Intel P35: Intel's Mainstream Chipset Grows Up
by Gary Key & Wesley Fink on May 21, 2007 3:45 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
Features Comparison
While P35 and G33 are said to target the same segment, the likely target markets are quite different. Enthusiasts will generally opt for the P35 desktop chipset, or perhaps the upcoming G35 if their application requires integrated graphics. The G33 will more likely be found in machines by HP or Dell. Despite the differing end users a closer look at features shows Intel Series 3 features that are universal throughout the line.
All new series 3 chipsets support DDR3 or DDR2. With DDR3 prices currently double or greater than DDR2 you will likely see DDR2 used in mainstream and OEM computers. For now DDR3 will most likely be limited to high end computers. As we saw in DDR3 vs. DDR2 the performance of DDR3 and DDR2 were virtually the same on the P35 at the same speed and timings, and DDR2 was faster on P35 than on the current P965. Therefore end users will likely want to migrate to the new 3 series chipsets for added performance, but it doesn't matter right now whether the memory is DDR3 or DDR2. In the future, when DDR3 prices drop and DDR3 timings get faster, DDR3 will be the better choice.
It is interesting that the DDR2-1333 speed is supported on the new 3 series chipsets, as this will likely spur development of even faster DDR2 for the new boards. Any of the new ICH9 MCH chips can be combined with G33 and P35, but you will more likely see the ICH9R used with P35 and the cheaper ICH9 in the G33 boards.
Like the P965/975X chipsets that preceded them, the new 3 series only supports a maximum of 8GB of memory. This is somewhat surprising when year-old AMD AM2 chipsets officially support 16GB. While not an immediate limitation, it may become one if the adoption of Vista is accelerated with a "must-have" DX10 game. For those who have asked, please note that Intel says all new Series 3 chipsets are 45nm Penryn ready. We would take this to mean that earlier P965/975X boards are not likely compatible with the upcoming Penryn, although just like we've seen a few specific boards using older chipsets with Core 2 we may see some exceptions.
Key Innovations
GAMING - X38
- Support for all Intel multi-core processors
- First DDR3 memory and PCI Express 2.0 chipset support in the industry
- Gain additional performance benefits with chipset overspeed protection removed
BUSINESS - Q35 and Q33
- Reduce IT costs, increase security and simplify manageability with Intel vPro processor technology platforms
- Lower TDP and idle power for greater energy efficiency, enhanced acoustics, and SFF
- Continue to support Energy Star2 specifications
- Enhance platform stability & improved asset deployment success with Intel SIPP
CONSUMER - G35
- Experience sharp HD DVD & Blu-ray content, high-definition video quality & usability with improved Intel Clear Video Technology
- Play the latest games with enhanced 3D compatibility with DX10
- I/O enhancements with new Intel Matrix Storage Technology features
- Support Intel ViiV processor technology
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Gary Key - Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - link
X38 is basically ready, going through some fine tuning now... I understand it will be held until after the 1333CPUs are launched and DDR3 availability is a little more widespread/cost effective. I expect late August right now, but you never know with Intel. ;-)JarredWalton - Monday, May 21, 2007 - link
Technically Q3 is any time between July 1 and September 30, but if they're saying Q3 right now it probably means some time in August at best.gigahertz20 - Monday, May 21, 2007 - link
I applaud ASUS for only including 1 legacy connection on their P5K series, and not 4 like Gigabyte has chosen to do for their P35 board. Death to legacy connections!I mean really, why even include those damn legacy ports. The enthusiast that buys one of these boards will not be using them, they are a waste of space. Instead of having them, they should replace them with more USB ports or something useful.
JarredWalton - Monday, May 21, 2007 - link
I still have a parallel based laser printer that works fine for what I need, and I'm quite happy using it until it dies. There are also people that use serial devices that cost a lot of money. I don't think every board needs legacy support, but it's good that there are still options for people that *need* certain legacy devices. I've got several KVM switches that won't be useful if PS/2 ports disappear. :(yacoub - Monday, May 21, 2007 - link
Don't they offer USB or eSATA to serial/parallel convertors for those sort of situations? :)JarredWalton - Monday, May 21, 2007 - link
Sure, but I haven't had the need to try one yet. :)Truth be told, my printer has a USB port, but it behaves very poorly using a USB connection. It's a Brother HL-1240, and if the printer isn't powered on when you boot, Windows won't see it unless you unplug it and plug it back into a different USB port. It just works better with LPT, and as I said for my needs it's sufficient. The way I figure it, having the ports there isn't hurting most people. I've never seen anything to indicate they hamper performance, and how many extra transistors are "wasted" on these ports? Maybe a few thousand? Heheh. 45M transistors on the P35 is a bit crazy....
For what it's worth, between mouse, keyboard, and my LCD (which actually has four USB ports and flash memory readers), I haven't had any need for more than four USB ports on a motherboard. But then, I've got too many PCs around anyway.
TA152H - Monday, May 21, 2007 - link
I agree with you, but for another reason.I don't like USB at all, because a few years ago I ran some tests, on motherboards ranging from MVP3 based to a KT880, and USB seems to have a negative impact on performance, particularly on memory, in many cases.
It doesn't make my keyboard work any better, or my mouse, and I'm not sure why I need it for those functions at all. PS/2 ports don't do it well enough? I'm not crazy about this one size fits all approach, especially when it comes with overhead. The current ports work fine.
USB is a crappy, bloated technology. I'm not sure the "S" should stand for "serial" at all, I think there is a better word that begins with S for it.
strikeback03 - Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - link
Wake me up when Bluetooth works over PS/2.Though one reason to still include PS/2 keyboard/mouse is that it is hard to screw up support for those in Linux kernels. Same can't be said about USB.
TA152H - Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - link
Wake me up when I need Bluetooth.You could implement Bluetooth easily if USB didn't exist, but you're missing the point anyway. When you have to use USB for stuff that is handled more efficiently by PS/2 ports, it's a bad thing. Or other ports. It adds no function for these devices, and comes with overhead. It's a bad idea, but of course Intel was in the mode of making as many things as possible use CPU power so they could keep selling their latest and greatest.
It's just a rehash of some dorky Apple stuff that most people here don't remember. The original MacIntoy didn't have any slots, and you'd attach stuff to some serial bus for expansion. Naturally, it didn't work out, and they had to add slots. At least they didn't get rid of slots for USB, they just made it bloated.
DigitalFreak - Monday, May 21, 2007 - link
Man, if the P35 boards are going to be around the $250 mark, I'm not looking forward to see the price on the X38 boards.... :-(