Intel will not launch the successor for the enthusiast platform LGA1366 until Q4 2011, but now the first pictures of a LGA2011 motherboard have started circulating. MSI has tested Intel’s new X68 chipset and its first motherboard has now been pictured, although blurred out partially.
The Intel LGA2011 platform will be based on a new version of of Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture. We’re talkling maximal CPU performance and everything what integrated graphics is has been ditched. Intel’s LGA2011 processors will sport 6 to 8 cores and target enthusiaster and workstations. For this purpoase Intel has equipped the new processors with a quad-channel DDR3 memory controller, one more than the current LGA1366 platform.
The memory support is especially interesting when we see MSI’s LGA2011 motherboard. Even if the pictures are seriously blurred we can see two memory ports on each side of the socket. There simply isn’t room for more than four slots (1 per channel) on a regular ATX motherboard.
Intel has moved more of the northbridge functions over to the CPU, which means it will do find with just a single chip for the X68 chipset. This southbridge can be seen in the lower left corner next to the expansion slots.
The board has three PCIe x16 slots for graphics cards and another couple of PCIe slots for other expansion cards. Other details are hard to tell, but the socket is crammed full of pins, 2011 to be exact. This particular model belongs to MSI’s Big Bang family and comes with OC Genie, Military Class II and a load of other features.
In Q4 2011 we should this and other Socket 2011 motherboards on the market along with fitting processors.
Source: zol.com.cn
