Sandy Bridge Notebooks by January 31st?

My first day of classes is January 31st. I want a powerful notebook in the $1500 range before then and I'm wondering if we'll see any on market Notebooks with Sandy Bridge processors by that date. I really would like to have it for my first day of classes but I'm willing to be patient if need be. What do you guys think, will we see the first Sandy Bridge mobile Notebooks before the end of January?

 

If it's anything like it was for Arrendale this year, most likely. Some (if not all) laptop manufacturers should already have the final chips by now.

 

That'd be great, so they have the chips already and are most likely planning out models now? I'm guessing the enthusiast companies will be first out of the gate with new machines so I'll probably end up taking the plunge and buying from one of those not as major manufacturers. Any chance we'll see these processors by Christmas? Also, do you think Sandy Bridge is going to be worth waiting for? I'm probably getting a dedicated graphics card anyway but I've heard the processors will be noticeably faster and I really want my laptop to be as fast as possible. Any other advantages? Using processor+graphics card for dual graphics maybe ?

 

Only if you can get a bootleg one from Asia. Intel is not releasing them until early January so nobody is allowed to sell them (although they do exist).

At this point, yes. Based on the reviews so far, the performance increase is substantial and rumor has it that the battery life will be better.

Nividia may do something like this as they did with Optimus, but I doubt it will happen in January.

 

Thanks for answering all my questions, Althernai. Much Appreciated. All that sounds great and it seems I'll definitely be able to buy a manufactured machine prior to school beginning in January 31st which would be great since I would be up to date in terms of technological evolutions for once .

 

That's wishful thinking since January is not a month for releasing anything. The reports I've read only stated 1st quarter--which typically means by March. If anyone believes different, I'd like to know why?

Incidentally, whether or not it's worth the wait depends on your computing needs. In other words, if you're the type that's only satisfied with state-of-the-art.

 

Several Arrendale models were released by the end of January this year IIRC.

 

Because Intel released Arrandale at CES 2010 and since it markets a tick-tock schedule with a 1 year cadence, it has every reason to release Sandy Bridge at CES 2011. The chips are ready -- we've seen previews and we know that Intel is aggressively ramping up production (they actually started volume production in late Q3 2010).

Of course, Intel does not announce release dates that far in advance so it's always possible that it will not come out at CES, but most analysts are expecting it around then and I don't see a reason for Intel would disappoint them.

 

I think vendors are chomping at the bit. You won't see everyone release by Jan 31, but you can bet Sager will get one out in the first month, and probably HP too.

Don't know about AW, but we can hope

 

About a month and a half ago I spoke with a Best Buy computer floor rep and after alerting him to the existence of Sandy Bridge, who said they wouldn't get any for about 6 months into the year. I don't know how accurate that is or how high up on the totem pole he was but I plan to ask again next time I go there.

 

'released' and 'delivering to consumers' are two totally different things.

And asking BB floor droids about product plans isn't a productive spend of your time.

 

Lets expect SB will come soon before 2011 !!!

Intel Sandy Bridge to Account for 75% Of Desktop Shipment in 2011 - Softpedia

 

OK, now I know they'll be out by January 10.

More seriously, BestBuy personnel are generally not a valid source of information except maybe about products already on the shelf (and even then you're better off researching online first). I am tempted to try asking one about the release date for Intel's Rocky Cliff processor and just to see if I get the same "we'll get it in 6 months" reply.

 

True for the most part, but never an absolute. For all you know he could be a student at MIT.

 

Either way, I highly doubt that completed CPUs which are already being mass produced and will very soon be sent to OEMs would be delayed half a year. There's really no reason to delay them. So, that one probably isn't going to MIT.

 

Sounds like nothings set in stone just yet. I'd really like to have the state of the art processors in my new laptop. When is Ces? Sounds like we'll find out Intels plans then.

 

CES = Consumer Electronics Show

It's going from January 6-9, 2011, so don't expect any notebooks with SB before that, at least.

 

True. I asked about that and he said they carry lower to middle end consumer grade notebooks and that's just how their stocking procedures go. Was an amusing conversation, especially with Asus G73 and Bamboo models and a $1300 Sony 13". Everything else was standard Pavillion, Inspiration, Vaio and down from there.

They only about 2 weeks ago started selling the Momentus XT (and have the balls to charge $150 for it!!) but such a delay in something as fundamental as a processor evolution, that's harder to believe. Not that I would buy much from BB to begin with. Manufacturers are being quiet about what they're planning to release, if anything at all but many of us might not find what we're looking for in SB flavor for a few months.

 

A student at MIT who works at BB is not going to know any more about product plans than a FedEx delivery driver.

 

As was said earlier, it is not an absolute. However one would think that since you need to pass a psych test and go through product training courses (manufacturer specific in some cases) to work there, a BB rep should be able to identify trends within the company of how long after such a major release as this will appear in their store's inventory.

 

From what I've seen, it takes a couple of months at most for models to reach BB. Either way, since BB never gets laptops the day they launch anyway, anything they say isn't really relevant to the topic.

 

Just because they're a student at MIT doesn't mean they have a clue what they're talking about with laptops.

Although sooner the better for me too. Not that I *need* a laptop, but I'm ready for a new one. As long as HD 6870 is available at the same time as the SB laptops from Sager preferably.

 

I mainly agree. I didn't intent to have nearly a page talking about Best Buy and MIT. People were discussing what, if anything may be available by the end of Jan and I simply stated (my local) Best Buy's take on things, which like all the internet forum, press release hype and other types of fire we're playing with, should be taken with caution. No matter what, we all have no certainty at this point. I'm just excited for the initial reviews to come out and if there really will be full socket compatibility with Huron River.

 

I'm pretty sure that almost no laptop manufacturer will have an interesting lineup of Sandy Bridge notebooks by Jan 31st. Dell & Clevo are your best bets. SB laptops will begin to show up in-crowd by feb / march I think.

 

I'm quite aware of all of the above. That was my point: you can't tell a book by it's cover.

 

i think youre wrong. i think apple, lenovo, dell, and hp are likely going to have SB notebooks announced at or around CES in early january.

as others have mentioned, manufacturers have likely had SB chips to work with for months now.

 

Not Apple. They're probably going to wait until spring, like they did this year.

 

Aye, there's the rub. There will be some Sandy Bridge notebooks, but they're not guaranteed to be satisfying in other respects. Unlike a desktop, you can't just match the new CPU with other stuff you like. Still, it is possible that something good will be out by then (it has happened before).

 

except apple has traditionally had hardware announcements in january at macworld. macworld is no more, i know, but i still think they made released new hardware this past january.

 

Apple usually makes 2 updates every year, they just added Core i series processors this generation to the Macbook Pro line so we will have to wait til later on this year.

 

Ouch, tough break... No matter what I'm better off waiting (technology is only going to get better right?) But I'm probably going to end up buying something before the date January 31st in time for classes.

 

Playing the 'indefinite waiting game' is not an option of course.
However, you can definitely wait until SB arrives.

If you are buying a laptop close to the release of a new CPU architecture, then waiting until that new architecture arrives would be a better option because you get 'the latest tech' with a relative performance boost (depending on what you do with it).

 

I am waiting for an Asus gaming laptop with SB so hopefully they are also keen on upgrading their series

I also think that we will see lots of laptops with SB in late January or early february. They have SB chip in their possession today and are designing the next laptops as we speak. I don`t see why they should wait and let the other competitors (the first one pushing out SB laptop) taking away potential customers.

 

Yeah, Intel has been giving SB a lot of fanfare, and are quite excited about it. From what I've read and surmised, they have been ramping up production and given plenty of samples to manufacturers to design their laptops. So if manufacturers have their machines ready by the release date (CES 2011) there's no reason they can't be shipping them to retailers on that day.

Either way, if I needed one by January 31, I would buy a used cheap laptop or a netbook to hold me over until the SB laptop you wanted was out, and can always sell that old laptop and netbook to recover a decent amount that you paid for it. Maybe $100-$150 our of your pocket which IMHO would be worth the wait.

 

If needed I could use my iPad temporarily but its important to note I'm going to be wanting a powerful machine because I plan to develop Flash Games on it during my spare time at school. The iPad + Bluetooth keyboard combo would give me a sufficient light note taking device for classes that don't require crazy amounts of symbols and drawings (Math), but I suppose a paper notebook is always the best option for that sort of class .

 

Do you think apple might include SB by March?

 

They just fitted Core i series processors into the Macbook Pro and the iMac, I doubt they will move to SB just yet, maybe spring of next year if that.

 

Apple are still using core2 series in alot of their lines...

 

Yeah all Macbook, and lower end Macbook Pro still use Core 2, though they might start with Core i in the Spring and higher end MBP might get SB.

 

You're forgetting that the reason they suck with C2D was that the GMA HD was too weak, not just for the sake of being outdated. Most likely, all MacBooks (except maybe the Air, which probably won't upgrade until Ivy Bridge) will go straight to SB.

 

I know that historically apple is slow with updating their stuff, but I just thought maybe this time around, they'd throw the world a surprise and update fairly soon after other vendors. They are getting so big now, you'd think they might step up and get their sht together. hah

 

That was fast.


My system with an i-650 will be antiquated after less one year of use. Thankfully, I only use the machine to surf the internet.

 

Welcome to the 21st century!

 

Intel is "expecting Sandy Bridge to be one of the fastest ramps in company history". Samples (and testing in the wild) are both out with manufacturers and testers. The CPU's are a 20% speed increase which is sizeable.

You may not see hundreds of models in January, but you'll at least see a few to pick from. By Feb you'll see dozens.

 

And by March they will RULE THE WORLD! (except in macs)...

 

Well not even. The black Macbook and the first few white Macbook all had Intel GMA graphics, with the black having a crappy GMA950, yet they still run very smooth for normal use. The Macbook Pro uses the Intel HD graphics hybrid mode if you are just typing documents and sending emails, no need for discreet graphics then.

 

Yes, but has Apple ever downgraded graphics from one generation to the next? Besides, that was the reason Apple actually gave for the move. I HIGHLY doubt Arrendale will be used in the low-end MacBooks unless they toss a low-end discrete in there, which they just can't do. Apple didn't just decide to stick with C2D for no reason.

 

Well no, the base Macbook and MBP 13" has GT320M. Going to HD graphics would be backwards from the 9400M it had in the previous generation. They could have gone i3/i5 with it but it would steal thunder from the 15 and 17 inch, which makes me think the new generation will come out in late Jan (mac buyer's guide already put it past it's upgrade so I'm assuming SB may actually be viable) and they would introduce i3/i5 in 13" MBP and MB.

 

Are you suggesting that Apple would finally put old i3/i5/i7 in some of their macbooks when the new generation shows up ? That just makes no sense. Apple would be well advised to use SB in their whole lineup asap, the performance boost + satisfying IGP + better battery life is just too good to be skipped. But then that's Apple we're talking about.