SillyDog701

[Mandrake]

This is too cool!

Anandtech Sandy Bridge review.

This is undoubtedly the next big thing in CPUs. Sandy Bridge is Intel's next generation CPU architecture, with a improved performance and energy efficiency. The link above goes into quite a lot detail about the new features like AVX, and the on die graphics. The new Core i5 2500K and Core i7 2600K CPUs are just offering incredible performance for the price. The ~$200 USD i5 2500K is being overclocked to 4.7 -> 4.8GHz with simple air cooling. The i7 2600K can go even further, I've seen one instance of 5GHz on the 2600K. Amazing performance at an amazing price.

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[Don_HH2K]

I'm glad to see that the most expensive Sandy Bridge part (the i7-2600K) is retailing for only $317US. That's a massive improvement from some of the earlier i7's that were going for nearly $1000.

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[Mandrake]

I'm glad to see that the most expensive Sandy Bridge part (the i7-2600K) is retailing for only $317US. That's a massive improvement from some of the earlier i7's that were going for nearly $1000.

This release is only the 'mainstream' Sandy Bridge platform. Intel's fastest CPU, for most tasks, still remains the Core i7 980X which is a 3.33GHz six core/twelve thread part. Later in the year you'll see the higher end platform with up to eight cores being launched. I'd guess that we'll see the ridiculous $1000 'Extreme Edition' CPUs launch then.

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[Antony]

So, according to Inquirer, Intel's Sandy Bridge has DRM built-in.

Intel labelled such hardware encryption technology is for secure delivery of the contents.

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[Don_HH2K]

Given the installed base of non-Sandy Bridge CPUs and the fact that AMD, ARM, Sun, and others aren't negligible players in the CPU world, I really doubt Intel's hardware DRM scheme is going to catch on anytime soon.

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[beanboy89]

From Engadget: Intel finds Sandy Bridge chipset design flaw, shipments stopped and recalls beginning

A problem requiring a "silicon fix" is bad news in the chipset business, and sadly that's what Intel is announcing. Its new Intel 6 Series chipset, Cougar Point, has been found to have a flaw, something to do with the SATA controller. Intel is indicating that the ports can "degrade over time," leading to poor i/o performance down the road. All shipments have been stopped and a fix has been implemented for new deliveries, but it sounds like recalls will be starting soon for those with this ticking time bomb silicon within. It isn't a critical problem right now, though, so if you own a Sandy Bridge Core i5 or Core i7 system keep computing with confidence while looking for a recall notice, but it is bad news for Intel's bottom line: the company is advising a $300 million hit to revenue.

Update: Jimmy sent us a chat log with an Intel customer service representative indicating that this recall only affects "some desktop boards based on Intel P67 chipset," that the H67 chipset boards appear to not be affected, but that the company doesn't have a comprehensive list yet. We've certainly seen cases where CSRs don't have all the info in this sort of situation, but still we'd advise waiting a bit before tearing your new mobo out and bringing it back to the store.

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