Intel readying additional ULV Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 CPUs

According to CPU World, Intel may be about to release three new ultra-low voltage (ULV) Sandy Bridge models, one in the Core i5 family and two in the Core i7 family.

The new dual-core Core i5-2557M will supposedly come at a base frequency of 1.7GHz and a turbo frequency of 2.7GHz with a 17 watt thermal design power (TDP). Its integrated HD 3000 graphics will operate at the same base 350MHz as the previously released Core i7-2617M and Core i7-2657M. Other than that, the major difference between the new ULV Core i5 and the two new ULV Core i7 chips is the smaller 3MB L3 cache in the Core i5. The graphics core, TDP, and number of cores and threads are all reportedly alike.

The two forthcoming ULV Core i7 models, the i7-2637M and i7-2677M, will be operating at a base frequency of 1.7GHz and 1.8GHz and at 2.8GHz and 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost, respectively.

Launch dates are still unknown, but Electronista is predicting that these new ULV Intel chips may show up in the 2011 MacBook Air refresh. The Apple ultraportable has yet to receive the much needed Sandy Bridge update, so these ULV Core i5 and i7 CPUs could potentially make their debut during the inevitable 2011 MacBook Air announcement.

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