Leaks back Intel Ivy Bridge on April 29, few ultrabook chips
updated 09:45 am EDT, Wed March 28, 2012
Ivy Bridge may get just 2 ultrabook CPUs at first
Frequent rumors of Intel's Ivy Bridge having a late April, staggered launch were supported by leaks later on Tuesday. A dozen processors would be on sale April 29, CPU-World heard, focusing mostly on desktop chips ranging from a quad 3.1GHz Core i5 to a 3.5GHz Core i7. Just three notebook chips would join the group, all of them quad Core i7 parts with regular 2.6GHz and 2.7GHz versions along with a 2.9GHz Extreme Edition.
The brunt of the lineup would come later, on June 3. Desktop parts would include a more conservative range from a 2.8GHz dual Core i5 to a 3.4GHz Core i5, but the highlight would be mobile chips. Regular notebooks would be cared for through dual 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz Core i5s as well as dual 2.9GHz Core i7 parts. Just two ultrabook-friendly parts would be available, however: a 1.8GHz Core i5 and a 2GHz Core i7 would be the only options at the time, limiting choices for systems like Apple's MacBook Air.
A final round in the summer would bring out the entry Core i3 parts, including dual-core 2.8GHz through to 3.4GHz desktop parts as well as one ultrabook-ready 1.8GHz chip. Core i3 parts lack Turbo Boost and won't run as quickly as Core i5 or i7 when less than the full number of cores are active.
Bulk pricing has only been leaked for the April 29 group, which would have a narrow spread of $184 to $332 for desktop parts and $378 to $1,096 for the quad-core mobile hardware.
June 3 chips
Summer chips
