Intel Launches New Chipset

mikemuch writes "The new P35 and G33 chipsets, codenamed 'Bear Lake' are now available. They have a new memory controller that supports DDR3 RAM at up to 1333MHz, a new southbridge, and will support the upcoming 45nm Penryn CPUs. They don't yet have an actually new and different GPU — their GMA 3100 is pretty much the same as the GMA 3000 of the G965 chipset." For a little more technical info you can also check out the Hot Hardware writeup.

Comments

What's Different

[Nom du Keyboard]

will support the upcoming 45nm Penryn CPUs.

What does Penryn need that's new and different in the way of support? Is it just a bump in FSB speed?

Re:When Do We Get Onchip DSPs?

[Doc Ruby]

Intel putting parallel DSPs on their uPs is not driven by mere "efficiency". Intel demonstrates, even defines, both the CS and economics that are forcing competitors, thereby Intel, too, to put DSP in their cores (literally and figuratively).

And there's not much sense in Web apps being processed by an FIR or full-spectrum mixer.

All I really get from your comment is that you don't know what DSPs do, or what Intel does - or maybe how Web apps work.

Re:When Do We Get Onchip DSPs?

[Doc Ruby]

In our universe, everything can be characterized as a signal. In our society, practically all signals can be usefully digitized. That doesn't mean DSPs are right for everything, because DSPs aren't good at all signal processing, just some - repeated loops of simple, if cumbersome, linear equations.

DSP is fast math at the expense of fast logic. Web apps have at least as much logic as math, intractably intertwined. DSP of Web apps is inappropriate. DSPs on a chip with fast logic would be good for Web apps and everything else. Intel sells lots of CPUs to process Web apps. And IBM/Toshiba/Sony is planning to sell lots of Cells to do so.

I know what you're talking about. And I know that you don't.

Yeah I too wait on even better.

[DrYak]

Anyway, it would be nice to have a broader upgrade range. While AMD's pattern is superior, it's still far from ideal, especially when they too have socket variations.

I agree on this point. Athough, as I said, there's aa good commitment coming from AMD of stabilising the AM2/AM2+/AM3 family, we could hope even better.

Now that the on-CPU-die memory controller has definitely decoupled the CPU/Memory (the fast evolving part) from the northbridge/motherboard (much more constant - except maybe for the graphical connector), it could be realy fun of having motherboard with HTX connectors and CPU/memory slotcket which communicates with hytertransport. May even give good possibilities for graphic cards (stream engines on the same hypertransport bus as the CPU. Cool). Also same multi-HTX board could be both used for small class multi-CPU servers for small offices / home offices AND high-level gaming rig. Or server grade multi-HTX server motherboard could be used for hardcore gaming machines.