Conroe Northbridge Might Arrive In Q2'06

ASRock To Offer Inexpensive SLI 32x Motherboards

Bad Axe - Intel Desktop Board D975XBX

Infineon Introduces First One-Chip Multi-Band WCDMA/EDGE Transceiver

Conroe Northbridge Might Arrive In Q2'06

Hardspell posted some details on the Northbridge for Intel's Conroe processors. They write that it will see the light in Q2 this year. And since we all know that i945/955 won't support Conroe for sure, the release of i965/975 should be very close to and synchronized with Conroe sales.

The chipset codenamed BroadWater will have "965" digits in its name and will become the key product to support Conroe. Specific models will be named G965, P965, etc., the source states.

As for the technical details, the Northbridge will support FSB up to 1066MHz and DDR2-800 Dual Channel memory. The integrated G965 will use a combination of graphic means named "Advanced Media Capability". Another model, Q965, will be offered for the corporate market. With features identical to G965's, this one will feature two independent video outputs to simplify and reduce prices of multi-monitor configurations.

The 965-based Northbridges might be supported by the simultaneously released ICH8 Southbridge Series that will include ICH8R, ICH8DH, and ICH8HO models.

Source: Hardspell

ASRock To Offer Inexpensive SLI 32x Motherboards

According to the source, these days ASRock will start retailing 939SLI32-eSATA2 and 939SLI-eSATA2 motherboards on ULi's single-chip core logic.

As the model names imply, solutions are designed for AMD Socket 939 CPUs (Socket 940 adapter is an option) and support SLI (2 x PCI-Express x8) and SLI 32x (2 x PCI-Express x16). The price tag is expected to be about $85.

To provide SLI 32x, 939SLI32-eSATA2 utilizes M1695 and M1697 chips. The 939SLI-eSATA2 has only M1697. Besides the support for PCI Express x16, core logic features 3Gbps Serial ATA/eSATA and 7.1ch audio codec. Also onboard: 3 x PCI, 4 x DIMM (up to 4GB of DDR400).

Source: Akihabara News

Bad Axe - Intel Desktop Board D975XBX

Intel released its own motherboard on the Intel 975X Express chipset - the Desktop Board D975XBX codenamed "Bad Axe". The solution naturally supports Pentium 4 LGA775 CPUs and is meant for enthusiasts who need fast system performance.

Specifications:

• Supports Intel Pentium Extreme Edition/Pentium D/Pentium 4 (LGA775)
• Intel 975X
• 1066/800 MHz FSB
• 4 x sockets for up to 8GB of 667/533 MHz DDR2 SDRAM DIMM
• Intel High Definition Audio
• Intel 82573E/82573L Gigabit Ethernet
• 8 x USB 2.0, 1 x serial, 1 x parallel, 4 x SATA (with RAID), 1 x ATA IDE (UDMA-33, ATA-66/100), PS/2
• Primary PCI Express x16 (x8), Secondary PCI Express x16 (x8), PCI Express x16 (x4)
• BX97510J.86A BIOS
• Passive cooling on chipset and MOSFETs
• ATX form-factor, 304.80 x 243.84mm

Source: Intel

Infineon Introduces First One-Chip Multi-Band WCDMA/EDGE Transceiver

Infineon Technologies announced sample availability of the SMARTi 3GE dual-mode WCDMA/EDGE radio frequency (RF) transceiver. With this newest addition to its SMARTi RF transceiver family, Infineon offers the world's first one-chip, six-band WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) and quad-band EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Evolution) solution.

The SMARTi 3GE is based on the proven architecture of the SMARTi PM, a quad-band GSM/EDGE transceiver, and the SMARTi 3G, a six-band WCDMA transceiver with HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) capabilities. It measures just 6 by 6 square millimeters (0.24 x 0.24 square inches) and frees up more than 40 percent of board space compared to Infineon's previous two-chip solution, consisting of the currently available SMARTi PM and SMARTi 3G transceivers.

Full software compatibility of the SMARTi 3GE with the two-chip solution offers a smooth transition to the next integration step for all the customers currently working with stand-alone transceivers. Moreover, the standard I/Q interface and three-wire bus programming address the majority of available baseband processors.

SMARTi3 GE handles quad-band GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and currently defined WCDMA bands I through VI, allowing global roaming between Europe, the USA and Japan. The integration of bands II (1900 MHz), IV (1.7/2.1 GHz) and V (850 MHz) is addressing the requirements of the USA market in particular. For emerging data applications, the SMARTi 3GE chip offers data rates as high as 7.2 Mbps in WCDMA downlink by supporting the HSDPA protocol category 8.

The SMARTi 3GE chip is based on Infineon's standard 130 nm CMOS RF technology. It is housed in Green (lead-free and halogen-free) leadless packages.

Samples are available now and are already evaluated by several customers. The ramp-up of SMARTi 3GE is scheduled for 4th quarter 2006.

Source: Infineon Technologies

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