The NDA on
Intel's new Sandy Bridge CPU architecture has lifted a couple of days before the official launch. The skinny is that it boasts about a 15-17% IPC advantage over Nehalem, which is, incidentally, the same advantage Nehalem presently enjoys over Core 2, and that its 32nm process allows for monster overclocks (4.4GHz), even with the stock heatsink. Overclocking will only be possible by changing the multiplier, requiring an unlocked "K" model, which will carry a small price premium of ~$11-23, depending on the model.