Intel launches sub-$100 Sandy Bridge processors

Matthew DeCarlo

Posts: 5,271   +104

Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture has finally pierced the sub-$100 market with the addition of four new Pentium processors: the G620, G620T, G840 and G850. Although Intel's pricing sheet only reveals basic information, the fine detectives over at Tech Report have uncovered each chip's full specifications courtesy of a product sheet for Shuttle's XPS SH67H3 barebones mini-PC.

Unsurprisingly, all of the chips feature a very similar configuration with two processing cores, 3MB of cache, an Intel HD 2000 integrated graphics processor and a dual-channel DDR3-1333 RAM controller. The G620T shows the greatest deviation by operating at nearly half the TDP (35W versus 65W) thanks to lower CPU and GPU frequencies. None of them feature Turbo Boost.

Processor Cores Threads CPU Clock Cache IGP Clock TDP Price
Pentium G620 2 2 2.6GHz 3MB 850-1100MHz 65W $64
Pentium G620T 2 2 2.2GHz 3MB 650-1100MHz 35W $70
Pentium G840 2 2 2.8GHz 3MB 850-1100MHz 65W $75
Pentium G850 2 2 2.9GHz 3MB 850-1100MHz 65W $86

It's worth noting that the figures above represent Intel's bulk pricing, not retail. So far, the Pentium G620 has appeared on Newegg for $77.99 or about $14 more than May's 1Ku pricing. Adding $14 to the G850's bulk price would situate the processor at $99.99, seemingly replacing Intel's dual-core 3.33GHz Pentium E6800 -- a 45nm Wolfdale-based remnant of the Core 2 Duo days.

This update comes less than two weeks after CPU-World leaked the specifications of three new Sandy Bridge-based Celeron processors: the G440, G530 and G540. The first is reportedly a 35W single-core chip with a 1.6GHz CPU and 650-1000MHz GPU, while the latter two are 2.4GHz and 2.5GHz dual-core parts with an 850-1000MHz GPU and 65W TDP -- all have a 2MB cache.

Meanwhile, Fudzilla reports that Intel's new 22nm Ivy Bridge architecture will launch sometime between next March and April instead of a traditional January release. Naturally, we'd take this with a sizable grain of salt as the site quotes unnamed sources and doesn't offer reasoning behind the move, but if true, Sandy Bridge owners will have a few extra months to savor the throne.

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**** sandy I'm waiting for Ivy, and let's see what AMD brings up.

I'll stay with my e7500 clocked at 3.4 Ghz.
 
I've got an E7500 too, running at stock clocks on a Gigabyte X38 board. With June just around the corner, I'm waiting to see what AMD will bring to this price segment.
 
I just upgraded from my e8500OC running at 3.8 to my new 2600K Sandy running at 3.4Stock and WOW is all I can say :)
 
all i can say is peoople who got 2600K better have their exitement before the a8-bulldozer comes out (8 cores, same price)
 
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