We knew it was Intel's plan to launch its Sandy Bridge or Core 2011 processors at CES, but leave it to Chipzilla to throw in some total surprises ahead of the show.

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XE300M22-A01US carries a 2.5GHz, Sandy Bridge-era dual-core chip on top of the usual 4GB of memory and 16GB solid-state drive.

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In many ways, the U310 is more similar, even though it has a smaller screen than the U845: it starts with a Core i3 Sandy Bridge processor and a 500GB hard drive (disks with flash storage attached are available as an upgrade).

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Other than that, this isn't a machine for spec hunters: it will initially ship with a Core i5 Sandy Bridge processor (that's what was available when the product was being developed) and the screen resolution tops out at 1080p, which is fairly low considering those pixels will be distributed over a 55-inch panel.

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In September 2010, Intel launched its second-generation core architecture, Sandy Bridge, a 32-nanometer chip that can put CPUs and GPUs onto a single piece of silicon designed for tasks like handling high-definition video.

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Intel plans to crack that nut this week in time for the annual Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with its new family of Core 2011 processors (previously code-named Sandy Bridge).

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