Intel’s X79 chipset details leak

It looks as though Intel’s next major chipset update has been leaked with IT.com.cn managing to obtain a couple of slides mapping out the spec.

The new X79 chipset is expected to appear in Q4 of 2011 along with a new range of 4- and 6-core 32nm Sandy Bridge processors. These are referred to as Sandy Bridge – E (Enthusiast) or SNB-E and LGA2011. As the chipset is meant for the high-end enthusiast class of PC builders there is on-board support for overclocking which everyone will wlecome.

Motherboards carrying the X79 are expected to have a 32 lane PCI-E bandwidth allowing for 2x 16 lane and 4x 8 lane setups for graphics. Quad channel memory controllers are also thought to be included.

As for on-board connectivity, there’s 14 SATA ports with 10 supporting 6Gbps and 8 supporting serial attached SCSI. Matching the SATA ports there will also be 14 USB 2.0 ports, but no mention of USB 3.0 yet as Intel delayed the introduction of a USB 3.0 chipset until 2012. Therefore it will be up to motherboard manufacturers to select a chipset for the now mandatory USB 3.0 ports we all want.

While the slides suggest a release before the end of 2011, we expect it’s going to be 2012 before the X79 appears. And even if it did arrive before the new year, investing in a new 6-core Sandy Bridge enthusiast-class processor and high-end motherboard is going to cost a lot more than most PC builders are willing to pay. Realistically, most of us will be investing in X79 later in 2012.

source: geek.com

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