2/08/2012 07:19:00 PM
dannzfay
Motherboard makers started to get ready for Intel’s upcoming release of its first 22nm Ivy Bridge processors, sources in Taiwan claiming that some companies have already begun mass production of LGA 1155 boards based on Intel 7-series chipsets.
According to SweClockers, this list includes three major names in the motherboard business, but the publication hasn’t revealed who they are.
Most of the solutions that have entered production are apparently based on the Intel Z77 chipset, the most advanced PCH in the 7-series Panther Point range.
The biggest change introduced by Intel with these new chipsets is the native support for USB 3.0, as previously motherboard makers had to rely on third party ICs in order to add this functionality to their solutions.
With the Panther Point chipset however they will get native support for a total of four such ports, which can be joined by as much as 14 regular USB 2.0 ports.
The rest of the features that are found inside Intel’s 7-series PCH controllers are largely similar to those of their 6-series counterparts, but the Z77 does allow for a more flexible PCI Express configuration.
According to some leaked info, the 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes available in the Ivy Bridge processors can be split by this controller chip not only into a pair of x8 links, but also in an x8 and dual x4 links, all supporting PCIe Gen 3.0.
From what we know at this point in time, Intel is expected to launch the Maho Bay platform, comprised of the 7-series Panther Point chipsets and desktop Ivy Bridge CPUs, on April 8.
On the desktop front, the initial launch will include only Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs, while Core i3 chips will arrive later in 2012.
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