The Great Wait: Sandy Bridge

I imagine this thread is far too premature, but it's becoming a purchasing decision factor in my search for a new laptop.

My understanding of the current i7 Q series is that they do not have embedded GPU technology and thus cannot perform a switch-off of the discrete card for maximum power savings.

This becomes a major issue in that I'm coveting an Alienware 17" specifically due to it's 'stealth mode'. I want sheer unadulterated planet crushing power for 'occasional' gaming, and then extreme power sipping efficiency so I can use the system for reading / web-browsing with it in my lap without severe burns... My understanding is that the current R2 doesn't fit this second requirement very well due to current intel architecture choices.

So, first off: who's waiting for Sandy Bridge before buying? And secondly, how likely is this architecture change going to hit these high end machines within a 'reasonable' timeframe (monthor so) after chips are officially released, benchmarked, and priced for retail distribution? (I know nobody knows when it'll hit retail, which is why I'm just looking for historic trends about how quick new cpu's hit the big chains after intel 'officially' launches its chips.

 

I think there will be no waiting between releases of desktop and mobile platforms this time.
There is a high probability they want to release both at the same time or with very little waiting time involved.

I would personally hold off until Sandy Bridge arrives.
After all, it features a new architecture that clock per clock will be better to the current i series, and the clocks will be seeing an increase.

I would say it's definitely worth the wait.

For me personally, I'm probably holding off until 8 core mobile cpu's become available at a decent price tag (2012 most likely) before getting a new laptop.

Ultimately, if you are in the market for a new laptop, then holding off until the new architecture comes out (instead of a die shrink of existing tech) is advisable.

 

This is also a concern to me, though admittedly not a major one now that Nvidia's 400s GPUs have finally been announced.

Current i5s can already utilize Optimus and switch to integrated graphics. Sandy Bridge should be announced formally at CES 2011 in January, and I'd expect the first notebooks to appear in Feb/March. I have no idea of Alienware's release schedule.

Basically, I think if you don't need i7 and are satisfied with i5 (which can handle most games and tasks), I don't think Sandy Bridge is a big deal to wait for. i5s are already fairly efficient. If you absolutely will not compromise, then yeah, you should wait. The new i7s should cut down on power consumption and heat considerably. I don't think clock speed will be a huge improvement though.

 

I have a thread that is continuously updated with info on Sandy Bridge if you want to read more on it, to help pass the time: Link

Sandy Bridge will launch at CES like Arrandale Core i's did, and it will be available much sooner since Intel has been increasing supply of the processors due to high demand and the to make sure the shortages we had this year with Arrandale don't happen again.

 

@Jayayess1190, You're pretty knowledgeable about Sandy Bridge, what's your opinion on the i5s? I wouldn't dream of getting an i7 laptop now, but since i5 already supports IGP, would I really regret not waiting? Granted, Sandy Bridge graphics will cream the current integrated graphics, but in a desktop replacement with 460M that rarely unplugs the power cord, is there anything else important Sandy Bridge will introduce that I'm unaware of?

 

I'm mostly wondering if Sandy Bridge will be socket compatible in the mobile space. That would be awesome, though I'm doubting it'll happen because Intel changes sockets 3 times a year it seems like.

 

One generation to the next isn't usually that big of a deal. Typical notebook usage doesn't really push the CPU enough to where you'd notice a difference between a Sandy Bridge and a Core Duo.

 

It won't be, but Sandy Bridge should be upgradeable to Ivy Bridge in 2011.

Sandy Bridge launches in less than 5 months. See my thread and decide if the features are worth waiting for to you.

 

Depends on your usage, if you use your laptop for games and basic stuff (ie. school work, web surfing, listening to music) then no, you won't get any benefit with the new CPUs.

 

as posted in the forget arrandale... thread its really the i7 quad's that i think will benefit from sandybridge. in fact, this is what the i7 oughtta have been from the very start in terms of performance and powersaving.
like, pita and many other early adopters with the nehalem platform, we are hoping that this will be socket compatible with our pm55'hm55's, but it most likey wont be.

 

Thats one of the reasons why im scared of buying a i7 quad notebook now. xD
I try to change my notebook before it gets to old and i really want to replace my aging 65nm C2D and GPU, but i dont want to regret paying up loads of cash just to see that they release 32nm i7 quads with switchable AMD (Miss you ATI <3 ) radeon graphics.

 

Sandy Bridge will definitely NOT be compatible with the current platform.

 

But it will be with Ivy Bridge.

 

lol.. if u get an i7-720q, now , it will be good enough performance wise 2-3 years.. then u can get a cheap 920xm and using throttlestop get 8 threads at 2.5GHz++.. lol.. that's if u get an M17x or a gaming notebook... they would thrash some of the sandy bridge laptops and to be frank , i7-920xm and 940xm are quite cheap out there.. getting them for $500+ for OEM..

 

No one's worried about current i7 performance, but i7s right now are pretty inefficient and hot. I think there are only a handful of chassis that can really deal with the heat issue.

If you care anything about heat and battery life in an i7 laptop, wait for Sandy Bridge.

 

if you are not in a hurry i recommend you wait for two reasons. 1) you can opt to get the new sandybridge laptops or 2) you will most likely be able to get the present i7 quads at a significantly discounted price.
as sean has said the present i7 quads give you a lot of performance already. your only concern would be heat ( just get a laptop with good thermal design) and battery (get an extended battery, personally never an issue for me).
im thinking that when the sandybridge quads come out in q1 2011 or so, the lowest end 2720 notebook might be more expensive than a 920xm equipped laptop. that would make the 920xm a good value buy.
also note that with certain chipsets (asus, AW) will allow you to overclock a 720/740/820/840m which are normally locked, thru setfsb:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...des/456071-intel-i7-720qm-overclocking-3.html
this should give you an added performance boost given you have a compatible clock generator. but be sure to do a lot of research and follow those links if you attempt this ( not for newbies).

 

I second that with my laptop which is the posterchild of the "hot & short" mobile i7 quad. Along with its hungry GPU. I think I'll be looking at one of these in about this time next year, if I still need a performance laptop at that stage.

I reckon this laptop just runs too hot to live far beyond its warranty period. But yeah, no complaints about performance... until I compare it with a desktop that costs half as much...

 

then you shouldve bought a desktop instead

thermal design is really an importan part of a laptop especially with the i7 quads. my sager for example never goes above 80 even with all my cores close to 100% doing complex after effects renders or encoding on premiere pro , with hard disk activity and the gpu at 20-40%. and i live in a tropical country at that.

 

High temps and notebook does not seem like the ideal combination. xD

So my options are:
1. Wait and buy Clevo/Sager notebook with 45nm i7 quad at low prices.
2. Wait and buy 32nm quad i7 with IGP and switchable graphics.

Im thinking that the second choice is the best for me.
My AMD "budget" desktop rig will suffice for my gaming needs until then.
(ATI Radeon HD 5770 ftw!)

 

How much improvement will us see compare it with current i7 in mobile platform? I am sure the power consumption will go down, thus leading to cooler running CPUs, current i3/i5/i7 run way too hot compared to the last generation penryn dual cores. I will consider buying a new laptop by the time both sandy bridge and next generation GPU(ATI 6xxx or Nvidia 5xx) come out.

 

Just buy it when you need it. Technology always improves, though for most users, the benefit will typically be very little - especially in the CPU field as most applications are not limited by the CPU.

 

Actually, for the same price, performance will go up substantially.

This review indicates this clearly and keep in mind that Turbo Boost was disabled in this particular cpu part that was previewed.

See:
The Sandy Bridge Preview - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

 

i think sgogeta was referring to games

 

I have no urgent need for a new laptop right now, but I plan to get a new one some time next year. That's why I curious about the performance increase sandy bridge offers over the current i3/5/7. I also do lots of ps2/dolphin emulation, which requires lots of CPU power.

@Tiller The tested unit is a desktop CPU, but it looks quite nice from the benchmark. Hopefully its mobile counterparts will have the same performance boost.

 

It depends on the user if it's worth the wait or no. Lately I saw many people planning on upgrading their gaming notebook for the Final Fantasy XIV release... I would rather wait 3 months to get a much better 2nd gen i7, given this is a particular game that is highly likely to put strain on weaker CPUs, specially mobile parts. Sounds like an acceptable sacrifice and heck, MMOs are rarely interesting at the very beginning of their lifespan.

 

If you don't utilize the CPU power, the performance will be identical.

 

The only way to not utilize the CPU power is by not turning the computer on. Or, by purposely downclocking it. Why would you need/buy a computer and do either?

 

The CPU automatically downclocks and most users are fine at that speed for 95% of their tasks. I'd say that's not utilizing the CPU power.

 

Sure, cpu's downclock, but when they're woken up - they're at full power.

And, they're 'woken up' sometimes with simply right clicking on the desktop, let alone when an app needs them.

 

Really? Tropical as in average ambient temp of 30C and 80% humidity? Your notebook temp is impressive for a quad IMO.

 

Why? 67890

 

Because they require a different processor socket. You'd have to buy a new motherboard (therefore a new system as far as notebooks are concerned) to upgrade the processor.

 

Ah.
Calpella ; Core i7/i5/i3 = Socket G1

Huron River ; Sandy Bridge = Socket '1155'

Thanks Roger.

 

I'm waiting, I'd prefer not to, but I am. Just want my laptop to limp along long enough to get me to sandy bridge. At this point even if my laptop dies altogether (please no!) I'd just have to use my netbook until sandy bridge gets here. Plus I want an HD 6870!

If an integrated GPU is included in the i7 mobile quads, I'm all for it. There's no reason just because you want power for games that you don't want a decent battery life for everything else.

 

It should be exciting to see how the power consumption of SLI/CrossFire laptops gets reduced with Sandy Bridge... With i7, there is no integrated GPU with the quad cores but with Sandy Bridge, there is.

Imagine both 480m's just shutting off when just surfing the web or typing a letter................very cool

 

... and I wonder if there will be a way to run seti@home/folding@home GPU clients on the integrated GPU?. It would be incredibly efficient computation..