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Ivy Bridge

Intel Core i7-3720QM - Ivy Bridge For Mobile Review: Monster Kill!

Author:
Date: April 23, 2012
Subject: Mobile
Manufacturer: Intel
Tagged: review, mobile processor, mobile cpu, Ivy Bridge, intel hd 4000, Intel

Introduction, Overview, What is New With Ivy Bridge

This article will focus on the new Ivy Bridge, 3rd Generation Core Processor from a mobile perspective.  If you are curious as the performance and features of the Ivy Bridge desktop processors, be sure to check out our desktop Core i7-3770K review here.

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It would be an understatement to say that Intel’s had a good streak as of, say, the last five years. If life was commented on by the announcer from Unreal Tournament, Intel’s product releases would now be followed by the scream of “M-M-M-MONSTER KILLLLLLLL!” This is particularly true in the mobile market. Atom aside, Intel’s processors have repeatedly defeated AMD and its own preceding products.

Many companies in this position might feel it’s time to take a breather, but Intel has reached this point precisely because it doesn’t. The “tick-tock” strategy of constant improvement has made the company and its products stronger than ever before. Even the Pentium-powered Intel of the mid-90s seems weak compared to today’s juggernaut.

And so we come to the launch of Ivy Bridge. This is not a new architecture but instead an update of Sandy Bridge – however, that does not mean the under-the-hood revisions aren’t substantial. There’s a lot to talk about.

The reference system provided for our review is an ASUS N56VM, but this is not a full review of the laptop. That will be published later, after we’ve had more time to look at the laptop itself. Our focus today is on the new Intel hardware inside.

Let’s get to it.

Continue reading our review of the new Intel Ivy Bridge Mobile Platform!!

See, Ivy Bridge really was about to be released!

Subject: Processors | April 23, 2012 - 12:41 PM |
Tagged: Z77, Ivy Bridge, Intel, i7-3770k, i5-3570, 3770k, 3570, 22nm

Intel's latest die shrink and architecture refinement, aka their "Tick", has arrived in the form of Ivy Bridge.  This CPU is actually only one third CPU, a third devoted to Intel's HD4000 graphics core, and the final third comprised of a shared L3 cache, memory controller and other IO devices.  [H]ard|OCP did an almost direct comparison between Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge, with the 2600K having the same amount of cores as the 3770K and only lags behind by 100MHz in raw speed.  The overall performance increases and new features that this new architecture were targeted more at the mainstream user than the enthusiast in [H]'s opinion but if you are building a new machine and aren't going for overclocking records then they wholeheartedly recommend Ivy Bridge.

You can catch Ryan's full review right here though you cannot yet buy it.

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"The new Ivy Bridge processor has already been well covered across the Internet due to leaks of Intel parts into review sites' hands. So at this point there is little to tell in all honesty. But today we work to tell you what you most likely already know; Ivy Bridge looks to be a very solid product but offers little in the way of an upgrade from Sandy Bridge."

Here are some more Processor articles from around the web:

Processors

 

Source: [H]ard|OCP

ASUS Demonstrates Z77 Motherboard Features at PC Perspective

Subject: Motherboards, Processors, Chipsets | April 23, 2012 - 12:05 PM |
Tagged: Z77, Ivy Bridge, Intel, asus, 3770k

Last week our good friends at ASUS stopped by the PC Perspective offices to bring along their entire new lineup of Z77 motherboards and show off the changes and new features being offered.  At the time, there we were something we couldn't show you including our overclocking demonstration as it was using the brand new Intel Ivy Bridge processor.  Not only can we now show you that but we have broken up the demo portion of the video in quicker, bite-sized segments. 

Overclocking

JJ Guerrero shows us the basics of overclocking Ivy Bridge both from the updated UEFI and the AI Suite II software.

 

WiDi on the Desktop

Did you know that desktop PCs using the correct Intel wireless controllers will be able to support Wireless Display technology?  

More videos after the break!!

Source: PC Perspective

Bad news upgraders; Intel's 22nm is suffering 28nm woes as well

Subject: General Tech | April 23, 2012 - 11:41 AM |
Tagged: Ivy Bridge, Intel, 28nm, 22nm

There is bad news out of DigiTimes today for those hoping to upgrade to an Ivy Bridge CPU when they first become available, the availability will not be good.  The thirteen desktop processors that are slated to be released any time now are predicted to suffer the same short supply that plagued AMD when they first released their 28nm parts and is still preventing those who can afford a GTX 680 from being able to buy one.  Hopefully this issue has been part of the core reason as to why the Ivy Bridge release date has been so well suppressed, even with the leaks that have appeared over the past quarter.  Perhaps Intel is planning to have enough good 22nm silicon stockpiled that the availability will be a bit better than the GTX 680 and perhaps even enough to see first adopters through until the production levels can be increased.

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"Although Intel is ready to launch and sell its upcoming Ivy Bridge-based processors soon, shipments of the processor are estimated to be lower than expected with the possible driver being either low capacity or yield rates, and the situation is forcing Intel to adjust its processor shipment proportions for notebook and desktop platforms, according to sources from PC players, which added that Nvidia and AMD are also facing shortage issues for their 28nm graphics cards."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

 

Source: DigiTimes

An Intel branded board aimed at the enthusiast - the DZ77GA-70K

Subject: Motherboards | April 19, 2012 - 02:55 PM |
Tagged: DZ77GA-70K, Intel, Ivy Bridge, panther point, Z77

If you have run into motherboards branded with the Intel logo, you most likely did so in a server room as that is the market they have focused on.  With the arrival of Ivy Bridge and Panther Point this has changed, the DZ77GA-70K motherboard even sports a skull on its heatsink to prove it.  The board comes with a fair number of extras, The Tech Report found a mouse pad, a 3.5" drive bay insert with two USB 3.0 ports, a Bluetooth dongle, and PCIe 1x 802.11n WiFi card.  Intel has also included their implementation of UEFI, called the Intel Visual BIOS, though you don't get to see all the screens in this preview as that would spoil a few surprises.  It is still worth checking out; as we impatiently await the release of Ivy Bridge.

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"While preparing for a certain upcoming processor launch, we've been spending some quality time with Intel's DZ77GA-70K motherboard. Read on for a quick look at Intel's latest enthusiast-oriented desktop board."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

 

Source: The Tech Report

ASUS and Z77 Platform Live Review: We Want Your Questions!

Subject: Motherboards, Processors | April 14, 2012 - 01:26 PM |
Tagged: Z77, video, live review, Ivy Bridge, asus

In case you haven't noticed, there are Z77 motherboards for sale ahead of the launch of Intel's 3rd generation Core processor.  In line with the release of this new CPU, our friends at ASUS are stopping by the PC Perspective offices to give our readers a chance to see the company's entire Z77 lineup and their impressive new feature set demonstrated and explained on camera.

You will hear about features like Wi-Fi GO!, Digi+ Power Control, SupremeFX III audio technology, GameFirst networking technology, the mPCIe Combo Card, Fan Xpert 2 software and a whole lot more!  Stay tuned for our full Ivy Bridge processor and launch review!!

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We also want to use this opportunity to solicit questions from our readers and fans that they might have about the Intel Z77 chipset, the Ivy Bridge processor and the new line of ASUS Z77 motherboards.  You submit these questions in one of several ways:

  1. Leave a comment on this news post.
     
  2. Send me a questions via Twitter, to @ryanshrout.
     
  3. Leave a question on our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/pcper

To make things better, on launch day, we'll be giving away a few ASUS Z77 motherboards as well so be sure you submit your questions SOON!  We are recording the content for this on Sunday, April 15th, so hurry!!

Source: PC Perspective

Podcast #197 - Z77 Motherboards, GTX690 Rumors, and the truth behind the new Indilinx controller

Subject: General Tech | April 12, 2012 - 03:46 PM |
Tagged: Z77, ssd, podcast, nvidia, Marvell, Ivy Bridge, Intel, Indilinx, gtx690

PC Perspective Podcast #197 - 04/12/2012

Join us this week as we talk about Z77 Motherboards, GTX690 Rumors, and the truth behind the new Indilinx controller.

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

  • iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
  • RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
  • MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Allyn Malvantano

This Podcast is brought to you by MSI Computer, and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards!

Program length: 1:19:45

Program Schedule: 

  1. Introduction
  2. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  3. http://pcper.com/podcast
  4. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  5. iPad 2012 vs. Transformer Prime
  6. Kingwin Lazer Platinum 1000W
  7. Asus ROG Maximus V GENE
  8. Raspberry Pi passes EMC Compliance
  9. This Podcast is brought to you by MSI Computer, and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards!
  10. Will the real Indilinx controller ...
    1. please make themselves known to the staff
  11. NV Tegra 4 Specifications Leak
  12. Maingear Shift System: Just Delivered
  13. ZOTAC Intel 7 Series Mobos
  14. Leaks about NV GTX 690
  15. Epic talks storm of Bullets
  16. http://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-Cards/NVIDIA-Introduces-Two-New-Rebranded-600-Series-Cards
  17. http://www.pcper.com/news/Systems/PCAudioLabs-Editing-PC-Sweepstakes-Winner
  18. This week: Still working on watercooling from Antec
  19. Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
    1. Ryan:  thermite 
    2. Jeremy:  Scotch in Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!
    3. Josh:  Morrowind Overhaul
    4. Allyn:  IDE USB Dock!
  20. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  21. http://pcper.com/podcast   
  22. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  23. Closing

Source:

GIGABYTE Launches Dual UEFI 7 Series Motherboards For Ivy Bridge Processors

Subject: Motherboards | April 10, 2012 - 04:28 PM |
Tagged: Z77, Ivy Bridge, gigabyte

City of Industry, California, April 9th 2011– GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched their long awaited 7 series motherboards designed to deliver the ultimate performance for 3rd generation Intel Core processors. Combining the world’s first Dual UEFI BIOS, a new and unique All Digital power design, and the latest GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 technologies, GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards offer an extremely compelling case for a system upgrade.

“The new GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards are designed to offer a seamless upgrade for enthusiast PC DIYers by providing specifications and features that will be compatible with future CPUs, VGA cards, memory, SSDs, and wireless protocols for years to come,” commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. “It makes sense then for us to aggressively transition to GIGABYTE Z77 and H77 motherboards so that enthusiasts can purchase them in anticipation for the release of Intel’s highly sought after 3rd Gen Core processors.”

“Intel is excited to partner with GIGABYTE on their Intel 7 Series Chipset-based motherboard launch, “ said Zane Ball, GM Intel Desktop Platforms. “We are pleased that these new boards support Intel’s responsiveness technologies, including Intel Rapid Start, Intel Smart Connect and Intel Smart Response. Users will enjoy snappier performance and quicker access to their most important applications.”

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Dual UEFI with Exclusive 3D BIOS
GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards also feature our revolutionary 3D BIOS that is based on the exclusive GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS technology. With an updated look and feel, this new 3D BIOS offers two distinct modes of interaction in a BIOS environment, 3D Mode and Advanced Mode, that re-draw the traditional BIOS user experience with a far more intuitive and graphical interface. 

Giga_Z77_3d.png

Exclusive All Digital Engine
Our new All Digital power design for GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards allows users to have greater control over the power delivered to their 3rd generation Intel Core processors on the LGA 1155 socket. Using entirely digital controllers for the CPU, processor graphics, VTT and system memory, users can enjoy more precise power delivery to the PC’s energy sensitive components than previously possible.

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GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 – Insist on an Ultra Durable Motherboard
GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards feature the latest GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 technology, embracing a range of exclusive technologies that guarantee DIY PC builders the absolute best protection for their PC. Specific features prevent common malfunction threats including humidity and moisture, electro-static discharge, sudden power loss and high operating temperatures.

Lucid Virtu MVP
GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards feature the latest Lucid Virtu GPU virtualization technology, Lucid Universal MVP, which improves the visual and graphical performance of your PC. Offering switchable graphics allows the PC to automatically switch between onboard Intel processor graphics and a discrete GPU depending on the application being used, Lucid Virtu MVP also features HyperFormance technology which eliminates redundant rendering tasks to improve frame rates and eliminate screen tearing.

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Set Your Desktop Free: GIGABYTE Bluetooth 4.0/Dual Band 300Mbps Wi-Fi PCIe Card
GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards include an exclusive PCIe expansion
card that offers support for the latest Bluetooth 4.0 (Smart Ready) and dual band 300Mbps Wi-Fi connectivity*. With the growing availability of affordable or free remote mobile to PC software, such as Splashtop and Dropbox, GIGABYTE believes that now is the time to explore and enjoy the home cloud: a personal cloud within the secure environment of a home network where the performance and functionality of desktop PCs can be utilized and controlled by portable cloud devices.

GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards feature an exclusive EZ Setup utility that allows users to more easily implement the latest Intel responsiveness technologies. Within a simple user interface, you can install and configure Intel Smart Response, Intel Rapid Start, and Intel Smart Connect. GIGABYTE EZ Setup will automate the install procedure for each of these technologies, reducing the procedure to a few simple clicks of your mouse.

Onboard mSATA Support
All ATX form factor GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards feature an onboard mSATA connector* that, together with GIGABYTE’s EZ Smart Response technology, allows users to simply and cost effectively enjoy better responsiveness from their PCs. mSATA solid state drives have been made popular by the rapid growth of tablet PCs, and provide a cheaper solution for smart caching because they are available in smaller capacities than traditional SSDs.

 

GIGABYTE 7 Series Motherboard Models

G1.Sniper 3

GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB WIFI

GA-Z77X-UD5H

 

GA-Z77X-UD3H

GA-Z77X-D3H

GA-Z77-D3H

GA-Z77-DS3H

G1.Sniper M3

GA-Z77MX-D3H

GA-Z77M-D3H

 

GA-H77M-D3H

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Gigabyte

We know far more about the Z77 chipset than the chips that will go in it

Subject: Motherboards | April 2, 2012 - 01:38 PM |
Tagged: Ivy Bridge, Z77, Gigabyte Z77X-D3H

The Guru of 3D examines the GA-Z77X-D3H, a mainstream Z77 board which is not quite as feature rich or expensive as models like the Sniper, but still offers more than a budget board.  It sports three PCIe 16x slots capable of 2-way SLI or Crossfire, a half dozen USB 3.0 ports, an mSATA connection, support for Lucid Virtu MVP and Quicksync and of course Gigabyte's UEFI implementation, 3D BIOS.  Of course we can't see benchmarks of these boards with an Ivy Bridge processor in them, but it is interesting to note that this is the 10th Ivy Bridge board from Gigabyte.

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"We preview the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H which is intended for Intels 22nm processors that will be coming out later this year based on Socket LGA1155 however the motherboard also supports Sandy bridge processors like the Core i7 2600K.

While we are not allowed to publish any testing results whatsoever related to Ivy Bridge on this GA-Z77X-D3H, we are able to give you a closer look at the motherboard itself. Have a peek at what is about to launch soon."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

 

Source: Guru3D

Digital Storm Shows Off Custom Water Cooled Aventum PC

Subject: Systems | March 26, 2012 - 04:06 PM |
Tagged: water cooling, nvidia, Ivy Bridge, gtx 680, Digital Storm

Digital Storm, a custom PC Manufacturer founded in 2002 today revealed their latest system lineup. The new Aventum computers employ the company’s Cryo-TEC sub-zero cooling solution and the latest in PC hardware in a custom full tower chassis. The custom Aventum systems come in several tiers, including three systems with Intel Sandy Bridge-E processors, NVIDIA GTX 680 graphics cards, solid state drives, and at least 16 GB of RAM. Digital Storm further does not skimp on the power supplies. The Aventum computers are powered by either Corsair or Silverstone PSUs.

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The hardware inside the chassis is impressive from a performance standpoint, and Digital Storm is including high end hardware as part of several tiers. The lowest tier is an Intel Sandy Bridge Core i7 2700K and a single EVGA NVIDIA GTX 680 graphics card on an Asus P8Z68-V Pro motherboard. On the other hand, the top tier system moves up to a dual socket EVGA SR-X motherboard, two Intel Xeon E5-2630 processors and three EVGA NVIDIA GTX 680 GPUs in a triple SLI configuration. The other hardware differences are less pronounced - like the upgrade to faster or more RAM and a bit more SSD capacity and PSU wattage. At launch, there will be four system configuration levels which you can see in the chart below.

  Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Processor Intel Core i7 2700K Intel Core i7 3930K Intel Core i7 3960X 2x Dual Intel Xeon E5-2630 Six-Core
Memory 16 GB DDR3 1600 MHz 16 GB DDR3 1600 MHz 16 GB DDR3 2133 MHz Corsair GT 32 GB DDR3 ECC REG 1333 MHz
Graphics Card(s) 1x EVGA GTX 680 2x  Dual SLI GTX 680 3x Triple SLI GTX 680 3x Triple SLI GTX 680
Storage 120 GB SSD & 1 TB HDD 120 GB SSD & 1 TB HDD 120 GB SSD & 1 TB HDD 180 GB SSD & 1 TB HDD
Motherboard ASUS P8Z68-V
PRO/GEN3		 ASUS Sabertooth
X79		 ASUS Rampage
IV Extreme X79		 EVGA Classified
SR-X
Power Supply Corsair 1050W Pro Silver Corsair 1200W Pro Gold Silverstone 1500W SST-ST1500 Silverstone 1500W SST-ST1500
Optical Drive Slot Loading DVD Writer Slot Loading DVD Writer Slot Loading DVD Writer Slot Loading DVD Writer
OS Windows 7 HP x64 Windows 7 HP x64 Windows 7 HP x64 Windows 7 Pro x64
Price $3,859 $4,985 $6,687 $7,850

 

The hardware is nice, but it is not the only interesting aspect of the new Aventum PCs. Rather, it is the custom chassis that holds the Digital Storm hardware. The metal full tower ATX case is divided up into sections and supports three 420mm (3x140mm) radiators, and 13 case fans to keep the Cryo-TEC thermo-electric cooler from overheating. The cooler is placed directly on the CPU and then is itself cooled by a water cooling loop. There are two 420mm radiators in the bottom of the chassis along with the computer’s power supply.

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The Digital Storm Cryo-TEC cooler installed in a system.

Digital Storm has designed it such that three 140mm fans draw cool air in from outside of the case, through the radiator, and then channels the heated air out of the back of the case via vent under the power supply. The 13 case fans provide cooling for five cooling “zones” and are monitored and controlled by temperature probes using Aventum software in Windows. System and temperature information is also displayed on a built in LCD on the right side of the case.

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Another interesting aspect of the Aventum chassis is that the hardware is installed “backwards” in the case such that it can be viewed through a window on the right side of the case (instead of the left in the majority of cases). It also features a removable drive cage with four 3.5” drive bays. There is also support for two internal 2.5” drives and a slot loading DVD writer optical drive accessed on the top of the case. Power and reset buttons are located just under the DVD drive while four USB ports and two audio jacks (1 mic, 1 headphone) are located on the right side of the case near the DVD drive.

Aventum_01.jpg

The case also features plenty of mesh patterned ventilation holes and cut out Digital Storm logos. Also, there is a Digital Storm logo on the front of the case that is back-lit by a customizable LED color. Digital Storm’s Director of Product Development Rajeev Kuruppu noted that their research department has worked for months with thermal imaging cameras to ensure that the high end components are cooled as efficiently as possible. ”Every integral component and every zone is constantly being monitored so our customers can ensure their dream machine is always delivering optimal performance.”

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The Aventum systems are available now and range in price from $3,859 to $7,856 depending on the particular configuration. More information will be posted on the Digital Storm website later today.

Source: Digital Storm

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