Intel’s Sandy Bridge tips up in laptops

CHIPMAKER Intel's 32nm scale 'Sandy Bridge' chips are popping up early in a few laptops.

Chipzilla's Sandy Bridge processors aren't expected to show up in volume until 2011. But a couple of vendors have had their kits dissected online and found to have Intel's Core i7-2630QM CPU inside.

According to laptoping, the PC vendors Lenovo, Acer and Gateway have models out with Intel's second generation Core CPUs.

Acer has a new 17.3-inch Aspire with the Core i7-2630QM CPU and Lenovo has an Ideapad Y560P sporting the same processor. Gateway also has an unnamed model with a Core i7-2630QM CPU listed.

The Core i7-2630QM is thought to be one of the first processors to sport Intel's 32nm Sandy Bridge microarchitecture.

As The INQUIRER reported in September, Intel is aiming the first chips in the line at the laptop market but Chipzilla will also target them at low end desktops and even plans a dual core server version.

The desktop models won't show up until next year but it looks like Acer, Gateway and Lenovo have already got their hands on the laptop version. µ