Intel adds to ULV Processor line - 2011 Air CPU's?

[Help Please]

SOURCE:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/intel-adds-to-ulv-processor-line-with-1-8ghz-core-i7-and-i5-opti/

Pretty interesting and impressive. "A trio of new ultra-low voltage CPUs, each rated with a TDP of just 17W, has been added to the company's catalog, starting with the top-tier Core i7-2677M, whose pair of cores run at 1.8GHz by default but can be sped up to 2.9GHz when duty calls. Then there's the i7-2637M, which looks to only differ in clock speeds (1.7GHz default, 2.8GHz under Turbo Boost), and the i5-2557M that makes do with a 3MB L3 cache (1MB less than its i7 brethren) and a 1.7GHz / 2.7GHz speed range. All three 64-bit, 32nm processors also integrate a GPU (350MHz base clock, maxes out at 1.2GHz) within their walls, which is what makes their ascetic power consumption all the more impressive."

What do you think, will Apple use these newly announced chips or some other Sandy Bridge CPU? Personally, I'd love to see the 2.9GHz i7, with the 1.2GHz integrated GPU, on the new 13" Air's.

My only concern is how hot these things will run and I know a lot of people have been worried about that, but pairing that i7 with the 1.2GHz integrated graphics, all while running on 17w, might get a little hot.

*Sorry if this is old news.*

 

[Yinmay]

There's already been a news thread about it here. But I'll just add that if the TDP is indeed 17W only for both the CPU and the GPU, then these chips could actually, in theory at least, find their way in the MBA 11.

 

[PorterRocks]

My guess is that Apple was able to acquire these chips before intel announced them. Most definitely for the refreshed MacBook Air that's due at anytime.

I'm pretty stoked to see an i5/i7 in the new MBA's. I also hope they come in black as a rumor has suggested.

 

[Help Please]

There's already been a news thread about it here. But I'll just add that if the TDP is indeed 17W only for both the CPU and the GPU, then these chips could actually, in theory at least, find their way in the MBA 11.

Well, it also notes in that article that the i5 chip is purportedly coming to the 11" Asus UX21. So, yes, it is quite possible it could make its way into the 11" Air.

 

[Help Please]

My guess is that Apple was able to acquire these chips before intel announced them. Most definitely for the refreshed MacBook Air that's due at anytime.

I'm pretty stoked to see an i5/i7 in the new MBA's. I also hope they come in black as a rumor has suggested.

I'm guessing they did too, and now all signs are pointing at these three chips, as the ones that will be used in the 2011 refresh.

 

[OSMac]

Would heat and fan noise from the combined CPU/GPU at 17W in one small place
be more than the current 10W CPU + separated GPU in the 11.6" ?


Nicest thing about the current 11.6" is it's pretty much silent for basic tasks...

 

[Help Please]

Would heat and fan noise from the combined CPU/GPU at 17W in one small place
be more than the current 10W CPU + separated GPU in the 11.6" ?


Nicest thing about the current 11.6" is it's pretty much silent for basic tasks...

Great question. One that I can't answer, but it will be interesting to find out.

 

[Roman2K~]

Would heat and fan noise from the combined CPU/GPU at 17W in one small place
be more than the current 10W CPU + separated GPU in the 11.6" ?


Nicest thing about the current 11.6" is it's pretty much silent for basic tasks...

The move from C2D + separated 320M to a Sandy Bridge CPU/GPU is what happened to the 13" MBP (late 2010 => early 2011).

I have both models (well, my sister and my mother have one each), and I can tell you that the Sandy Bridge one definitely feels hotter overall (above the keyboard, palmrest, bottom). And the upper left corner can get hot to the point it's hard to leave fingers for too long. It made me appreciate the 2010 much more.

(The 2010 has its stock thermal paste, the 2011 has its thermal paste replaced with MX-4 -- it was even hotter with the stock filth.)

The same might happen to the upcoming Airs, except if the U/LV processors run super cool.

 

[Darklandman]

Would heat and fan noise from the combined CPU/GPU at 17W in one small place
be more than the current 10W CPU + separated GPU in the 11.6" ?


Nicest thing about the current 11.6" is it's pretty much silent for basic tasks...

I think the 320m uses about 8w. So theoretically it would actually be using less power. In fact the 13 inch model could probably use the sane cpu in the base model MBP, and it probably will saving apple money. As normal chips are cheaper than low voltage.

 

[Hellhammer]

Speculating about the heat and noise is moot until the actual products are out.

I think the 320m uses about 8w. So theoretically it would actually be using less power. In fact the 13 inch model could probably use the sane cpu in the base model MBP, and it probably will saving apple money. As normal chips are cheaper than low voltage.

There is no official word on 320M's TDP. 9400M used 12W so I have used that. SV chips are likely too hot for the 13" MBA, considering that they would increase the TDP by about 33%.

 

[Abstract]

And without even talking about TDP, the heat "density" may be greater with Sandy Bridge's CPU and IGP (i.e. you're using 17 W, and producing heat over a smaller area), so even if the TDP were not to change with these chips, that doesn't necessarily mean that the system wouldn't require more cooling. It may actually result in the fan turning on more often to cool a small area where the heat is really intense.

It's really hard to say at this point. I don't know the answer.

 

[Vazkor]

I guess we'll discover it pretty soon. A cooler, silent notebook is the main reason I'm waiting for the upgrade. Couldn't care less for GPU or CPU performance.