Intel pushes out budget 'Ivy Bridge' processors

Processors based on Intel's "Ivy Bridge" architecture have been available for the best part of a year, but so far mid- to high-end silicon has made use of it. This has now changed with the release of new Celeron, Pentium, and Core dual-core CPUs.

Intel has released seven new parts, ranging in price from $42 to $117. All are compatible with Socket 1155 motherboards.

The Celeron family sees three new chips added to the line-up: the G1610, G1610T, and G1620.

The G1620 is a 2.7GHz part with a TDP of 55W and a price tag of only $52. The G1610 and G1610T are clocked at 2.6GHz and 2.3GHz, respectively, with the only difference being the TDP rating. The G1610 has a TDP of 55W, while the G1610T has a TDP of only 35W, which reduces its cooling and power needs, making it an ideal choice for appliances such as media centers and NAS boxes. Both the G1610 and G1610T are priced at an extremely attractive $42.

All the new Celerons feature 2MB of L3 cache and HD graphics.

There are also four new Pentium processors available: the G2010, G2020, G2120T, and G2130.

The G2010 and G2020 parts are clocked at 2.8GHz and 2.9GHz, respectively, and both have a $64 price tag and a TDP of 55W. The G2020T is a 35W TDP part clocked at 2.5GHz, which is also priced at $64. Again, the lower TDP makes it more suited to media center or small form-factor desktops because of the reduced cooling requirements. The G2130, which is the fastest of the new Pentium silicon, is a 3.2GHz part with a TDP of 55W, and is priced at $86.

All the new Pentiums have 3MB of L3 cache, HD graphics, but, like the Celerons, do not feature hyper-threading.

The single new Core processor is the 3.2GHz Core i3-3210. Like all the other CPUs, it is a dual-core part, but because it comes equipped with hyper-threading, it offers four processing threads. It has HD 2500 graphics, 3MB of L3 cache, a TDP of 55W TDP, and a price tag of $117.