Intel LGA 1155, 1156, 1576 sockets

Core i7's LGA 1366 socket is old so Intel is looking to introduce a few new sockets, and processors. Not like in the LGA 775 Intel is preparing to introduce two mainstream Nehalem sockets, both of which are pictured below - Socket H1 (LGA 1156) and H2 (LGA 1155). These will house the Core i5 CPU models which, compared to the Core i7s, lack QPI and the triple-channel memory controller but integrate a dual channel DDR3 memory and PCI-Express controllers.

Socket H1 (left) and Socket H2 (right)

Before Socket H1 and H2 come into play, another new socket (seen below) will make its debut. Socket Socket LS aka LGA 1567 is aimed at the server market and will be paired up with Nehalem-based Xeon processors.

Intel LGA 1155, 1156, 1576 sockets

source

Intel ready with its first 8-Core xeon processors

Santa Clara, California-based Intel is expected to detail one of its highest-anticipated server processors at the upcoming International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco between February 8 and 12, 2009. The chip maker is expected to provide an early look at its first eight-core chip, which will be part of the company's Xeon family of processors. These chips are to provide a new level of performance for server systems based on a dual-socket motherboard.

Unfortunately, at this time, there aren't any details regarding the Xeon processors to be discussed at the February 9 presentation. According to the ISSCC programme, executives of the global leading chip maker will be discussing an 8-core, 16-thread Xeon processor, which will be manufactured using a 45nm process technology. According to additional info, said processor will also be featuring 2.38 transistors and support operation of up to 6.4GT/s.

As expected, Intel is yet to officially comment on the respective Xeon processor, which it will likely do during the ISSCC event. “We are presenting 16 papers at ISSCC, but don't haveanything further to share at this point,” said Nick Jacobs, a company spokesman in Singapore.
According to the available details, Intel's presentation might just be related to the company's highly-anticipated Xeon processor that will be based on the Nehalem EP architecture. This server CPU is known to have been designed specifically for dual-socket servers and workstations. According to previous details, this processor line is due to be released sometime in early 2009.

The upcoming chips will sport some of the features currently available for Intel's other Nehalem-based chips, including the use of Intel's Quick Path Interconnect (QPI), which basically replaces the front side bus, featured on Intel's previous generation of Xeon processors. This feature boosts the computer's overall performance.

Intel changes all logos

Intel just got into business of changing logos, and we just found out how the rest of the line up looks like.

The new logo is much wider than the previous one and on the top right corner you can see something that looks like chip. Core i7 and Core 2 Extreme logos are black, while Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 vPro are blue and very similar.

Many Centrino logos are all in white, and the top one is Centrino 2 inside, runner up is Centrino 2 vPro followed by Centrino inside and Centrino vPro inside.

Itanium, Xeon, and Core 2 Viiv sort of didnt change their format, while Xeon will come in new blue colour, probably for Nehalem based Xeons. New logos will be effective as of April 1st, the first day of Q2 2009.

Intel intros specialized Atom for cars and other devices, outsources some Atom manufacturing

Intel intros specialized Atom for cars and other devices, outsources some Atom manufacturing

Relying on the same 45nm manufacturing process, the new Atom Z5xx series processors expectedly aren't too radically different from the average Atom, with them clocking in between 1.1GHz and 1.6GHz, and boasting a TDP rating of 2.0 or 2.2 watts, although they do have some "embedded lifecycle support" thrown in for good measure. In related news, Intel has also announced that it'll be outsourcing "some" Atom manufacturing to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (or TSMC), which apparently marks the first time that Intel has licensed its CPU core to a foundry.

Intel prepping 2.0 GHz Atom Z550 processor

With the Atom dominance expected to continue, even with the competition from ARM, VIA and others, Intel is reported to be planning the introduction of a 2.0 GHz version of its low-power 45nm CPU. Named Z550, the MID-targeting processor would start selling next month and have 512kB of L2 cache, a FSB of 533 MHz and a TDP of 2.4W, just like its brothers, the 1.86 GHz Z540, and the rather popular 1.6 GHz Z530 which is used in a few netbook models on sale today.

The price of the Atom Z550 is yet unknown but Intel could simply ask $135 and thus lower the price of the Z540, and, consequently, the Z530. Were all for cheaper and more powerful.

source

Intel launches 2GHz Atom Z550

Intel will announce a couple of new Z-series chips for MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices). Already rumored, the 45nm Atom Z550 and Z515 are clocked at 2 and 1.2 GHz respectively, and feature a 533 MHz FSB and 512kB of cache. The Z515 also have the Burst Performance Technology which enables it to automatically adjusts its working frequency depending on computing needs.

Intel has marked the Atom's first anniversary with the launch of two new parts, the Z550 and Z515.

The Z515 runs at up to 1.2GHz and supports Burst Performance Technology, which allows it to adjust the frequency automatically depending on performance demands. It supports US15W and UL11L chipsets and it will primarily be used in MIDs.

The Z550 runs at 2.0GHz, but still stays withing the 3W power envelope. We are not sure if the Z550 will find its place in new products any time soon. When it comes to Atoms, there is usually a hefty price premium to pay for a slightly higher clock, and for example, a 1.8GHz model costs twice as much as the 1.6GHz we see all over the place.

Both chips have a 2.4W TDP, they idle at 0.22W, have 512KB of L2 cache and run on a 533MHz FSB.

Intel D-0 Stepping Core i7-920

In February Intel indicated that it’s initiating a C-0 to D-0 stepping conversion for the Intel Core i7-920 processor.


The overclocking performance of D-0 Core i7-920 is superior to that of C0/C1 stepping. New stepping Core i7-920 features a few changes including S-Spec from SLBCH to SLBEJ, and the CPU ID from 0×000106A4 to 0×000106A5, so a BIOS update is required. Besides, the Ink Swatch number has been also removed.

D0 Core i7-920 has hit retail at AKIBA at price tag of Yen 30780 which is about $306.


Source: [AKIBA]

Intel New Chip Logos and Star Rating System

Intel has rolled out with new chip logos for its Core i7, Core 2, Centrino, Celeron and Pentium processors, and unveiled its Star Rating System with one star denoting the lowest performance and five stars the highest.


The 5-star level consists of Core i7 Series, QX9000 Series and several other high-end mobile CPUs. And Celeron falls to the lowest segment, including Celeron E1000, 400, T1000, 900, 700 and 500 Series.

Intel New Chip Logos and Star Rating System