Ivy Bridges

Hi all! Today in this blog I am gonna discuss a little bit about Ivy Bridges. I was actually asked to present this topic as a part of my Digital Electronics and Computer Architecture evaluation, but then if I am researching on this so much why not write a little bit about it as well.

You can access my presentation on Ivy Bridge here: https://www.slideshare.net/RakshaRawat2/ivy-bridge-248738301

What is Ivy Bridge?

Intel Ivy Bridge

So, Ivy Bridge is basically the codename for the “third-generation” of Intel Core processors (Core i3, i5, and i7). It was launched by Intel in September 2012. It came after the second generation of Intel core processors i.e. Sandy Bridge and before the 4th generation Intel core processor i.e. Haswell. It used a 22-nanometer processor technology as an enhancement to the previous generation (Sandy Bridge) 32-nanometer technology. It was also Intel’s first microarchitecture to use tri-gate transistors for its products.

In order to understand more about Ivy Bridges, we need to have an idea of what are processors and what they do:

What is a Processor?

In simple terms, processor or microprocessor, or Central Processing Unit (CPU) is basically integrated electronic circuits that perform the calculations that run a computer. They contain all the functions of a central processing unit of a computer. They are like the brain of the PC that is responsible for all direct and indirect work. For e.g., it performs arithmetical, logical, input/output (I/O), or whatever other basic instructions we pass to it from our operating system (OS).

The four primary functions of a processor include fetch, decode, execute and write back.

Going back to Intel’s generation of processors, Intel follows a “tick-tock” model to upgrade its processors. With each generation, it improves the performance of the model by enhancing some of its features. Below is the detailed MicroArchitecture Roadmap followed by Intel:

Intel MicroArchitecture Roadmap

Intel is an American Multinational Corporation and the world’s second-largest semiconductor chip maker. It supplies processors for computer system manufacturers. For e.g., our laptops like Apple, Lenovo, HP, and Dell, etc.

Intel actually follows a “tick-tock” model for its processor upgrade cycle. With every “tick” the company moves towards a smaller manufacturing process and then with an alternating “tock” cycle Intel introduces a new processor microarchitecture.

Intel’s Microarchitecture Roadmap: Tick-Tock Model

For example, in the above diagram, with a tick, the process technology is also shrinking, first, it was 45 then 32 in 2010, and then with the development of Ivy Bridge, it shrank to 22 nm. Similarly, with every tock, a new processor is introduced, Nehalem architecture in 2009, and then sandy bridge in 2011.

Now, since this blog is about Ivy Bridges, Comparing Ivy Bridge with its predecessor, Sandy Bridge, and successor, Haswell:

Comparison

A general overview of the features can be summarized with the help of the following table:

Comparison of Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, and Haswell

1. Year: Sandy Bridge was introduced in 2011, followed by Ivy Bridge in 2012, and Haswell in 2013.
2. Generation: Sandy Bridge is the commonly used name for the 2nd generation of Intel core processors while Ivy Bridge is the code name for the 3rd generation of Intel core processors and Haswell is the code name for the 4th generation of Intel Core Processors.
3. Process Technology: Sandy Bridge used 32nm process technology, while the process technology shrunk in the case of Ivy Bridge to 22 nm. Haswell also uses 22 nm processor technology.
4. RAM: Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge use the same RAM, DDR3–1333 to DDR3–1600 while RAM improved with Haswell to DDR4.
5. Socket: Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge use the same sockets, 1155 LGA while Haswell used some new sockets such as LGA 1150, BGA 1364, and LGA 2011–3.
6. GFLOPS: The number of GFLOPS increases with the generation, 130 in Sandy Bridge, 256 in Ivy Bridge, and 640 in Haswell.

New features as compared to the previous generations of processors can be summarized with the help of the following table:

Features of Processor as compared to previous generations

1. New Features: With the introduction of Ivy Bridge, process technology shrank from 32nm (Sandy Bridge) to 22nm. Also, it used tri-gate transistors which led to the consumption of less power, improved efficiency, and performance enhancement of the processor. The graphics core was also redesigned which led to around a 60% increase in GPU performance. Haswell introduced a new cache design from Ivy Bridges.
2. Performance Enhancement: Model processor performance is constantly improving with every generation. Firstly, it improved by 11.3 % when Sandy Bridge was introduced, then with Ivy Bridge performance can be further enhanced from 25% to 68 %, and then with Haswell, it can be enhanced from 3% to 8%.
3. Advantages and Disadvantages: The advantage of Ivy Bridge over Sandy Bridge is that it consumes up to 50% less energy but the disadvantage is that it may emit more heat than Sandy Bridge. Similarly, the advantage of Haswell over Ivy Bridge is that it consumes less power, thus it can also be used in ultra-portable devices.

Further advantages and disadvantges of Ivy Bridges in detail:

Benefits

Following are the benefits of Ivy Bridges:

1. Smaller Size: Ivy Bridges uses advanced 22 nm process technology which is included in a smaller die, thus making them smaller in size as compared to the previous generations of processors.
2. Reliable: Ivy bridges are more reliable than previous generations as they are cheaper, use far less energy, good for mainstream users, and can be used for general purposes.
3. Good Storage Capacity: Ivy bridges come with a good storage capacity, and can be also used for high-level languages.
4. Inexpensive: Ivy bridges are cheaper than other variants without compromising on performance.
5. Provides System Support: Ivy bridges provide a lot of varied support to the system as well as to the users and programmers. For e.g., it supports up to eight USB 3.0 ports, and up to nine 3 Gbps SATA ports.
6. Better Power Efficiency: Ivy Bridges also have better power efficiency and enhanced battery life.

Drawbacks

Following are the drawbacks of using Ivy Bridges:

1. Emits more heat: Ivy Bridges may emit more heat than its previous generation, Sandy Bridge.
2. Cooling Required: Ivy Bridges emits more heat than Sandy Bridge so it requires cooling and good air conditioning. Otherwise, its functionalities would be affected.
3. Sensitivity: Ivy Bridges are also a little bit sensitive due to slower clock speeds. But again, it will kind of depend on the type of program that we are using. For e.g. Premiere Pro is sensitive to clock speeds, so if it is not supported properly then performance and outcome will get affected.

Conclusion

Ivy Bridges refers to the third generation of Intel core processors. It introduced some new features most importantly being 22 nm process technology and the use of tri-gate transistors. In this blog, I discussed briefly what are Ivy Bridges, how they are different from other generations, their advantages, and disadvantages, etc. In conclusion, I can say that Ivy Bridges are better than previous generations of processors in terms of features and performance. They are also reliable and good for general purposes. But at the same time, they were introduced in 2012 and since then many new processor generations have been introduced like Haswell. Now Intel has around 10 generations of processors and with each generation, the performance also enhances and efficiency also improves. Thus, users can invest in them instead of Ivy Bridges. Also, Ivy Bridges were discontinued in 2015.

For more detailed information, you can access the references down below:

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)
2. https://ecomputertips.com/what-is-3rd-generation-processor/
3. https://www.itechtics.com/processor-generations/
4. https://www.techspot.com/guides/502-intel-ivy-bridge/
5. https://www.slideshare.net/hajraazam/core-i3i5i7-and-i9-processors
6. https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intel/microarchitectures/ivy_bridge_(client)
7. https://www.slideshare.net/RemusSinorchian/intel-ivy-bridge
8. https://software.intel.com/content/www/us/en/develop/articles/an-overview-of-the-6th-generation-intel-core-processor-code-named-skylake.html
9. https://www.legitreviews.com/intel-core-i7-3770k-3-5ghz-ivy-bridge-processor-review_1914