With the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) coming up this week, chip giant Intel has officially unveiled the details pertaining to its new `Sandy Bridge' line of CPUs for desktops and notebooks.

The fundamentals of Intel's new `Sandy Bridge' platform - which will chiefly bear the same Core i3/i5/i7 naming as the 2010 edition of Intel processors - have been known for some time, and some PCs with the new processors have also leaked into the market before time.

Going by the official details recently announced by Intel, the main highlights of the second-generation Core chips - which will be built around 32nm microarchitecture - include a notably more energy-efficient performance as well as enhanced 3D and graphics performance.

One of the most attractive new features of the `Sandy Bridge' CPUS is the totally overhauled Intel HD graphics system. Till now, the integrated graphics of most of the desktops and notebooks were unable to play even basic 3D games at reasonable performance levels.

Moreover, the addition of Turbo Boost 2.0 - the latest version of Turbo Boost technology from Intel - will boost the performance of each core beyond its base clock speed as required for dynamic workloads, while balancing the thermal headroom to keep overheating at bay.

According to Intel's claims, the new generation of CPUs will deliver up to 42 percent faster content creation, and up to 50 percent speedier gaming, vis-a-vis the earlier generations of CPUs.