AfterDawn: News

Intel Ivy Bridge chips feature PCI Express 3.0

Leaked Intel roadmap confirms rumors of PCI Express 3.0 support in Ivy Bridge processors.

The integrated PCI Express controller features sixteen PCIe 3 lanes (can be routed to 1 x16 slot, or 2 x 8 slots) and four PCIe 2 lanes. The third-generation PCI Express controller raises the available bandwidth for each lane to 1GB/s from 500MB/s.



Ivy Bridge will be Intel's first processors built on 22nm technology (die shrink of Sandy Bridge architecture.) They feature several improvements over Sandy Bridge, including the PCI Express Gen 3 lanes and also a new DirectX-compatible GPU that can drive three monitors.

Coupled with the upcoming Panther Point chipset, an Ivy Bridge based system would also support USB 3.0 natively (four USB 3.0 ports, 10 USB 2.0) using a dedicated XHCI controller providing each port full 5Gbps bandwidth. Panther Point will also provide for two SATA 6Gbps ports and four SATA 3Gbps ports.

No time frame has been given for the release of Ivy Bridge processors in the roadmap.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 30 Mar 2011 14:45

• Previous article

• Nintendo 3DS has best launch for company handheld, ever

• Next article

• UK Gov-backed start-up website directs users to malware

• 6 comments

• Blessedon

  This will please gamers and high end workstation builders.
  I'll keep my Sandy Bridge though; sweetest platform I've ever had.
  Besides, reports are that Ivy Bridge will be built for a new 2011 socket, and you know what that means: yup, another chipset and new motherboards.
  Intel will need to release a hexacore LGA1155 Ivy Bridge that runs at least 3.5GHz for under $400 before anything on my system changes.
  

  30.3.2011 18:35 #1

• mike.m

  I was about to buy a Sandy Bridge Laptop early this year, but supposedly, Ivy Bridge is to come out the early second half of this year, though I've heard it might now be late 2011 or early 2012. I wonder if it's really worth it to wait for Haswell (new microarchitecture) instead, or even Rockwell (16nm die shrink). Ivy Bridge is supposed to have 1GB GPU Memory, but will be done through interposer (SI), and stacked memory (rumour). I'm wondering if they'll run into any heat dissipation problems with this. Might be better to wait for a newer architecture. Only time will tell.

  30.3.2011 19:56 #2

• KillerBug

  Quote:This will please gamers and high end workstation builders.
  Doubtful...if you read the article, it states that there are only 16 lanes...so even at double speed per lane, an SLI or crossfire system will have the same effective speed per slot as a current-gen setup with 32 PCI Express 2.0 lanes. In terms of total PCIe bandwidth, the ancient 790FX chipset had more than this "futuristic" chipset.
  

  
  

  30.3.2011 22:43 #3

• Blessedon

  Originally posted by KillerBug: Quote:This will please gamers and high end workstation builders.
  Doubtful...if you read the article, it states that there are only 16 lanes...so even at double speed per lane, an SLI or crossfire system will have the same effective speed per slot as a current-gen setup with 32 PCI Express 2.0 lanes. In terms of total PCIe bandwidth, the ancient 790FX chipset had more than this "futuristic" chipset. I am thinking that with Lucid's Virtu enabled there should be much more bandwidth. Is that not right?
  

  31.3.2011 08:31 #4

• sisir55

  Hi,
  My question is, if i have a nividia geforce gtx 570 graphic card (PCIe 2.0) can i connect it in the new motherboards with PCIe 3.0? Will those mobo have PCIe 2.0 ports along with PCIe 3.0? Can i connect my 2.0 card in 3.0 ports? Or will i have to buy a new gfx card? Thanks a lot.
  Sisir

  15.2.2012 11:55 #5

• Blessedon

  PCIe 3.0 is backward compatible with PCIe2.0.
  So the answers to your questions is; yes, yes.
  

  15.2.2012 14:09 #6