If you think back to the launch of the original Intel Nehalem CPUs, there was almost an entire year between the release of the enthusiast-level LGA1366 parts and their mainstream LGA1156 counterparts. In the interim, the older Core 2 processors filled the gap, taking care of the mobile, entry-level and mid-level markets.
However, it looks like the rollout will be a lot faster this time around. Digitimes is reporting that the chip-giant is planning to have the Sandy Bridge CPUs make up 20 per cent of its total desktop shipments in the first quarter of 2011. Obviously this doesn't consider mobile CPUs, but since the company is planning to launch products in a wide range of market segments simultaneously, it wouldn't be surprising to see laptop chips at least match this.
This sentiment is mirrored in a story from Fudzilla, which expands on the figures by suggesting that at the end of next year, Sandy Bridge will account for three quarters of the company's product shipments. Buoyed by the introduction of lower-end Core i3- and Pentium-branded chips throughout the first half of the year, the new architecture will quickly supplant the older Nehalem-based CPUs.
If these rumblings are true, Intel's planned rollout of the new processors is fairly aggressive, and a lot faster than the launch of the previous generation two years ago. It will also make things very tricky for AMD, who's Fusion CPUs would be competing with brand-new Sandy Bridge processors in all market segments.
