What, what? Core i5? What's that? In short, that's the response we got when prodding for details on this here motherboard at
CeBIT, but sure enough, the object you see above just might be the first mainboard shown off designed to play nice with Intel's forthcoming
Core i7 lite™. The
Gigabyte GA-IBP will reportedly be available to purchase around July, which -- coincidentally enough -- is right when we're expecting the Core i5 chips to make their debut on the market. The on-hand Gigabyte rep wouldn't talk about specifics, noting that most everything about this board was still under NDA; when we strolled into Intel's hall, we were flat told that no Core i5 prototypes were available here in Hannover. At any rate, you can count on at least one motherboard to use on your next mid-range gaming rig, and you can peek that very board in the gallery below.
posted March 6th 2009 2:41PM
So I5 is dual core I7s?
No, it's still quad-core. But it doesn't feature the QPI and only supports dual-channel DDR3.
No, it's still quad-core. But it doesn't feature the QPI and only supports dual-channel DDR3.
No QPI... well, I guess it makes sense to hit a lower price point.
I'm supposing an i5 would be a fine choice for a system destined for nothing but VMWare stuff? What do you guys think? I'd like to build a system with that as a concentration for testing stuff and working on learning Windows Server.
I don't know if QPI represents a feature on the latter half of a law of diminishing returns curve or a major overhaul that drastically improves the speed of everything.
What kind of RAM does an i7 support that the i5 doesn't?
just to add, It doesn't need QPI because the chip is a lot more integrated with the PCIexpress controller and DMI (the traditional connection between north->southbridge" directly on the chip. This can be good because these motherboards won't need a separate northbridge anymore. It will just be the CPU connected to a new southbridge chip.
@ash - an i7 would be better at that because its got the horsepower to run multiple VMs at once.
i5 is meant to be low to mid range in the Nehalem family. (Think $500 Dell/HP/Gateway you would buy at Frys or Bestbuy)
It should be Socket 1156 and as mentioned, no QPI.
This means your Dual Channel memory is connected to a more traditional NorthBridge.
Supposedly the first Westmere (32nm Nehalem) being released will actually be for 1156, so in essence we will see 32nm first on the Core i5 platform. Possibly by the end of THIS year as well.
So i am a little surprised we're seeing boards already, unless they plan to release a short lived 45nm i5 in between now and Westmere.
I don't know a whole lot about mother boards but thing this looks like one of Bill Gates' wet dreams!
bill made software, not hardware...thus the SOFT in microsoft
Oh yea the SOFT in xbox or zune. I see where your coming from.
Hides his Microsoft , mouse, keyboard, Xbox, YEP! no Microsoftie hardware here
You know I don't recall any of the stories about the socket AM3 motherboards when they came out. More unequal Engadget coverage.
Yea, I doubt a reputable electronics company would just up and make a mobo for a processor that didn't exist. Good job intel. But I guess thats just the standard response to anything. "Oh that car over there, no theres no car over there"
Oh ok, no prototypes here in Hanover, gotcha. This whole reading things confuses me sometimes
I wish there was a better shot of the far left side of the board, from one pic it looks like those little orange connectors on the side are usb headers, so there's 4 of those for 8 total usb channels, but then there's those gray connectors, are they even more usb headers? I can see 4 internal headers, but 7 seems like overkill, what are those ports?
The orange have USB 2.0 written Under them and the Grey have the number 1394
firewire..
i5 ? lets move fwd and not back .. bring on i9
There's already i7 why would I want i5? Sounds like an IBM AS400 model number!!!
Seriously, i7 buyers are chumps.. buying a chip that's not the "real" high performance chip.. that's the Xeons... then intel will make a cheaper chip on the faster, smaller process i5. This is why Apple is sticking to Notebook processors that have less "marketing spin" to them compared to desktop chips where Intel puts all sorts of artificial constraints to not compete with their own products from last year.
i5 from what I know will be the entry point and i6 will be in the middle topped by i7
So when do these new babies come out?
looking for a new pc and maybe I can hold out, would hate to buy a new c2q for one of these suckers to come out a week later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehalem_(microarchitecture)
According to that, not till at least July (more likely Sept)
As I mentioned above though, the Westmere (scroll further down the same article) will be out around Nov/Dec though.
So I wouldn't even bother with a first generation i5
thats a nice clean motherboard
...and STILL with the ridiculously stupid 90° SATA connections!!!
Guess your not a gamer then.
i have a Dual Slot Graphics card and because my mobo uses normal vertical SATA connectors, I had to go buy special Right Angle SATA Cables.
Using those I am limited to only 2 of my 4 connectors because the right angle from port 1 intrudes on port 2 and 3 and then I have another in port 4.
If I had these right angle connectors, I wouldnt have had that problem.
now the flip side to this, is Case MFGs need to start making sure they leave some clearance for cabled sticking off the front of the Mobo.
What does gaming have to do with the sata ports?
It's a frickin micro atx with 3 PCIex slots. The sata has to be at 90 if you plan on using any long cards in any of the PCIex slots.
Well, AFAIK, most gamers don't build their gaming boxes using MicroATX boards in MicroATX cases. If you put this board in a MicroATX case, you're most likely going to run into trouble with the leads coming off the side instead of coming off the top. Having used this board for a HTPC housed in a Silverstone SG-01 case, I can tell you it's a very tight squeeze.
And if Castle Wolfenstein for the Apple 2+ had online MP mode, I'd pwn you, because that's how long I've been gaming, dingbat.
The spec sheet says it supports ATI Crossfire *and* Nvidia SLI. Interesting.