IDF: Intel introduces next-generation processor Ivy Bridge

IDF: Intel introduces next-generation processor Ivy Bridge

Intel  will bring the beginning of next year, the new processor generation Ivy Bridge on the market, as the first chip with the three-dimensional TRIGAT transistors. While the processor core has experienced in the reduction of more than 22 nm structures, only minor changes, but the graphics core has been significantly revamped, among other things, to be fit for DirectX 11. In addition, Intel has donated the graphics core also have L3 cache, which had been classified at the current Sandy Bridge, in the words of Tom Piazza Intel developers at the Intel Developer Forum  in San Francisco as not necessary.


The Ivy Bridge unit supports DirectX 11 graphics and controls up to three displays simultaneously.
Image: c't were in the processor core speeds up the string commands REP movsb / STOSB Konvertierbefehl and one for 32 bit floating point to 16-bit compressed format (FLOAT16) inserted.There were also four new commands that can be accessed in user mode quickly to the FS and GS base register. Security has been heightened by the Supervisory Mode Execute Protection (SMEP), which ensures that kernel software (Ring 0) can not run more user-mode code. A new addition is also a fast random number generator that is not in the nucleus but in the common area Uncore.His chance at the source provides data at 2 to 3 Gbit / s, at 32 bits or about 100 Mega-samples per second. The command reads one RDRAND 16, 32 or 64-bit signal random values.

The Uncore area is also responsible for power management.Again, there are many new features, it can now be in deep sleep states of the DDR-I switch off / O. The energy consumption in S3 mode has been reduced and you can assign a variety of voltages to the respective clock frequencies. Manufacturers can now also to energy (TDP) configured. The mobile versions support Low Voltage DDR3L. Overclocking the memory up to 2800 MT / s is possible. CPU and graphics can also order up to 10 percent overclock. The change of the factor is dynamic in operation.

The new Ivy Bridge graphic unit has up to 16 execution units (Sandy Bridge: 6 or 12) to the Shader Model 5.0 and DirectX compatible, consequently, of 11th They are thus suitable for universal computations via DirectCompute OpenCL 11.0 or 1.1.They are equipped with shared local memory, which allows more efficient data exchange between the shader cores, and Scatter Gather to merge data from different memory areas. With new formats for compressed textures (BC6H / 7) dominates the GPU.


The Ivy Bridge GPU has 16 shader cores up to and brings a tessellation unit.
Image: c't A Fix-Function tessellation unit may be missing according to the DirectX 11 requirements do not even the Hull and domain shader added as programmable stages. And also for anisotropic filtering (AF) where units are to work more closely and better AF image quality liefern.Insgesamt the Ivy Bridge graphic core should be 60 percent faster than the Sandy Bridge predecessors have - so that would be its graphics performance to AMD's Llano A8 processors to be competitive.

Also new is the ability to control up to three displays can - Intel builds here so to compete with AMD's Eyefinity solutions also allow the three displays. Even the quick-sync performance for video transcoding, Intel will have improved.