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I've been asked by more than one of my friends lately to help them pick out a new PC. The only advice I could give to them was DON'T... at least not right now (unless of course, you really can't wait).
The reasoning for this is that Intel is gearing up to launch a new family of processors in early 2011 called Sandy Bridge. The new processors are being touted as the single largest increase in computing performance in Intel's history.
Tick-Tock
Intel will be following its Tick-Tock schedule with the release of Sandy Bridge. Tick-Tock is a model Intel adopted in 2007, which alternates a die shrink in the fabrication process (Tick) with new processor microarchitecture (Tock)
Sandy Bridge fits in as a Tock in Intel's roadmap, which means it will still be made with the same 32nm fabrication process as the previous Westmere chips, but with a completely new chip design. This will be followed by the Sandy Bridge architecture being shrunk down to 22nm, in late 2011, with chips that are being called "Ivy Bridge" as the Tick in Intel's cycle.
CPU + GPU = True Love 4 Ever?
T he biggest change with the upcoming Sandy Bridge architecture is the fact that Intel has included the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) on the same chip. Although it has been tried before, this is the first time the graphics included on the main processor should be sufficient for average users, who will no longer need a dedicated video card.
Some people have said the inclusion of a GPU on the same silicon as the CPU is a death knell for graphics card makers, such as Nvidia. Although I'm sure this will put a dent in Nvidia's sales, anyone who plays games or does graphics-intensive work will surely still require a dedicated graphics card, which can deliver much better performance than the built-in GPU.
AMD Bulldozer
Intel's main competitor, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), manufactures chips that are known to boast decent performance at a price significantly lower than Intel's chips. However, AMD has had trouble matching the speed of Intel's Core2 family of chips launched last year, with Intel benchmarks consistently beating AMDs.
Intel is not alone in their quest to combine the CPU & GPU as AMD has seen that future years ago when they purchased ATI in 2006. Since merging with the 2nd largest video processor company, AMD has catapulted ahead of Intel in the graphics department, which Intel hopes to change with the release of Sandy Bridge. AMD is not just treading water as they gear up to introduce their own new line of chips in 2011 named Bulldozer. These processors boast a full 8-cores, which might seem to be overkill as most applications still don't even take advantage of 4-core machines.
Conclusion
There are still a few uncertainties regarding the launch of Sandy Bridge -- the foremost being cost, which Intel has made no inclinations. Another big question mark is whether there is a real performance boost from having the GPU on the same chip as the CPU, and if mainstream users will be happy with its results.
Personally, my home desktop is five years old and is on its last legs as I have had to rebuild it four times in the past six months. It is a little more stable now that I downgraded from a 64bit operating system to a 32bit OS, but I am hopeful that it will last me until I can take advantage of a system sporting one of these new chips.
Anyone else in the market for a new desktop or laptop?
More Info:
Intel's Sandy Bridge Graphics: How Good Is It?
Intel's Sandy Bridge Info, SSD Roadmap Leaked
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Re: Sandy Bridge Computers - Worth Waiting For
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