A few months ago, Intel introduced the first desktop Ivy Bridge processors priced south of $200. In a quiet update to its price list this past Sunday, the company hit another milestone: the release of the first sub-$50 CPUs based on the same architecture.
The folks at CPU World caught on to the launch, although by looking at Intel’s price list alone, one wouldn’t think the processors below were 22-nm parts. They are, though. A look at the chipmaker’s ARK database confirms that these are not 32-nm Sandy Bridge CPUs despite what the price list suggests.
| Processor | Cores | Threads | Clock speed | L3 cache | TDP | Price |
| Celeron G1610 | 2 | 2 | 2.6 GHz | 2 MB | 55W | $42 |
| Celeron G1610T | 2 | 2 | 2.3 GHz | 2 MB | 35W | $42 |
| Celeron G1620 | 2 | 2 | 2.7 GHz | 2 MB | 55W | $52 |
| Pentium G2010 | 2 | 2 | 2.8 GHz | 3 MB | 55W | $64 |
| Pentium G2020 | 2 | 2 | 2.9 GHz | 3 MB | 55W | $64 |
| Pentium G2020T | 2 | 2 | 2.5 GHz | 3 MB | 35W | $64 |
| Pentium G2130 | 2 | 2 | 3.2 GHz | 3 MB | 55W | $86 |
| Core i3-3210 | 2 | 4 | 3.2 GHz | 3 MB | 55W | $117 |
Oh, and all of the processors listed above have their integrated graphics clocked at the same speeds: 650MHz base, 1050MHz Turbo. Branding isn’t uniform, however. The Core i3-3210 has "Intel HD Graphics 2500," while the rest just have "Intel HD Graphics."
For reference, the cheapest desktop Ivy listed at Newegg right now is the Pentium G2120—a dual-core, dual-thread, 3.1GHz CPU with a 55W thermal envelope and a $99.99 asking price. (Intel lists an $86 tray price for it.) Clearly, you can now go much cheaper without downgrading to outmoded silicon. The Celeron G1610T looks particularly nifty: only $42 with a 35W power envelope that’s ripe for a low-cost, small-form-factor build. Yet at 2.3GHz, it’s quicker than some of Intel’s ultrabook processors, so it shouldn’t drag its feet in Windows 8.
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