Intel Begins Shipping Mobile 'Sandy Bridge' Chips Destined for MacBook Pros - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Intel Begins Shipping Mobile 'Sandy Bridge' Chips Destined for MacBook Pros

232842 intel

CNet reports that Intel has updated their price list to include the new dual-core Sandy Bridge CPUs for laptops.

On top of the bevy of Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge chips already listed in Intel's database, the chipmaker yesterday added dual-core mobile i3, mobile i5, and mobile Core i7 chips to the Sandy Bridge family.

Intel previously announced it would begin shipping the mobile chips starting on February 20th. The chips are expected to be used in the MacBook Pros are said to be released on Thursday, February 24th.

The three most likely CPUs to be used in the new MacBook Pros include:

Core i7-2620M (4M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.70 GHz 32nm)
Core i5-2540M (3M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.60 GHz 32nm)
Core i5-2520M (3M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.50 GHz 32nm)

While they share the same "i5" and "i7" names of last year's chips, the Sandy Bridge is marketed as the "second generation" of the Core i chips with several architectural improvements. A couple of other chips that were considered possible candidates weren't on the price list. CPU world suggests that some of those CPUs may have been launched but won't know for sure until Intel updates the product specification pages on its website.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...