Platform Trends: Intel Primes the X38 for Takeoff

Compared to more glamorous PC processor and graphics hardware, the chipset market sees fewer product introductions and smaller news coverage. Any platform shift, however, brings a wave of new chipsets or chipset families -- just as we're seeing now with Intel's latest Core 2 series CPUs and their quicker 1333MHz front-side bus.

Intel is very comfortable in the entry-level and mainstream desktop sectors, with the P35/Q35/G35 triumvirate, but it's had a gaping hole at the enthusiast level, where the 975X chipset is really starting to show its age.

The 975X Is Dead, Long Live the X38

Intel has been working hard to maintain a foothold in the hardcore gaming and enthusiast market. When launched in late 2005, the flagship i975X offered not only first-class speed and features, but support for AMD/ATI's CrossFire dual-graphics-cards setup. Even with the latter's twin PCI Express x8 instead of x16 support, it was still one of the top-end chipsets for both single-card and CrossFire configurations.

Unfortunately, once the 1333MHz-bus Core 2 Duo, Quad, and Extreme processors appeared, the 975X and its 1066MHz bus officially became obsolete. Enter a brand-new enthusiast chipset: the X38, which will improve on the 975X in virtually every area.

The X38's official release is still a few days away, but it has buyers chomping at the bit, with some motherboard vendors already fast-tracking X38 products into the channel. These have been invaluable in determining the various features and options that retail X38 motherboards will include, as well as estimating their relative performance compared with predecessors.

The Intel X38 will support all Core 2 Duo, Quad, and Extreme 1066/1333MHz processors, including the 45-nanometer-process parts due in November 2007. Much of the iX38's base architecture is similar to the P35/Q35 chipsets', but Intel has made a few upgrades -- for example, the presence of dual full-speed PCI Express x16 ports, which is a step up from the x16/x4 format of the P35. This represents a noticeable performance gain, especially when pairing high-end graphics cards, and something that many enthusiasts have been asking for from Intel.

Memory support will be flexible, giving PC makers a choice of dual-channel DDR-2 (up to 1066MHz) or DDR-3 (up to 1333MHz). Intel has also gone the enthusiast route on memory performance, emulating Nvidia's Enhanced Performance Profiles with a new Extreme Memory Profiles (XMP) feature. When matched with supporting memory modules, XMP will enable guaranteed overclocking profiles on-chip. This means that the motherboard BIOS can automatically configure memory based on system and CPU settings, providing higher performance and increased stability.

Meanwhile, PCI Express 2.0 doubles the maximum bandwidth from 2.5 to 5.0 GT/sec, or up to 16 GB/sec for each of the two PCIe x16 lanes. While you'll need a PCI Express 2.0 graphics card for the full effect, the spec is backwards-compatible with existing PCIe cards, so there will be no compatibility issues. There have also been other changes, such as the accommodation of higher-power PCIe devices, link bandwidth notification, and dynamic link speed management. Overall, PCI Express 2.0 is an evolutionary upgrade, but one that will provide greater bandwidth and power to next-gen PCIe video cards.

The Intel X38 is still a two-piece chipset, in which the new Northbridge will be joined by an ICH9/ICH9R Southbridge. The latter is already a known entity, and includes 3.0Gbps Serial ATA, Intel's HD Audio and Matrix Storage, and Gigabit LAN, among other things.

SLI for X38?

The prospect of Intel's X38 incorporating Nvidia's SLI, as well as AMD's CrossFire has been the subject of many industry rumors, with Intel itself helping to stir the pot. While the prospect of Intel/SLI has been around for years, so far not a single Intel desktop chipset has supported Nvidia's technology. A recent Intel SLI demo using a dual-socket workstation motherboard has fired up the rumor mill once again, although neither party has come clean on future plans.

It is certainly in Intel's best interest to extend dual-GPU support to Nvidia SLI, as every Intel/CrossFire motherboard sold benefits Intel's main competitor AMD -- the thought of actively promoting AMD technology must give Intel execs nightmares. But the rationale for Nvidia to sign up is not as firm, as the company's nForce chipset line has proven quite lucrative. Nvidia's enthusiast-level 680i is currently the only Intel chipset that supports the 1333MHz bus and provides full-speed, dual PCIe x16 SLI.

Nvidia receives significant income and accolades from these chipsets, and must realize a significant portion of sales come only because it's the only Intel/SLI show in town. On the other side of the equation is AMD, happily selling ATI CrossFire graphics cards to anyone seeking dual-GPU performance on an Intel motherboard. This is a tough egg to crack. Perhaps the most logical solution would be for Nvidia to allow a limited-edition Intel/SLI product, or to support SLI only on dual-socket platforms such as Intel's eight-core gamegasm "Skulltrail."

The Intel X38 is both riding on the hot-selling Core 2's coattails and getting unprecedented attention from the enthusiast community, and we expect brisk sales when X38 motherboards are officially released. The anticipation level for the X38 is also a testament to the increased recognition of the Intel name in the chipset market. This has long been a given with processors, but performance buyers are suddenly embracing Intel chipsets like never before.