Gigabyte P55-UD5 & Core i5 Platform Preview - PAGE 1

Introduction

It's been a long time now since the launch of the Intel Core i7 platform. As of now, not many people made the move from the Core 2 platform to Core i7, due to its hefty price tag. Motherboards featuring the X58 chipset had insane prices at first -- however there are now many cheaper models out now. And the cost of triple-channel DDR3 also contributed to increase the cost of a new system, let alone the processor itself.

Some OEMs built systems featuring the Core i7 platform. Think of Dell or Alienware for example, but such system are in limited models on the market. Not all people are ready to pay $1500 and beyond for a desktop computer.

With the upcoming Lynnfield processors, upgrading to the Nehalem architecture should be more affordable. The Core i5 processors will handle dual-channel DDR3 memory only, and not triple-channel. Therefore, the integrated memory controller is simpler, and the number of socket pins is down from 1366 to 1156. Obviously, the smaller the chip is, the more can be made out of one wafer, therefore reducing manufacturing costs, and ultimately retail price. However, we don't know as of yet if Nehalem will be handicapped by that change.

Keep in mind though that not all Core i5's will be based on Intel's socket 1156 Lynnfield core though. In a naming change that may bring confusion, Intel will be offering both Clarkdale and Lynnfield design CPUs as Core i5's. Certainly however, for many enthusiasts looking for a good deal, the most interesting Core i5 will be initial Lynnfield models. 

Either way, motherboard manufacturers are getting ready for the Core i5 launch. Gigabyte, one of the world leaders in that domain, is preparing some amazing things for upcoming products. Plenty of great innovations will be at the rendezvous when Lynnfield finally hits the market. At Computex, Neoseeker had the chance to examine an early sample of the Gigabyte P55-UD5, which should give us a good idea of what to expect from this manufacturer.

Early Look at the GA-P55-UD5

The same blue/white/metallic theme goes on, obviously. That motherboard is full sized and there is no information yet about an upcoming smaller motherboard, for example 355x210mm like many current models. Overall, the motherboard looks to have many new features which we will look more in detail after.

The first main difference is, as I said in the introduction, the support for dual-channel memory only. This is why there are only four memory slots, however I have some information about the GA-EP55-UD5 which shows it to have 6 memory slots. In this case, If three memory sticks are used, they will be run in single-channel, and if six are installed, there will be three sticks running on each channel for a dual-channel configuration. Furthermore, some models may have an ONFi slot for installing a NAND flash memory module between the IDE connector and the DIMM slots. This will speed up the computer the same way Rapid Boost does in Vista.

As for the PCI-E slots, it has 3 x16 slots like the high-end X58-based boards, however for graphics it will run either at 1x16 or 2x8. We will see why on the next page.

This is where it gets interesting. On that motherboard, the white SATA ports are not controlled anymore by Gigabyte's own SATA 2 controller. They are controlled by Marvell's SATA 3 controller, meaning it offers a maximum theoretical speed of 750MB/s. Since the current SSDs are now almost at 300MB/s read, the 375MB/s of SATA 2 would soon have been a bottleneck. However, it is not confirmed yet if the mass production version will feature SATA 3. There are still a few issues to fix.

Marvell's chips are hidden under the oddly-shaped heatsink.

This motherboard also has the power, reset and CMOS clear switches for the enthusiasts running an open-air setup.

The I/O panel has changed a bit compared to previous motherboards. There are yellow ports which contain two eSATA/USB combo, making for a total of 12 SATA ports and 14 USB ports, including the onboard and front panel headers.

Another great innovation from Gigabyte is the new 24 phase power design, the industry's first, that will be present on the P55-UD6 motherboard. This allows for an optimum power delivery and a better thermal performance.

Unfortunately I cannot show you what it looks like because the P55-UD5 does not feature that VRM design:

Finally, Gigabyte is also bringing a new software on the table: the SMART 6 utility. It enhances both the performance and the security of the computer by allowing quick boot and effortless overclock, and by providing the dualBIOS technology, a system recovery utility, an activity recorder, and a time-lock. That time-lock allows parents to schedule time limits for their children to use the PC. I remember back when I was a youngster, I was given one hour per day to play video games!

Now that we have seen what Gigabyte is preparing for us, let's take a deeper look into Intel's new platform.