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Looking at Intel's New-ish Desktop Socket, LGA 1366

Posted by timothy on from the odd-number-of-RAM-sticks-means-cognitive-dissonance dept.

Slatterz writes "LGA 1366 is Intel's first new desktop socket in four years. It uses the same ZIF design as the familiar LGA 775 architecture, but it incorporates many more contacts. These big architectural changes are backed up by some less visible advances. Until now, Intel's quad-core processors have been constructed from two dual-core dies, but now Core i7 brings together four cores on a single die. It's also Intel's first processor design to use an L3 cache, shared between all four cores."

21 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. I realised /. was slow sometimes... by sznupi · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...but c'mon.

    --
    One that hath name thou can not otter
  2. Uh, what? by pathological+liar · · Score: 4, Funny

    This might have been news 7 or 8 months ago when the chips were released.

    What's next? ATX Power Supplies Explained? "Plugs into any ordinary wall socket! Flick the switch and it turns on! Use it to power your computer! You'll see them turning up in shops any day now!"

    1. Re:Uh, what? by Norsefire · · Score: 3, Funny

      Right after they announce Tim Berners-Lee's new invention. I heard it's going to change the world.

    2. Re:Uh, what? by LordKronos · · Score: 3, Funny

      Flick the switch and it turns on!

      I've heard some of the newer designs are using pushbuttons instead of switches. I know....it sounds absurd, but apparently it's true.

  3. Metaphor by goldaryn · · Score: 4, Funny

    "LGA 1366 is Intel's first new desktop socket in four years. It uses the same ZIF design as the familiar LGA 775 architecture, but it incorporates many more contacts

    Bigger number! Woo-hoo! With the POWER of MATHS I can tell you ...1366 over 775 = 76% better!

    Reminds me of when I upgraded my disposable razor from one with 3 blades to 4 FREAKING BLADES!!!11!1

    I get 33% more hot babes now.. FUCK YEAH

    (Yeah, yeah, 33% of 0....)

    1. Re:Metaphor by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I can shave so quickly with my new R^hAzor that the last four letters of the name accelerate faster than the first one!

      Whooosh!

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  4. Not the new desktop socket by nxtw · · Score: 5, Informative

    LGA 1366 is intended for servers, workstations, and high-end gaming PCs. LGA 1156 will be the mainstream
      desktop socket.

    What's the difference? IIRC, LGA 1366 has a tripe-channel memory controller and support for dual CPUs (via another QuickPath link). LGA 1156 has dual-channel memory support with support for only one CPU.

    The desktop CPU for LGA 1156 will be called Core i5.

    1. Re:Not the new desktop socket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      LGA 1366 has a tripe-channel memory controller

      Can't be that bad, surely.

    2. Re:Not the new desktop socket by vyvepe · · Score: 2, Informative

      LGA 1156: Also, there is 16 PCIe links on the processor die directly and there is only 2 GB/s connection from CPU to P55 PCH. No QPI. More information is here: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3570&p=2

    3. Re:Not the new desktop socket by asliarun · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Please refer to the excellent Anandtech preview article on Lynnfield that will be the first family of CPUs to use LGA 1156. Lynnfield has uses a dual-channel DDR3 controller instead of using triple-channel integrated memory controller in its uncore like Nehalem does. However, the dual-channel controller should still provide enough bandwidth for most desktop apps (the Nehalem architecture is not bandwidth constrained at all, unlike all previous generation CPUs including Core2 that used massive L2 caches to offset the memory bandwidth bottleneck due to the FSB).

      However, the main difference between Lynnfield/LGA 1156 and LGA 1366 used in servers is the fact that it doesn't use QuickPath at all. Instead, it uses a combination of integrated PCIe 2.0 x16 controller (to talk to the graphics subsystem) and a (much slower) DMI controller to talk to everything else. Its an interesting alternative to QuickPath which is frankly expensive overkill for desktops anyway. The key advantage of the new socket will be significantly lower prices of motherboards and CPUs, which will allow Intel to provide some credible alternatives to AMD's current offerings that may be slower than Nehalem but are also much cheaper.

    4. Re:Not the new desktop socket by asc99c · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The socket for Core i7 equivalent Xeons is the same LGA-1366, but the standard Core i7 only has one QPI link, so you can't use them in dual CPU configs.

      I hadn't heard about LGA-1156, but I'm a bit suspicious whether it will really take off. I don't really understand now that Intel have launched LGA-1366 where is the room for a slightly lower spec socket. I wouldn't have thought a few extra pins in the socket is that expensive, and buying RAM in packs of 3 isn't that much of a problem - and it's optional anyway.

      By Q3 when LGA-1156 is due, Core i7 will be already heading down into the mainstream.

    5. Re:Not the new desktop socket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      the Nehalem architecture is not bandwidth constrained at all

      Don't be silly. Total bandwidth to all 4 cores of an i7 920 on triple-channel DDR3/10333 is only 20GB/s. That's about 1.8 bytes per core per cycle. Given the existence of SSE instructions reading 16 bytes per cycle you're about 90% short of unconstrained bandwidth.

      Even with the best DDR3 money can buy you're still 80% short.

      I think you meant to say the Nehalem architecture is not bottlenecked at all.

    6. Re:Not the new desktop socket by 313373_bot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      For what it is worth, looks like artificial market segmentation = bad for upgraders. AMD is guilty of that, too.

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      ^[:q!
    7. Re:Not the new desktop socket by asliarun · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Thanks for the correction. Yes, I meant to say that Nehalem is not bottlenecked.

    8. Re:Not the new desktop socket by 313373_bot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Point taken, perhaps "artificial" wasn't the best way to put it. But again, with few exceptions, the high-end technology of today becomes the mainstream of tomorrow.

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      ^[:q!
  5. 2008's news again... by ricky-road-flats · · Score: 4, Funny

    And I thought Australia was 12 hours ahead of us!

    1. Re:2008's news again... by schwartzg · · Score: 3, Funny

      It has nothing to do with timezones and everything to do with distance. Boats powered by magazine editors have only now reached Australia, but since we have the internet we learned of their arrival at the same time they arrived. It makes perfect sense.

  6. Pictures? by AltGrendel · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A picture of the socket instead of the chip would have been helpful.

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    - Douglas Adams

  7. Oblig. Comic Reference by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm afraid ATX supplies won't be needed when the new wireless platform that never needs to be charged is released.

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  8. Re:It *is* absurd by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative

    You're an idiot. Please don't post here anymore.

    Either you or your computer can set that power button to ACPI only, at which point holding it down for five seconds doesn't do anything except make the button temporarily shorter.

    You are an asshole. Please log in so you can be modded down.

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  9. Re:Slashdot EMERGENCY!!! Call the PARAMEDICS NOW!! by MBaldelli · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wake me up with there is something worth posting to Slashdot

    Try this.

    Holy hell.. This is clearly proof that the Gene Pool is in serious need of a fungicide.

    --
    "The truth points to itself." - Kosh, Babylon5