The Nehalem Preview: Intel Does It Again
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 5, 2008 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
The Socket
With an integrated memory controller, Intel needed a new pinout for Nehalem and the first version with three 64-bit DDR3 memory channels features a 1366-pin LGA interface:
LGA-1366 (left) vs. LGA-775 (right)
The socket is noticeably bigger than LGA-775 as is the mounting area for heatsinks. You can't reuse LGA-775 heatsinks and instead must use a heatsink with mounting holes more spread apart. As far as we can tell, the same push-pin mounting mechanism from LGA-775 is present in Nehalem which is disappointing.
With a larger socket and more pins, the CPU itself is obviously bigger. Here's a shot of our Nehalem compared to a Core 2 Duo E8500:
Nehalem (left) vs. Penryn (right)
Nehalem (left) vs. Penryn (right)
Intel will obviously have dual-channel versions of Nehalem in the future, unfortunately it looks like they will use a smaller socket for mainstream versions of the chip (LGA-1160?). We won't have to deal with socket segmentation just yet and it is always possible that Intel will choose to stand behind a single socket for the majority of the desktop market, reserving LGA-1366 for a Skulltrail-like high end but the strategy is unclear at this point.
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Justin Case - Sunday, June 8, 2008 - link
The chances of AMD dying are approximately... zero. The question is whether they stay as an independent company or get bought by someone else. Their IP and patent portfolio alone are worth more than the company's current value, even if they didn't sell a single CPU and didn't have any fabs.The top candidate is Samsung, followed by IBM, followed by the UAE. But the real nightmare scenario is this: Microsoft buys AMD, and slowly makes its software incompatible with (or run much slower on) everyone else's CPUs. After that, they have zero incentive to improve the chips, because no one else can compete anyway.
Since it's been shown that Microsoft can violate antitrust legislation as much as it wants (as long as it pays off a few senators), this is not at all impossible. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
VooDooAddict - Monday, June 9, 2008 - link
That would be the beginning of the end for MS.MS buys AMD? .... that would be the day I buy a fully loaded Mac Pro.
Griswold - Friday, June 6, 2008 - link
Listenting to whom? Somebody as naive and clueless as you, who apparently believes breaking laws in the past should be forgiven and forgotten until there is no competition at all, because the market will magically make things work out perfectly for the customer anyway...?n0b0dykn0ws - Thursday, June 5, 2008 - link
If Nehalem comes out and does run circles around current processors, then we're better off, right?The only problem is that Intel is holding back on it's CPUs.
Without competition, Intel will only give us 'just a little taste'.
Me personally? I want the full strength version at today's prices.
n0b0dykn0ws
Rev1 - Monday, June 9, 2008 - link
AMd is still competitive in the price segment of lower end cpu's, and after the PT4 debacle intel doesnt wanna loosen it's grip anytime soon to AMD.Zurtex - Thursday, June 5, 2008 - link
You've written:"Encoding performance here went through the roof with Nehalem: a clock for clock boost of 44%."
But your graph shows the exact opposite. I'm assuming you just got the numbers on the graph the wrong way around, rather than your analysis mixed up.
Ryan Smith - Thursday, June 5, 2008 - link
Uh, sometimes bits get flipped when in transfer from Taiwan, yeah, that's it.Anyhow, thanks for the notice. Fixed.
8steve8 - Thursday, June 5, 2008 - link
exactly what I expected.imc was long overdue for intel...
can't wait to buy one, but I've been hearing us mere consumers wont be able to until well into 09?