Possible X58 / ICH10 refresh?

nightmare99 · 2 Sep 2010 at 00:46

I just noticed that Intel plan to launch a refreshed version of thier X58 board at the end of the year (Smackover2 replaces Smackover) and these spec lines caught my attension,

USB Ports : Twelve High Speed USB 3.0 Ports (six back panel ports and six additional ports via three internal headers)

Storage : Ten SATA Ports (6.0Gb/s) and two eSATA ports

So either Intel are planing on upgrading ICH10 out of the blue (thier are no additional mentions of USB 2.0 or SATA 3.0Gb/s) or they are putting a hell of a lot of additional controller ICs on thier new board.

Monkeynut · 2 Sep 2010 at 01:03

Tomato Source?

nightmare99 · 2 Sep 2010 at 01:11

It is from an Intel product guide. I will post a screen shot up on my site in a min. If it is correct I certainly did not expect this.

Edit: screen shot posted here http://www.sys-builder.com/2010/09/possible-x58-ich10-refresh/

AtreuS · 2 Sep 2010 at 10:09

Damn

how come whenever i buy something nice ( UD7 ) something comes along a month later to make me with id waited.

ZXSpectrum · 2 Sep 2010 at 10:39

Ooooh 6 DDR3 slots.. About bloody time!!!

nightmare99 · 2 Sep 2010 at 11:15

Ooooh 6 DDR3 slots.. About bloody time!!!

With this configuration intel are treating you

nightmare99 · 2 Sep 2010 at 11:17

@Skyline, I take it you are exclusivly using Intel boards? how will you handle the front USB with this board for example as it does not look like there will be any USB2.0 front panel headers?

ZXSpectrum · 2 Sep 2010 at 18:17

I dunno i would expect the USB3 front panel headers to be backward compatible on this board.

We used to just be intel orientated but when they bought out the SO board with only 4 DDR3 slots, and even though they stated that when the 4th slot was used it DIDNT reduce memory performance but it dramatically did, we changed to alternative boards as most of our customers want at least 12gb.

GHarris · 2 Sep 2010 at 19:38

It would be nice if this is true, but I doubt it. All previous signs have pointed to Intel being interested in actively slowing down the adoption of USB3 to give their proprietary Lightpeak tech a helping hand. And Sandy Bridge, the replacement for socket 1156, is thought not to support "native" USB 3 at all (never mind twelve ports' worth of it).

Oh and I have never heard of "sys-builder.com" before.

thingemajib · 2 Sep 2010 at 19:54

interesting, but googling the model number (dx58s02) brings up one hit and one hit only. This hit being a german/dutch site, which brings up the german equivilent of "page cannot be found"

sorry pal, but i think im gonna have to call BS on this one :/

Cycrow · 2 Sep 2010 at 20:10

Skyline said:
Ooooh 6 DDR3 slots.. About bloody time!!!

X58 has always had 6 DDR3 slots

nightmare99 · 2 Sep 2010 at 20:18

It would be nice if this is true, but I doubt it. And Sandy Bridge, the replacement for socket 1156, is thought not to support "native" USB 3 at all (never mind twelve ports' worth of it).

Oh and I have never heard of "sys-builder.com" before.

We are talking about socket 1366 here not 1156 (which does not have USB3.0 support in the chipset as you can see on anands preview). It was rumoured some time back this chipset combination would be launched as X68 but it looks like they are keeping it as X58. That webiste is just my own play space, I took that screen cap from an Intel product matrix that any Intel partner can download.

I dunno i would expect the USB3 front panel headers to be backward compatible on this board.

The pin header that Intel submitted to the USB-IF has more pins and the smaller pitch so I can't see it working with existing front panel USB 2.0 without some kind of adaptor, maybe they are using a different method on this board perhaps?

It is also very interesting thinking about how Intel will handle this transition, will they sell X58 + the new southbridge at a higher price or discount X58 + ICH10? Remember you are going to have X58 boards with USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s support without the need for additional controller chips so I think we may see price slashing of the existing X58 boards as no mainboard manufacturer is going to want to get stuck with the old ones.

nightmare99 · 3 Sep 2010 at 09:40

X58 has always had 6 DDR3 slots

Intel's own X58SO Smackover board has a weird 4 slot configuration.

ZXSpectrum · 3 Sep 2010 at 11:47

Ah i see what you mean.. The darker blue ones to the right are the USB2.0 ones for the front of the chassis. I can only assume that there will be a dedicated USB3 port on the rear of the machine i/o plate and that lighter blue connector is for some sort of additional flylead for additional ports.

ZXSpectrum · 3 Sep 2010 at 11:48

thingemajib said:
interesting, but googling the model number (dx58s02) brings up one hit and one hit only. This hit being a german/dutch site, which brings up the german equivilent of "page cannot be found"

sorry pal, but i think im gonna have to call BS on this one :/

LOL.. Ok sorry, i am not an intel ipp and i do not have access to the intel product matrix or roadmap...

:rolleyes:

nightmare99 · 3 Sep 2010 at 12:19

interesting, but googling the model number (dx58s02) brings up one hit and one hit only

you googled the wrong thing for starters it is X58SO2 not X58S02 (SO for SmackOver)

Ah i see what you mean.. The darker blue ones to the right are the USB2.0 ones for the front of the chassis.

Sorry to confuse that is a shot of an Asrock board which has USB2.0 and USB 3.0 provided by additional chips, this new Smackover board will have 6x Blue USB3.0 ports on the rear and 3x of those light blue type headers you see on that asrock board.

ZXSpectrum · 3 Sep 2010 at 12:44

Hummm... Pass.. Maybe they are using a connector that is backwardly compatible... Guess we wont know for sure until the pics of the boards arrive. Its the ICC Next month so i guess there will be some ES floating about there.

nightmare99 · 3 Sep 2010 at 12:47

Its the ICC Next month so i guess there will be some ES floating about there.

Yeah will have to try and pcoket one lol

ZXSpectrum · 3 Sep 2010 at 13:20

LOL.. i have been trying for years... I cant see Intel supplying a motherboard that you need a new case to use the front access on. Maybe that spec is preliminary and its only showing the USB3 and there will be one or 2 front access usb2.0. or it could even be bundled with a 3.5" bay port thingy like the old 925 boards were..

thingemajib · 3 Sep 2010 at 13:25

nightmare99 said:
you googled the wrong thing for starters it is X58SO2 not X58S02 (SO for SmackOver)

Googling that one just brings up this thread and your site (not that im bashing your site

). Sorry, i didnt mean to sound rude or anything, but im pretty sure Intel is fairly anti-USB3 at the mo, because of lightpeak. Also, im pretty skeptic that they could upgrade every usb port just like that, when the best controller you can currently get does just two ports (or is there a four port version now? feel free to correct me on that). I seem to recall that one of the reasons why AMD sb8xx/ Intel ICH11 weren't supporting native usb3 was because the controller would take up so much die space.

I also seem to recall (now this is borderline hazy so im probably wrong on this bit) that the first fusion chipset with native usb3 (cant remember which one) will only have two ports for the same reason.