Intel Roadmap Leaked: X79 Chipset Details Emerge

New details have surfaced regarding Intel’s latest X79 platform thanks to Chinese website, it.com.cn and subsequent analysis by VR-Zone.com. X79 will work with the “Sandy Bridge E” or enthusiast series CPUs on LGA2011 sockets, replacing the aging X58 chipset. According to this leaked roadmap, X79 should be released in Q4 2011, with Panther Point further down the road in the first half of 2012.

Intel CPU Roadmap - March 2011 (Courtesy: it.com.cn)

This is an enthusiast platform, and based on the speculation posted on it.com.cn, the X79 should outperform anything else on the market. The latest CPUs are rumored to have four or six cores, larger cache size and quad-channel DDR3 support up to 2666 MHz. The image below offers a glimpse into the specifications of the chipset:

Intel X79 Chipset Features - March 2011 (Courtesy: it.com.cn)

With 32 PCI Express lanes (dual 16x or quad 8x) and 14 SATA ports (Ten native SATA 6Gbps ports), this platform should be able to handle just about everything you throw at it. One glaring omission is USB 3.0, which will likely be included via an external controller.

This information does not shed much light on the overclocking capabilities of X79, but the internal clock generator is rumored to be a part of the CPU. This is the same feature that limits BCLK overclocking on the P67 platform, so overclocking would be similar to the current socket 1155 based Sandy Bridge CPUs if the rumor is accurate. It is difficult to speculate how well the X79 platform will overclock, so for now let’s hope a sample shows up in the Overclockers.com labs later this year.

Please share your analysis, speculation and rumors about X79 and Intel’s roadmap.

– Matt Ring (mdcomp)

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big_mike

Member

107 messages 0 likes

#1 Mar 30, 2011

Can't wait for it to come out =)

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DR DEUCE

386 messages 0 likes

#2 Mar 30, 2011

What happened to Ivy Bridge

GIXXERGUY6

2,305 messages 0 likes

#3 Mar 30, 2011

zomg now my head is spinning!

~~I'm with DR DEUCE : Where is the IvyBridge~~

Wait a minute isn't the IB going to fall under the lga1155? I thought I seen that the other day

ChanceCoats123

d20 in a jacket

9,572 messages 0 likes

#4 Mar 30, 2011

I'm looking forward to the performance, but not so much the price. :-/

Tokae

2,120 messages 0 likes

#5 Mar 31, 2011

I'm guessing they will milk the sandybridge 32nm tech until at least q1 2012. If they follow what they did with bloomfield/gulftown, we will see a high end ivybridge emerge on the 2011 socket, about 3-5 months after first cpus appear for sandybridge 'E'.. :sn:

I predict: 3.8ghz octocore with 20mb cache and of course an unlocked multi :) all for the low low price of 1300 bucks. :bang head

Ivy Bridge Wiki Info Here

EarthDog

Gulper Nozzle Co-Owner

77,749 messages 4,427 likes

#6 Mar 31, 2011

Ivy bridge is the CPU, not the chipset.

jsharpley

106 messages 0 likes

#7 Apr 03, 2011

Anybody able to speculate (with good cause) on the probable lifetime of the 1155 platform? It'd be a shame to jump into it and have it phased out as quickly as 1156 seems to be.

doz

2,836 messages 0 likes

#8 Apr 03, 2011

1156 lasted almost a year and a half. 1155 is only 3 months old (and really less than that considering the problems). If you want to upgrade, do it. You will ALWAYS be waiting for new stuff to come out. There is always something 1-2 years off. If youw ant it, buy it.

dazz.

179 messages 0 likes

#9 Apr 03, 2011

I'm pretty sure if Bulldozer lives up to the expectations, Intel will release IB CPU's for 1155, or a mainstream platform, whatever the socket / chipset

Moffetts

112 messages 0 likes

#10 Apr 03, 2011

That's the plan regardless. IB for LGA 2011/1356 will probably happen in late 2012. The main question now is that if BD proves to be a worthy adversary (which it wont, sorry) will intel move up the release of X79/LGA 2011? It's possible.

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