Intel has announced the release of their 3rd generation Core processors. These processors, like previous generations, will be quad-core processors, and will be available in desktops, and boxed versions starting this month.
Core Improvements
The new 3rd generation Core processors are reported to see a great 20% processor performance gain over previous processors, along with new technologies that help to speed the data flow to and from the chips.
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These performance gains are attributed to the new three-dimensional structure of the new Intel transistors. Current computers, servers, and other electronic devices have used two-dimensional transistors, but with the additional third dimension, Intel has increased the transistor density. The increase in density has allow more capability to be added to each millimeter within the new processors.
New HD Graphics Processing
Intel has also reworked the graphics architecture of their new 3rd generation Core processors, which may help improve the performance and visuals.
With the release of the 3rd generation Core processors, Intel has also updated the included graphics processing engine with the release of the Intel HD Graphics 4000. This graphics core is reported to produce 2x better 3D graphics performance compared to previous generation processors. The new Intel HD Graphics 4000 supports DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.1, and OpenCL 1.1.
Those that will use the included HD Graphics 4000 may be able to convert videos 2x faster than last years processors, and 23X faster than processors 3 years old. While these numbers come from Intel, I’m sure independent benchmarks can verify these claims.
Availability
New systems that include the new quad-core Intel Core processors will begin shipping this month. For those that like to build their own desktop systems, boxed versions of the processors will also begin shipping this month.
As for server, specialty systems, ultrabooks and laptops, the processors for these systems will become available later this year. So far, no date for these processors is available.
Intel 3rd Generation Core i7
| Processor | Cores / Threads | Clock Speed | Cache |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7-3960X | 6 / 12 | 3.30 GHz | 15 MB |
| i7-3930K | 6 / 12 | 3.20 GHz | 12 MB |
| i7-3820 | 4 / 8 | 3.60 GHz | 10 MB |
| i7-3770T | 4 / 8 | 2.50 GHz | 8 MB |
| i7-3770S | 4 / 8 | 3.10 GHz | 8 MB |
| i7-3770K | 4 / 8 | 3.50 GHz | 8 MB |
Intel 3rd Generation Core i5
| Processor | Cores / Threads | Clock Speed | Cache |
|---|---|---|---|
| i5-3570T | 4 / 4 | 2.30 GHz | 6 MB |
| i5-3570K | 4 / 4 | 3.40 GHz | 6 MB |
| i5-3550 | 4 / 4 | 3.30 GHz | 6 MB |
| i5-3450S | 4 / 4 | 2.80 GHz | 6 MB |
| i5-3450 | 4 / 4 | 3.10 GHz | 6 MB |