Intel Sandy Bridge : What is it Exactly?

"It runs on Sandy Bridge."

We often hear this line from sales personnel when inquiring about desktops or notebooks at computer shops. But what is Intel Sandy Bridge exactly? And how is it different from Intel chips it succeeded?



Well, to put it simply, Intel Sandy Bridge technology - introduced in the 2nd Generation Intel Core family - delivers a leap in performance and energy efficiency beyond previous generation processor technologies.

By unifying or combining multiple processor cores, memory controller, last-level cache (LLC), and graphics and media processing all in one chip, Intel Sandy Bridge delivers performance and efficiency improvements, which include superior performance for gaming, Full HD 1080p video content, and 3D graphics.



Also, Intel Sandy Bridge's microarchitecture and Intelligent power management with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 enable thinner form factors in laptops, improved battery life, and active energy efficiency for mobile computing applications.

Again, this is just the simplified explanation; None of the all-too-geeky processor terms.
To quote one tech company I admire: It's not technology. It's what you do with it.