Series 7 w/ Ivy Bridge - when?

After years of waiting, I've finally found the laptop of my dreams - the series 7 15.6". Perfect resolution for its screen size, stylish design, good GPU, and great build quality to boot, a part of me want to go out and buy it straight at launch. However, as I recently got a Core i5 2410M Samsung RF411, it wouldn't be entirely wise to squander my hard-earned money "just like that".

So I've decided to wait for Ivy Bridge. Say, how long does Sammy adopt new processor lines? Since Ivy Bridge comes out around June for laptops next year, how long would I have to wait exactly until the Series 7 is refreshed? I know it's too early to ask, but any info would be nice.

Tks folks!

 

So apparently my question's too retarded for anyone to respond to. *cough*

 

Ivybridge release has been pushed back by Intel to April for the mobile units. I would expect a May/June refresh. Does that make you feel less lonely?

 

Usually it takes a couple months for the pc manufacturers to adopt the new processors unless they have some special contract from Intel (*cough* Apple).

So if Ivy Bridge is released in April then I would expect to see it in computers around June. Like what Bronsky said.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, appreciate it. So June you say? That's a longer wait than I anticipated. By the time the Series 7 refresh/redesign comes out voila here comes the 2012 iMac. All these choices are driving me nuts. Oh well, guess I'd just have to wait and see which company makes the better product.

 

....how does an all-in-one complicate your choice of laptop?

 

I would not wait for Ivy Bridge. Intel works on a tick-tock method of product advancement, where there is a major leap forward (tick) followed by a small step forward (tock). Sandy Bridge was the leap. Ivy Bridge should be a very incremental improvement over Sandy Bridge.

*cough* R-word | Spread the Word to End the Word

 

Easy. I've always like the relatively small form factor of the iMacs and don't care about using an iPad for my portability needs. iMacs are pretty much second-to-none when it comes to value+performance in an AIO package. One thing though I can not stand is OSX. Hated the Snow Leopard UI and possibly wouldn't like Lion either though I heard it's much improved.

@Mitlov
The R-word LOL. Please tell me it's meant as a sick joke.

You're right Ivy Bridge only being an incremental improvement, though last I heard it's TDPs are much lower thanks to the 22nm die shrink... meaning even thinner designs and higher performance for ultrabooks. It's not like I can sell my RF411 for a reasonable price anyway, might as well keep it for another year.

 

It's not a joke. I'm the father of a special needs child. Using that word as an insult (particularly in an open-to-the-whole-world setting like an internet forum) can cause a lot of hurt whether you meant to or not, and a lot of people who have special needs or developmental disabilities, or who work with those who have special needs or developmental disabilities, are trying to get people to quit using the word throughout society as an insult. I just wanted to bring the concern to your attention. What you do with that is up to you.

But you're not looking at an ultrabook at all, at least so far as you've mentioned, you're debating between a midsize laptop (the Series 7) and a desktop (the iMac). I'm so confused as to what you actually want to buy.

 

I don't mean this as a slap on the face but should we ban words like "AIDS" and "cancer" as well? Or better yet... while we're at it remove the words "stupid" + "obese" from the dictionary because it might hurt someone's feelings? I'm sorry if I offended you in any way but no way does attempting to swipe a word from the mind of people affect their discriminations towards another. A word is afterall, just an expression. I'm all in to support the cause if it's solely about doing one's best to show care+support for the disabled but no... a single word? Come on now this is just friggin ridiculous.

Back to OP...

TBH all I'm looking for is an AIO solution that'll fit on the desk (no way a traditional desktop would fit in my new room). Portability really isn't a major factor as I can get an iPad for my general web surfing needs.

 

I think I'll give Ivy Bridge a miss. Got a Sandy Bridge notebook about a month ago, and it's good enough.

Perhaps after the Haswell architecture comes out, I'll be thinking about a new notebook.

If SSDs ever get on par with HDDs of similar capacity, it will change things more than any new chipset. Even if I had to spend twice the money for the same capacity, SSDs would be tempting. As it is, you pay 10 times the $ for around half the capacity. Not a very attractive value proposition.

 

Just buy the series 7 when it comes out! If you play the waiting game you'll never buy a computer.

 

Quoted for truth.

 

Fixed.....

 

This is why I laugh every time Intel makes an announcement and people say "Well, I'll wait another X years for that to come out." A year passes, and they find that the new architecture is expensive. They decide to wait until it comes down, but by the time it comes down to a reasonable level, some new chip architecture is already being announced!


Too funny. If only they realized gaming performance is now more so GPU-dependent!

 

Biggest advancement in ivy bridge is integration of GPU and CPU into APUs..if AMD APU line is any indicator..don't expect anything amazing for CPU performance...

Ivy Bridge is awesome for people who have Series 9 laptops due to allowing laptops to become thinner due to no need for a separate GPU..for a powerhouse like a Series 7 the advancement is minimum..even obsolete...

For example, did you know that a Core i3 performs just as good for gaming as the best Core i7 on laptops? yes crazy I know..but thats the thing..GPUs are so powerful and efficient at what they do the CPUs are almost irrevelant..in most games you will have 1-2% increase in performance using latest core i7 over a core i3...

 

I would not use an I3 for a serious gaming notebook. There is much more to performance than a comparison of CPU clocks. The I3's thermal limits make it particularly inappropriate for most challenging games as they typically reach their maximim temps at 85C and throttle prematurely( Intel Core i3 2310M Notebook Processor - Notebookcheck.net Tech) while the I5 CPU's have max temps of 100C or better (arrandales had max temps of 90C and 105C respectively) and handle the heat generated by the GPU far better.

I also recall that the argument in favor of the I3 vs the I7 was developed on desktop units, where the GPUs are very powerful and used desktop I3s. I'm not sure the comparison translates equally to notebooks. Plus, there are games that are very CPU intensive. I had an I3-370M in my Acer before I put the I5-540M in it. There was a significant increase in frames playing MOH and BC2 (I know I need to get some new games ).

 

BC2 has subsequently been optimized in such a way that any Sandy Bridge laptop CPU gives the same performance. It's all about GPU.



Many other modern games are the same; the CPU simply doesn't help performance at all so long as you're comparing Sandy Bridge to Sandy Bridge. Even in Black Ops, where CPU matters as well, notebookcheck.net only recorded an 11% improvement in framerates when switching from an i3-2310M to an i7-2720QM on an otherwise-identical machine.



Review Intel Sandy Bridge Processors Gaming Performance - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

Thanks for the link. Some interesting information but a bit confusing. If there is no difference between the I3 and I7Qm processors for the GT 540M, why do they recommend the I5-2410M? The other thing that is fairly clear is that the result may be quite different with a GPU above the GT 540M. But, still food for thought and it seems to confirm the same tests done by Tom's Hardware on desktop I3s, I5s and I7s.

Anyway, if they had run their I3's a bit longer they would have had an unplesant surprise as it would have probably throttled. The thermal properties make the I3 basically unfit for gaming IMO unless it is in a BGA mount. I don't see anything about that in the study.

 

I think you just answered your own question? That's at least one reason.

The other reason is that I simply can't think of any machine that actually offers an i3-and-540M combination. Generally, people with 540Ms are weighing between an i5 and an i7, not an i3 and an i5. So I read their conclusion as saying "don't bother with a CPU upgrade if you've a 540M," not "get an i5, no higher and no lower."

As they say at the end, they recommend a quad-core IF you've got a high-end GPU. But a lot of buyers are buying machines with 540Ms or equivalents, and are wondering if they should spring for the quad-core. At least for gaming purposes, the answer is no.

 

Sandy Bridge's 'E' version (coming soon), is better than Ivy Bridge...(news).

 

What? I thought Sandy Bridge E series are the Extreme editions for desktops. Where did you see them coming to laptops too? Also, what do you mean it's better than Ivy Bridge? In what aspect are you talking about?

 

dont mix the server/enthusiast desktop line, to a new release.

 

There are some more news about Ivy Bridge at anandtech. Graphics performance seems like it'll increase 30%, more improvements on QuickSync, and adjustable TDP which means you can get more processing power if the environment allows. In my opinion, using a tablet for inking doesn't require better graphics performance, and better CPU. It's already good enough for those purpose. The lower CPU wattage from die shrink will be attractive, but other than that, I don't think it'll stop me from buying a Sandy Bridge tablet.

 

actually the hint is that the gpu performance should raise 60%, according to the blasphemy that are benchmarks