Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/143179/Intel-X79-Enthusiast-Chipset-Sketched-in-Roadmap.html
Intel's next platform for
enthusiasts (successor to
LGA1366, X58), will consist of a
2011-pin LGA socket, the Sandy
Bridge-E (enthusiast) processor
that features a massive quad-
channel DDR3 memory controller
and 32+ lane PCI-Express 2.0
hub, and the X79 chipset. Intel is
looking to skip the 6-series
chipset family with its next high-
end platform chipset, and
perhaps it makes sense since the
platform is slated for Q4 2011.
The X79 is a PCH (platform
controller hub), like P55 and P67,
since Intel has reorganized the
platform. The beefy PCI-E hub
housed in the X58 northbridge is
relocated to the processor die,
and the southbridge is given a
much needed overhaul in terms
of connectivity.
The X79 is much bigger than P67
in terms of connectivity and
features. Differences start right at
the interconnect. While P67
connects to the processor over
DMI (physical PCI-Express 2.0 x4),
X79 supplements this link with
an additional PCI-Express 2.0 x4
link to the processor's PCI-E hub
if the user chooses so, in the EFI
setup program. The chipset bus
hence ends up with 8 GB/s of
bandwidth, and wait till you hear
what will make use of it: a 10-
port SATA 6 Gb/s RAID controller
integrated to the PCH! That is a
huge improvement in terms of
storage connectivity, which is
limping with 2-port SATA 6 Gb/s
(next to four 3 Gb/s ports) on 6-
series chipsets.
Out of the 10 SATA 6 Gb/s ports,
eight can be configured as SAS
(serial-attached SCSI) by
motherboard manufacturers. In
RAID mode, the controller
supports RAID 0/1/5/10 modes.
Unfortunately, there's no talk of
an integrated USB 3.0 controller,
the PCH still features 14 USB 2.0
ports. Perhaps Intel is pushing
Thunderbolt, but there's no
evidence of that integrated with
the chipset, either. The PCH itself
features an 8-lane PCI-Express
2.0 hub to drive the x1, x4 slots
on the motherboard and
onboard PCI-E devices. It features
an Intel GbE interface (physically
PCI-E 2.0 x1 at 50 MHz), to drive a
Lewisville gigabit Ethernet PHY
chip. Lastly, X79 is geared for
extreme overclocking of the
processor and memory. That's
expected of this platform.
Intel's next platform for
enthusiasts (successor to
LGA1366, X58), will consist of a
2011-pin LGA socket, the Sandy
Bridge-E (enthusiast) processor
that features a massive quad-
channel DDR3 memory controller
and 32+ lane PCI-Express 2.0
hub, and the X79 chipset. Intel is
looking to skip the 6-series
chipset family with its next high-
end platform chipset, and
perhaps it makes sense since the
platform is slated for Q4 2011.
The X79 is a PCH (platform
controller hub), like P55 and P67,
since Intel has reorganized the
platform. The beefy PCI-E hub
housed in the X58 northbridge is
relocated to the processor die,
and the southbridge is given a
much needed overhaul in terms
of connectivity.
The X79 is much bigger than P67
in terms of connectivity and
features. Differences start right at
the interconnect. While P67
connects to the processor over
DMI (physical PCI-Express 2.0 x4),
X79 supplements this link with
an additional PCI-Express 2.0 x4
link to the processor's PCI-E hub
if the user chooses so, in the EFI
setup program. The chipset bus
hence ends up with 8 GB/s of
bandwidth, and wait till you hear
what will make use of it: a 10-
port SATA 6 Gb/s RAID controller
integrated to the PCH! That is a
huge improvement in terms of
storage connectivity, which is
limping with 2-port SATA 6 Gb/s
(next to four 3 Gb/s ports) on 6-
series chipsets.
Out of the 10 SATA 6 Gb/s ports,
eight can be configured as SAS
(serial-attached SCSI) by
motherboard manufacturers. In
RAID mode, the controller
supports RAID 0/1/5/10 modes.
Unfortunately, there's no talk of
an integrated USB 3.0 controller,
the PCH still features 14 USB 2.0
ports. Perhaps Intel is pushing
Thunderbolt, but there's no
evidence of that integrated with
the chipset, either. The PCH itself
features an 8-lane PCI-Express
2.0 hub to drive the x1, x4 slots
on the motherboard and
onboard PCI-E devices. It features
an Intel GbE interface (physically
PCI-E 2.0 x1 at 50 MHz), to drive a
Lewisville gigabit Ethernet PHY
chip. Lastly, X79 is geared for
extreme overclocking of the
processor and memory. That's
expected of this platform.
, BTW please edit the post and add the source
hyeah:
