Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →At Intel Developer Forum (IDF) on September 13, 2010, Intel CEO and president Paul Otellini opened the event with a keynote framed around the “Computing Continuum.” Its documented technical focus was Intel’s second-generation Core processor family, codenamed Sandy Bridge. Intel highlighted its 32nm design, integrated graphics and media features, and new 256-bit AVX instructions. These were Intel’s announced capabilities and plans, not independent benchmark results.
When and where was IDF 2010?
Intel held its 13th annual Developer Forum from September 13 through 15, 2010, at Moscone Center West in San Francisco. The three-day program covered subjects across mobility, enterprise, embedded computing, software, manufacturing and research. Intel’s July 2010 event announcement named Otellini as the Day 1 opening keynote speaker and described his planned subject as Intel’s “Computing Continuum.”
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
![Gentoo Linux 12.1 [ Hybrid 32/64 bit DVD ] for Intel and AMD Computers](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51VydBS10iL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Gentoo Linux 12.1 [ Hybrid 32/64 bit DVD ] for Intel and AMD Computers | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
What did Otellini’s keynote cover?
The clearest contemporaneous account of the keynote’s technical content is Intel’s September 13, 2010 fact sheet. It says Otellini and Dadi Perlmutter discussed the technical details of the second-generation Intel Core processor family, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel said the family was scheduled to enter production later in 2010; that was the company’s schedule statement at the time, not confirmation of actual shipment timing.
Intel presented Sandy Bridge as the first new microarchitecture it had built on its 32nm process and described it as using second-generation high-k metal-gate transistors. Its stated design goal was higher performance at lower power. The reviewed materials do not provide independent testing to verify that performance claim.
#1 Best Overall
- Gentoo Linux 12.1 Hybrid edition - Linux built from the ground up for YOUR PC - Designed to dyamically rebuilt itself to suit your needs!
- Built around a unique, dynamic package management system called "Portage" rather than a standardized 'software installer'
- Gentoo is designed to optimize itself to YOUR hardware and YOUR specific needs and use
- Customizable to nearly any look, feel, and behavior.
- Live DVD contains a standardized 'build' of Gentoo, but allows for installation and customization.
Which Sandy Bridge features did Intel highlight?
Turbo Boost and processor architecture
Intel described a revised Turbo Boost approach that adjusted turbo frequency according to instruction type while managing available power and thermal headroom. The fact sheet also describes an on-die ring interconnect linking the upgraded processor cores with graphics, memory-control and display components.
Integrated graphics and media
Intel promoted processor graphics for HD video, stereoscopic 3D, mainstream gaming, multitasking and multimedia. It also described dedicated hardware acceleration for HD video encoding and decoding. Those are capabilities Intel said the design targeted; the fact sheet does not supply independent performance measurements.
AVX instructions
Sandy Bridge introduced Intel’s 256-bit Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), which Intel said were intended to improve floating-point-intensive work such as digital photo editing and content creation. The fact sheet also connected AVX to possible embedded workloads, including radar detection, hurricane command centers, rugged navigation and remote medical-image processing. These were applications Intel described, not evidence that particular systems had been deployed.
What systems and demonstrations appeared in the fact sheet?
Intel’s account went beyond a processor architecture overview to describe possible desktop designs and a server demonstration:
- Desktop concepts: Intel described planned versions with thermal design power (TDP) ratings of 65W, 45W and 35W, as well as thin mini-ITX boards, all-in-one system designs and lower-profile boxed cooling for some models. These were planned design details in a 2010 fact sheet, not a list of current products.
- Xeon server demonstration: Intel said Otellini demonstrated a dual-processor next-generation Xeon system running Vidyo video-conferencing software. The company described the demonstration as using 32 threads and AES New Instructions. Intel scheduled its two-socket processors, each with eight cores and 16 threads, for production in the second half of 2011; the cited material does not establish when they actually shipped.
How did the keynote fit into the wider Day 1 program?
Otellini’s speech was the opening keynote, not a label for the entire first day or the full three-day forum. The agenda listed David Perlmutter’s “Performance Computing: Making the Extraordinary Ordinary” as a separate keynote session after Otellini’s. Other sessions, demonstrations and Q&A were part of IDF’s wider program and should not automatically be attributed to the CEO’s speech.
Intel’s advance materials listed tracks and topics including Atom and Core processors, cloud computing, embedded systems, health IT, solid-state drives, PCI Express, SuperSpeed USB, UEFI and visual computing. Their presence on the forum agenda provides context for IDF 2010, but does not show that each topic featured in Otellini’s keynote.
What is established—and what is not?
Intel’s event announcement and same-day fact sheet establish the announced theme, the Sandy Bridge technical emphasis and the company’s descriptions of demonstrations and product plans. They do not provide a full keynote transcript, independent benchmarks, audience questions, model-by-model compatibility details, prices or confirmation of shipment timing after the announced schedules. Accordingly, Intel’s performance and capability descriptions should be read as the company’s claims at the time.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
