Intel 6 Series Chipsets - Naming Unveiled

Intel 6 Series Chipsets - Naming Unveiled



Slated for release in Q1 2011, Intel's Cougar point and Sandy Bridge products are set to replace the existing Lynnfield/Clarkdale-Ibex Peak combination. The "Premium and Mainstream" desktop chipsets based on Cougar Point architecture will be called the P67 and H67.




The P67 and H67 will take over the "Premium and Mainstream" market segment currently dominated by the P55 and H57 chipsets. This is necessary given that the future Sandy Bridge processors will be rolled-out on LGA1155 sockets, as opposed to the existing LGA1156 socket used for the Lynnfield and Clarkdale Core i3 and i5 (and also i7-8xx) processors.

To differentiate the products, H67 will support x16 PEG only, while P67 will support either x16 PEG or 2x8 PEG. Motherboard makers will no doubt get creative with these chipsets. On top of PEG expansion, both chipsets will support x8 PCIe 2.0, and 14 USB 2.0 Ports. No, USB Super Speed isn't on the roadmap just yet. 2 SATA 6Gb/s ports will be present on both these chipsets, out of the total 6 SATA expansion ports. There will not be PCI support with these chipsets.

Notable for the Intel H67 is the HD Graphics Support, which allows two independent displays, Integrated Audio Codec and Gigabit Ethernet MAC.

Business Platforms
The B43 chipset will be replaced by the B55 chipset in Q2 2010, at a $37 1Ku pricing identical to the B43 it replaces. In Q1 2011, the same chipset is expected to be replaced by the B65.

More interesting is the chipsets on the SIPP timeline. Q43 will eventually be replaced by the Q65, while Q57 will be replaced by the Q67 chipset. These changes will happen in Q1 2011. All three 6 Series Business chipsets will support LGA1155 processors.

Like their Mainstream Desktop bethren, the Q67, Q65 and B65 chipsets will only have USB 2.0 as the standard PnP option. The Q67 and Q65 will come with 14 USB 2.0 ports while the B65 will have only 12. All will come with 6 SATA expansion ports. For the Q65 and B65 chipsets, this would mean 5 SATA 3Gb/s + 1 SATA 6Gb/s. With the Q67, it would mean 2 SATA 6Gb/s + 4 SATA 3Gb/s. Only x8 PCIe 2.0 expansion is available for all.

Integrated connectivity wise, the Business chipsets will sport Dual Independent display support not unlike the desktop ones. Integrated Audio Codec and Gigabit Ethernet MAC are also offered.

PCI expansion will be available on all 3 Business chipsets.