3-1333	50 W	July 22, 2013	OEM
	2609	4 (4)		2.4 GHz				4× DDR3-1066	80 W	March 6, 2012	$246
	2603			1.8 GHz							$202
Xeon E5 1S	1660	6 (12)	15MB	3.3 GHz	3.9 GHz	1 socket (1S)	N/A	4× DDR3-1600	130 W	March 6, 2012	$1080
	1650		12MB	3.2 GHz	3.8 GHz						$583
	1620	4 (8)	10MB	3.6 GHz							$294
	1607	4 (4)		3.0 GHz	N/A			4× DDR3-1066			$244
	1603			2.8 GHz							$198

Suffixes to denote:

• L – Low power
• W – Optimized for workstations

Sandy Bridge-EN Xeon E5-1400/2400

Socket	Model		Cores (threads)	L3 Cache	CPU clock rate		Interface	Supported memory	TDP	Release date	Price (USD)
					Base	Turbo
LGA 1356 Dual Socket	Xeon E5	2470	8 (16)	20MB	2.3 GHz	3.1 GHz	1× QPI DMI 2.0 24× PCI-E 3.0	3× DDR3-1600	95 W	May 14, 2012	$1440
		2450			2.1 GHz	2.9 GHz					$1106
		2450L			1.8 GHz	2.3 GHz			70 W
		2448L				2.1 GHz					$1151
		2449L			1.4 GHz	1.8 GHz			50 W		OEM
		2440	6 (12)	15MB	2.4 GHz	2.9 GHz		3× DDR3-1333	95 W		$834
		2430			2.2 GHz	2.7 GHz					$551
		2420			1.9 GHz	2.4 GHz					$388
		2430L			2.0 GHz	2.5 GHz			60 W		$662
		2428L			1.8 GHz	2.0 GHz					$628
		2418L	4 (8)	10MB	2.0 GHz	2.1 GHz			50 W		$387
		2407	4 (4)		2.2 GHz	N/A		3× DDR3-1066	80 W		$250
		2403			1.8 GHz						$192
LGA 1356		1428L	6 (12)	15MB	1.8 GHz			3× DDR3-1333	60 W		$395
		1410	4 (8)	10MB	2.8 GHz	3.2 GHz			80 W		N/A
	Pentium	1407	2 (2)	5MB	2.8 GHz	N/A		3× DDR3-1066
		1403			2.6 GHz
		1405			1.2 GHz	1.8 GHz			40 W	2012-08	$143

Sandy Bridge-DT Xeon E3-1200

Socket	Model		Cores (threads)	CPU clock rate		L3 cache	Integrated graphics	Interface	Supported memory	TDP	Release date	Price (USD)
				Base	Turbo
LGA 1155	Xeon E3	1290	4 (8)	3.6 GHz	4.0 GHz	8MB	N/A	DMI 2.0 20× PCIe 2.0 [32]	2× DDR3-1333	95 W	May 29, 2011	$885
		1280		3.5 GHz	3.9 GHz						April 3, 2011	$612
		1270		3.4 GHz	3.8 GHz					80 W		$328
		1240		3.3 GHz	3.7 GHz							$250
		1230		3.2 GHz	3.6 GHz							$215
		1220	4 (4)	3.1 GHz	3.4 GHz							$189
		1220L	2 (4)	2.2 GHz	3.4 GHz	3MB				20 W		$189
		1275	4 (8)	3.4 GHz	3.8 GHz	8MB	HD Graphics P3000			95 W		$339
		1245		3.3 GHz	3.7 GHz							$262
		1235		3.2 GHz	3.6 GHz							$240
		1225	4 (4)	3.1 GHz	3.4 GHz	6MB						$194
		1265L	4 (8)	2.4 GHz	3.3 GHz	8MB				45 W		OEM
		1260L		2.4 GHz	3.3 GHz		HD Graphics 2000					$294

Mobile platform

• Core i5-2515E and Core i7-2715QE processors have support for ECC memory and PCI express port bifurcation.
• All mobile processors, except Celeron and Pentium, use the HD 3000 (12 EUs) iGPU.

Target segment	Processor branding and model		Cores / threads	CPU clock rate		Graphics clock rate		L3 cache	TDP	Release date	Price (USD)	Motherboard
				Base	Turbo (1C/2C/4C)	Base	Turbo					Interface	Socket
Extreme	Core i7 Extreme	2960XM	4 (8)	2.7 GHz	3.7/3.6/3.4 GHz	650 MHz	1300 MHz	8 MB	55 W	2011-09-04	$1096	*DMI 2.0 *Memory: Up to dual channel DDR3-1600 MT/s *PCIe 2.0	Socket G2 / BGA-1224[33]
		2920XM		2.5 GHz	3.5/3.4/3.2 GHz					2011-01-05
Performance	Core i7	2860QM		2.5 GHz	3.6/3.5/3.3 GHz				45 W	2011-09-04	$568
		2820QM		2.3 GHz	3.4/3.3/3.1 GHz					2011-01-05
		2760QM		2.4 GHz	3.5/3.4/3.2 GHz			6 MB		2011-09-04	$378
		2720QM		2.2 GHz	3.3/3.2/3.0 GHz					2011-01-05
		2715QE		2.1 GHz	3.0/2.9/2.7 GHz		1200 MHz
		2710QE
		2675QM		2.2 GHz	3.1/3.0/2.8 GHz		1200 MHz			2011-10-02		*DMI 2.0 *Memory: Up to dual channel DDR3-1333 MHz *PCIe 2.0
		2670QM					1100 MHz
		2635QM		2.0 GHz	2.9/2.8/2.6 GHz		1200 MHz			2011-01-05
		2630QM					1100 MHz
Mainstream		2640M	2 (4)	2.8 GHz	3.5/3.3 GHz		1300 MHz	4 MB	35 W	2011-09-04	$346		Socket G2 / BGA-1023 (in low power and embedded products)[33]
		2620M		2.7 GHz	3.4/3.2 GHz					2011-02-20
		2649M		2.3 GHz	3.2/2.9 GHz	500 MHz	1100 MHz		25 W
		2629M		2.1 GHz	3.0/2.7 GHz						$311
		2655LE		2.2 GHz	2.9/2.7 GHz	650 MHz	1000 MHz				$346
		2677M		1.8 GHz	2.9/2.6 GHz	350 MHz	1200 MHz		17 W	2011-06-20	$317
		2637M		1.7 GHz	2.8/2.5 GHz						$289
		2657M		1.6 GHz	2.7/2.4 GHz		1000 MHz			2011-02-20	$317
		2617M		1.5 GHz	2.6/2.3 GHz		950 MHz				$289
		2610UE			2.4/2.1 GHz		850 MHz				$317
	Core i5	2557M		1.7 GHz	2.7/2.4 GHz		1200 MHz	3 MB		2011-06-20	$250
		2537M		1.4 GHz	2.3/2.0 GHz		900 MHz			2011-02-20
		2467M		1.6 GHz	2.3/2.0 GHz		1150 MHz			2011-06-19
		2540M		2.6 GHz	3.3/3.1 GHz	650 MHz	1300 MHz		35 W	2011-06-20	$266
		2520M		2.5 GHz	3.2/3.0 GHz						$225
		2515E			3.1/2.8 GHz		1100 MHz				$266
		2510E
		2450M					1300 MHz			2012-01	$225
		2435M		2.4 GHz	3.0/2.7 GHz					2011-10-02	OEM
		2430M					1200 MHz				$225
		2410M		2.3 GHz	2.9/2.6 GHz					2011-06-20
	Core i3	2370M		2.4 GHz	—		1150 MHz			2012-01
		2350M		2.3 GHz						2011-10-02
		2348M								2013-01	OEM
		2330E		2.2 GHz			1050 MHz			2011-06-19	$225
		2330M					1100 MHz
		2328M								2012-09
		2312M		2.1 GHz						Q2 2011	OEM
		2310E					1050 MHz			2011-02-20
		2310M					1100 MHz
		2377M		1.5 GHz		350 MHz	1000 MHz		17 W	Q3 2012	$225
		2375M								2012-03
		2367M		1.4 GHz						2011-10-02	$250
		2365M								2012-09	$225
		2357M		1.3 GHz			950 MHz			2011-06-19	OEM
		2340UE					800 MHz				$250
Budget	Pentium	B915C		1.5 GHz		—			15 W	2012-05	$138
		997	2 (2)	1.6 GHz		350 MHz	1000 MHz	2 MB	17 W	2012-09-30	$134
		987		1.5 GHz						Q3 2012
		977		1.4 GHz						2012-01
		967		1.3 GHz						2011-10-02
		957		1.2 GHz			800 MHz			2011-06-19
		B980		2.4 GHz		650 MHz	1150 MHz		35 W	2012-09	$125
		B970		2.3 GHz						2012-01
		B960		2.2 GHz			1100 MHz			2011-10-02	$134
		B950		2.1 GHz						2011-06-19
		B940		2.0 GHz
	Celeron	B840		1.9 GHz			1000 MHz			2011-09-04	$86
		B830		1.8 GHz			1050 MHz			2012-09-30
		B820[34]		1.7 GHz						2012-07-29
		B815[35]		1.6 GHz						2012-01
		B810E					1000 MHz			2011-06-19
		B810					950 MHz			2011-03-13
		B800		1.5 GHz			1000 MHz			2011-06-19	$80
		887				350 MHz			17 W	09-30-2012	$86
		877		1.4 GHz						2012-07-29
		867		1.3 GHz						January 2012	$134
		857		1.2 GHz						2011-07-03
		847		1.1 GHz			800 MHz			2011-06-19
		847E
		807	1 (2)	1.5 GHz			950 MHz	1.5 MB		2012-07-29	$70
		725C		1.3 GHz		—			10 W	2012-05	$74
		827E	1 (1)	1.4 GHz		350 MHz	800 MHz		17 W	2011-07-03	$107
		797					950 MHz			2012-01
		787		1.3 GHz						2011-07-03
		B730		1.8 GHz		650 MHz	1000 MHz		35 W	2012-07-29	$70
		B720[36]		1.7 GHz						2012-01
		B710		1.6 GHz						2011-06-19
		807UE		1.0 GHz		350 MHz	800 MHz	1 MB	10 W	2011-11	$117

Suffixes to denote:

• M – Mobile processors
  • UM – Ultra low power mobile (dual-core)
  • LM – Low power mobile (dual-core)
  • M – Dual-core mobile
  • QM – Quad-core mobile
  • XM – Quad-core extreme mobile (unlocked clock multiplier)
• E – Embedded mobile processors
  • QE – Quad-core
  • LE – Low power
  • UE – Ultra low power

Cougar Point chipset flaw

On 31 January 2011, Intel issued a recall on all 67-series motherboards due to a flaw in the Cougar Point Chipset.^[37] A hardware problem exists, in which the chipset's SATA II ports may fail over time, causing failure of connection to SATA devices, though data is not at risk.^[38] Intel claims that this problem will affect only 5% of users over 3 years; however, heavier I/O workloads can exacerbate the problem. This hardware bug cannot be fixed by BIOS update.

Intel stopped production of flawed B2 stepping chipsets and began producing B3 stepping chipsets with the silicon fix. Shipping of these new chipsets started on 14 February 2011 and Intel estimated full recovery volume in April 2011.^[39] Motherboard manufacturers (such as ASUS and Gigabyte Technology) and computer manufacturers (such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard) stopped selling products that involved the flawed chipset and offered support for affected customers. Options ranged from swapping for B3 motherboards to product refunds.^[40][41]

Sandy Bridge processor sales were temporarily on hold, as one cannot use the CPU without a motherboard. However, processor release dates were not affected.^[42] After two weeks, Intel continued shipping some chipsets, but manufacturers had to agree to a set of terms that will prevent customers from encountering the bug.^[43]

Limitations

Overclocking

With Sandy Bridge, Intel has tied the speed of every bus (USB, SATA, PCI, PCIe, CPU cores, Uncore, memory etc.) to a single internal clock generator issuing the basic 100 MHz Base Clock (BClk).^[44] With CPUs being multiplier locked, the only way to overclock is to increase the BClk, which can be raised by only 5–7% without other hardware components failing. As a work around, Intel made available K/X-series processors, which feature unlocked multipliers; with a multiplier cap of 57 for Sandy Bridge.^[45] For the Sandy Bridge-E platform, there is alternative method known as the BClk ratio overclock.^[46]

During IDF (Intel Developer Forum) 2010, Intel demonstrated an unknown Sandy Bridge CPU running stably overclocked at 4.9 GHz on air cooling.^[47][48]

Chipset

Non-K edition CPUs can overclock up to four bins from its turbo multiplier. Refer here for chipset support.

vPro remote-control

Main articles: Intel vPro and Intel Active Management Technology

Sandy and Ivy Bridge processors with vPro capability have security features that can remotely disable a PC or erase information from hard drives. This can be useful in the case of a lost or stolen PC. The commands can be received through 3G signals, Ethernet, or Internet connections. AES encryption acceleration will be available, which can be useful for video conferencing and VoIP applications.^[49][50]

Intel Insider

Main article: Intel Insider

Sandy and Ivy Bridge processors contain a DRM technology that some video streaming web sites rely on to restrict use of their content. Such web sites offer 1080p streaming to users with such CPUs and downgrade the quality for other users.^[51]

Software development kit

With the introduction of the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture, Intel also introduced the Intel Data Plane Development Kit (Intel DPDK) to help developers of communications applications take advantage of the platform in packet processing applications, and network processors.^[52]

Roadmap

Intel demonstrated the Haswell architecture in September 2011, released in 2013 as the successor to Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge.^[53]

Fixes

In 2015, Microsoft released a microcode update for selected Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPUs for Windows 7 and up that addresses stability issues. However, the update negatively impacts Pentium G3258 and Core i3-4010U CPU models.^[54][55][56]

See also

• Electronics portal

• List of Intel CPU microarchitectures
• List of Macintosh models grouped by CPU type

References

1. Shvets, Gennadiy (September 26, 2012). "Intel discontinues second-generation Core i5 and i7 CPUs". CPU World. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
2. "The Man Behind 'Sandy Bridge'". December 28, 2010. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
3. Brooke Crothers (December 15, 2010). "CES: First Intel next-gen laptops will be quad core". The Circuits Blog. CNET.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
4. Anand Lal Shimpi (September 22, 2009). "IDF 2009 – Intel Shows off 22nm & 32nm, Sandy Bridge Demoed". AnandTech. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2015-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. Chris Angelini (3 January 2011). "The System Agent And Turbo Boost 2.0". Tom's Hardware.
7. "Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0". Intel.
8. Lal Shimpi, Anand (October 12, 2011). "The Bulldozer Review: AMD FX-8150 Tested". Anandtech.
9. "Intel's Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture". RealWorldTech.com.
10. "Intel's Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture". RealWorldTech.com.
11. "Intel's Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture". RealWorldTech.com.
12. "Intel's Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture". RealWorldTech.com.
13. "Intel's Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture". RealWorldTech.com.
14. Lal Shimpi, Anand (2012-10-05). "Intel's Haswell Architecture Analyzed". AnandTech. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
15. "Sandy Bridge (client) - Microarchitectures - Intel - WikiChip". en.wikichip.org. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
16. "Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Optimization Reference Manual". Intel.com. Intel. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
17. "Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Optimization Reference Manual" (PDF). Intel.com. Intel. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
18. "Support for the Intel Core i5 Desktop Processor". Intel.com. Intel. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
19. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2011-12-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
20. Anand Lal Shimpi. "The Sandy Bridge Review: Intel Core i7-2600K, i5-2500K and Core i3-2100 Tested". anandtech.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
21. "Intel's Sandy Bridge E-Series in Q4 2011". Tom's Hardware. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
22. "Additional Details on Sandy Bridge-E Processors, X79, and LGA2011". Anandtech. 2011-04-26. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
23. "Products (Formerly Sandy Bridge)". Official product web site. Intel. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
24. "Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Family for the LGA-2011 Socket Datasheet, Volume 1" (PDF). Intel. p. 8: "The processor features up to 40 lanes of PCI Express links capable of up to 8.0 GT/s, and 4 lanes of DMI2/PCI Express 2.0 interface with a peak transfer rate of 5.0 GT/s. "
    p. 10: "Support for PCI Express 2.0 (5.0 GT/s), PCI Express (2.5 GT/s), and capable of up to PCI Express 8.0 GT/s. Up to 40 lanes of PCI Express interconnect for general purpose PCI Express devices capable of up to 8.0 GT/s speeds that are configurable for up to 10 independent ports."
25. Nita, Sorin (October 17, 2011). "Intel Sandy Bridge-E CPUs Are 'Almost' PCI Express 3.0 Compatible". Softpedia.
26. Angelini, Chris (November 14, 2011). "Intel Core i7-3960X Review: Sandy Bridge-E And X79 Express". Tom's Hardware. p. 2. It turns out that PCI Express 3.0 is, in fact, supported by Sandy Bridge-E (and the preview was updated to confirm 8 GT/s support the day after it went live). But because there weren't (and still aren't) any third-gen devices available yet, validating the feature was problematic. In fact, as you can see in the image below, Intel is still only officially guaranteeing that PCI Express 2.0 works, and probably will continue to do so until we see some hardware with a third-gen interface. Nevertheless, Intel's Core i7 datasheet confirms PCI Express 3.0 compliance, enabling up to 1 GB/s of bandwidth per lane, per direction.
27. Shimpi, Anand Lal (December 22, 2011). "Sandy Bridge E & X79 PCIe 3.0: It Works". AnandTech.
28. "Sandy Bridge-E and PCI-E 3.0". Intel Community Product Support.
29. Shortly before Sandy Bridge-E's release,^[25] Intel decided not to claim its PCIe 3.0 support, because the lack of any PCIe 3.0-certified hardware at the time of release would make it difficult to validate compliance. However the ability to operate in the 3.0 mode was preserved, which was confirmed by media and acknowledged by Intel.^[26][27][28]
30. Angelini, Chris (September 12, 2011). "Intel Core i7-3960X (Sandy Bridge-E) And X79 Platform Preview". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
31. Fuad Abazovic (January 6, 2012). "Intel Core i7-3820 comes on February 13". Fudzilla. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
32. Angelini, Chris (May 3, 2011). "Intel Xeon E3-1275 Review: Sandy Bridge Goes Professional". Tom's Hardware. p. 3.
33. "2nd Generation Intel Core i7 Processors". Ark.intel.com. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
34. "Intel Mobile Celeron B820 - FF8062700848602". Cpu-world.com. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
35. "Intel Mobile Celeron B815 - FF8062701159901". Cpu-world.com. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
36. "Intel Mobile Celeron B720 - FF8062701084101". Cpu-world.com. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
37. محمد رضا پناهی (8 February 2011). "Sandy Bridge، راه حل‌ها، بازار ایران". سخت افزار: مشاوره و بررسی گجت های دیجیتال. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
38. "Intel Identifies Cougar Point Chipset Error, Halts Shipments". Tom's Hardware. 31 January 2011.
39. "Intel Identifies Chipset Design Error, Implementing Solution" (Press release). Intel Corporation. January 31, 2011.
40. "Intel chip bug affects HP, Dell, Samsung and Lenovo". BBC News. 2011-02-03.
41. "HP to offer refund for PCs with flawed Intel chip". Reuters. 2011-02-02.
42. "Intel to Ship Dual-core Sandy Bridge Chips on Feb. 20". PCWorld. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
43. "Intel to continue shipping flawed Sandy Bridge chipsets". Expert Reviews. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
44. Intel to limit Sandy Bridge Overclocking, Bit-Tech, July 22, 2010
45. Anand Lal Shimpi (September 14, 2010). "Intel's Sandy Bridge Architecture Exposed". AnandTech. p. 8. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
46. "Intel Core i7-3820 Extreme Edition CPU | Intel, Core i7-3820, CPU, Extreme Edition, Desktop, Processor, BX80619i73820, Benchmarks, Performance, Tests, Hank Tolman, Intel Core i7-3820 CPU Extreme Edition Desktop Processor BX80619i73820 Benchmark Performance Tests by Hank Tolman". Benchmarkreviews.com. 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
47. YouTube. youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-04. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
48. "IDF Intel 2010: Intel Overclocks Sandy Bridge CPU to 4.9 GHz, outpaces 12-core AMD Opteron". ZDNet. Archived from the original on 2010-09-21.
49. Hachman, Mark (2010-09-14). "Intel's 'Sandy Bridge' Chip to Include vPro Business Features". PC Magazine.
50. "Intel vPro Technology". Intel.
51. "Intel Insider". Intel.
52. Rick Merritt, Intel targets data plane with comms Soc, EE Times, February 2012
53. Crothers, Brooke (September 14, 2011). "Haswell chip completes Ultrabook 'revolution'". The Circuits Blog. CNET.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
54. "June 2015 Intel CPU microcode update for Windows". Retrieved 2020-11-07.
55. "Windows 7: June 2015 microcode update for Intel processors in Windows". Retrieved 2020-11-07.
56. "Windows update KB3064209 (G3258 & 4010U)". Retrieved 2020-11-07.

Further reading

• Marco Chiappetta (January 2, 2011). "Intel Core i7-2600K and i5-2500K Processors Debut". HotHardware.com. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
• David Kanter (September 25, 2010). "Intel's Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture". realworldtech.com. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
• David Kanter (August 8, 2011). "Intel's Sandy Bridge Graphics Architecture". realworldtech.com. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
• Gabriel Torres (December 30, 2010). "Inside the Intel Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture". hardwaresecrets.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
• Andrew Van Til (January 3, 2011). "Intel Sandy Bridge: Core i5-2500K and DH67BL Motherboard". www.missingremote.com. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
• Oded Lempel (July 28, 2013). "2nd Generation Intel Core Processor Family: Intel Core i7, i5 and i3" (PDF). www.hotchips.org. Retrieved January 21, 2014.

External links

• Official Intel homepages for:
  • Sandy Bridge
  • Sandy Bridge-E
  • Sandy Bridge-EN
  • Sandy Bridge-EP
• Intel's AVX page (Fetched Oct 9, 2012)