Intel’s Sandy Bridge family will be expanded soon and as rumors have been telling us they are Core i5 processors without an integrated graphics circuit. Intel has at least three new models coming if we are to believe motherboard maker Gigabyte that has leaked the details.
Gigabyte has extended its compatibility list for its LGA1155 motherboards with three Core i5 models that according to VR-Zone will launch on February 6th. The processors sports four cores, no HyperThreading and 6MB L3 cache. All models have Turbo Boost and 95W TDP.
Intel Core i5-2550K is a model we have discussed in the past as a rumor and according to Gigabyte this is one of the new sans-GPU models Intel is planning. The processor sports a tweaked CPU frequency at 3.4 GHz – compared to the sibling i5-2500K – and an interesting choice for overclockers.
The other two models are called Intel Core i5-2450P and Core i5-2380P, which clock in at 3.2 GHz and 3.1 GHz respectively.
Those who are looking for a powerful processor to use with a discrete graphcis card may want to wait for Intel’s new Core i5 models. The obvious difference being that you lose the possibility to use Intel’s transcoding technology Quick Sync. The new processors are probably physically identical to the GPU-equipped sublings, but Intel has simply turned off the graphics circuit during the manufacturing. This could result in more attractive prices, best case scenario.
