A leaked roadmap from Japanese website Impress has played Intel’s hand throughout the upcoming year by detailing a bevy of new processors, including low-voltage Lynnfields, Core i3 and Core i5 processors.
Core i3 500 series
Based on a die shrink of the Lynnfield core known as Clarkdale, these 32nm processors carry a dual core CPU and an inexpensive on-die GPU based on Intel’s integrated graphics chips. Clarkdale Core i3s will have an 87W TDP, 512k L2 cache, 4MB L3 cache, 64-bit support, dual channel DDR3-1333 support, and a 733MHz GPU. Core i3s will also support hardware virtualization, but it will be limited as compared to Core i7 (EPT vs. EPT+IOMMU).
Core i5 600 series
Also based on the 32nm Clarkdale core, the Core i5 ups the stakes by adding TurboBoost functionality. TurboBoost allows the CPU cores to dynamically increase their frequency by hundreds of megahertz if the chip is operating within safe temperature ranges. The number of processing cores in use dictates the frequency gains, though the actual amount of extra speed cannot yet be determined.
For an example of how TurboBoost can drastically improve the clockspeed of an Intel CPU, this chart demonstrates how Lynnfield and Bloomfield increase their frequencies over stock in response to workloads.
While the Core i5 600-series processors are largely identical to the Core i3, Core i5 6×0 CPUs are slightly better at virtualization than i5 6×1 chips due to EPT and IOMMU support.
Core i5 7x0S series
Changed little from the senior Lynnfield parts, the 45nm quad core 7x0S series reduces the TDP from 95W to 82W and drops support for HyperThreading. Virtualization support has also been reduced to the standard level found in most Core 2 Quads (EPT only).
Core i5 8x0S series
It’s like a 7x0S, except with HyperThreading and full virtualization extensions.
Core i5 7×0 series
This is your vanilla Core i5 700 processor, just like the Core i5 750 that has already launched. Core i5 700 chips offer no HyperThreading, basic virtualization support, 1MB L2 cache, 8MB L3 cache, four cores, and dual channel DDR3-1333 support. Intel plans to improve clockspeeds on these parts throughout 2010.
Core i7 8×0 series
Featuring models like the Core i7 860 and the Core i7 870, these 45nm parts offer all the virtualization amenities, dual channel DDR3-1333 support, TurboBoost functionality, a 95W TDP and HyperThreading. Long story short, they’re you’re bog standard 45nm Lynnfields. Intel plans to improve clockspeeds on these parts throughout 2010.
Core i7 9×0/9×5 series
Offering no surprises on this front, Intel is continuing its lineup of Bloomfields well into the New Year. These 45nm chips feature all the virtualization trimmings, triple channel DDR3-1066 support, TurboBoost, an enhanced system bus, downward unlocked multipliers, four cores, 1MB L2 cache and 8MB L3 cache. In other words, if you’ve ever read about processors like the Core i7 965 or the Core i7 920, think more of the same, but faster.
Core i9 series?
Intel will began offering a hexa core processor in 2Q10, presumably under the “Core i9” branding. This 32nm part is based on the Westmere core, which has been shrunk from the Bloomfield core found in the Core i7 9×0/9×5 series and hit with minor improvements. For more information on the Core i9, refer to the roadmap for specifications and read our look at some of the first benchmarks.
Final thoughts
Intel is clearly pursuing a strategy of iteration in the New Year. Aside from the ($1000) Core i9 and Clarkdales, which are a minor architectural revamps, the company is on auto-pilot until the end of 2010 when it unveils its all-new Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. On the whole, expect the blue team to simply introduce faster versions of existing CPUs. Put simply, the market in July of next year will look pretty much like it does now, and overclocking will span any frequency gaps that arise in the interim.
Lastly, users interested in scoping out the performance of the new dual core Clarkdales can also take a peep at these benchmarks.
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