Intel has just unveiled seven new members of its Sandy Bridge
family of CPUs. We got three quad-core desktop processors of the Core i5
variety and four Celeron CPUs meant for use in mobile devices.
The first and most powerful of the new processors is Core i5-2550K,
which is an unlocked-multiplier CPU with a stock clock speed of 100MHz
higher than the i5-2500K. The i5-2550K runs at 3.4GHz, with frequencies
of up to 3.8GHz possible with the Turbo boost.
The other two new i5 processors are 2450P and 2380P and they run at
3.2 GHz and 3.1 GHz, respectively. The P here stands for GPU-less, as
those come without the built-in Intel HD 3000 graphics.
All new Intel i5 processors have 6MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 95W.
They will retail for $225 (i5-2550K), $195 (i5-2450P) and $177
(i5-2380P).
The Celeron family got two 35W additions (B815 and B720) and a couple
of 17W new members (867 and 797). The B815 and 867 have dual-core
architecture, 2MB of L3 cache and a nominal clock speed of 1.6GHz and
1.3GHz, respectively.
The single-core Celeron B720 and 797 are the most affordable of the
new processors, featuring 1MB of L3 cache and clock speeds of 1.7GHz and
1.4GHz, respectively.
| SKU | Core/Thread Count | Frequency | Max Turbo Frequency | L3 Cache | TDP | Price |
| Core i5-2550K | 4/4 | 3.4GHz | 3.8GHz | 6MB | 95W | $225 |
| Core i5-2450P | 4/4 | 3.2GHz | 3.5GHz | 6MB | 95W | $195 |
| Core i5-2380P | 4/4 | 3.1GHz | 3.4GHz | 6MB | 95W | $177 |
| Celeron B815 | 2/2 | 1.6GHz | N/A | 2MB | 35W | $86 |
| Celeron B720 | 1/1 | 1.7GHz | N/A | 1MB | 35W | $70 |
| Celeron 867 | 2/2 | 1.3GHz | N/A | 2MB | 17W | $134 |
| Celeron 797 | 1/1 | 1.4GHz | N/A | 1MB | 17W | $107 |
The newly introduced processors will hardly lead to dramatic changes
in the CPU market, but then again, that’s a task for the Ivy Bridge
family, which should be unveiled in a few months’ time.
