Six-core Nehalem coming to LGA 1366 this year

**onethreehill** · 06-10-2009, 12:55 AM

According to sources close to Intel, the company is planning to release a six-core Nehalem processor in roughly the same timeframe as the big Lynnfield/P55 release scheduled for later this year.

Our sources said that the new chip will drop into existing X58/LGA1366 motherboards with a BIOS update. We’re told that most board manufacturers have already added support, so unless you’re running an outdated BIOS release, there’s no need to worry about whether your board will work with the new chip or not.

It will sit alongside the Core i7 975 on this platform as Intel plans to discontinue every other Core i7 CPU later this year. What was interesting though was that the new chip apparently won’t fit under the Core i7 moniker. When probed, the sources said that Intel hadn’t finalised the name for this chip but were fairly certain that it wouldn’t fall under the i7 brand.

While we were talking about Intel’s current (and future) branding strategy, the source said that Intel had referred to its Lynnfield processors under the ‘Core i5’ moniker all along, which of course raises questions about Intel’s earlier statement. It could, however, be that Intel has decided to re-think its branding strategy for all of its new CPUs.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardwar...ng-this-year/1

**SoulsCollective** · 06-10-2009, 12:58 AM

I very much doubt Intel plans to EOL all it's desktop range apart from the 975. In other news, though, a 1366 hexacore part will form a very nice cruncher - particularly if they release a lower-clocked Xeon part at an appropriately lower price-point.

**junkun13** · 06-10-2009, 01:00 AM

so this is better than the i7s?

**Shintai** · 06-10-2009, 01:00 AM

Sounds wrong.

Lynnfield(45nm Quadcore) is a Q3 product. Clarkdale(32nm CPU+45nmIGP) is a Q4. And Gulftown(32nm 6core) is Q1 2010.

Originally Posted by junkun13

so this is better than the i7s?

Its a 32nm slightly improved i7 with 2 more cores.

**~~MomijiTMO~~** · 06-10-2009, 01:01 AM

Yeah well I'd believe it if someone else reported it apart from Bit Tech.

Actually that article definitely seems to be softening the reader up for a future news article that says i7 is here to stay.

**Helmore** · 06-10-2009, 01:02 AM

I don't believe we will be seeing Gulftown that early, that source is basically saying that we should be seeing Gulftown around September and that seems way too early to me. Or Intel has really pushed hard to get its 32 nm process node ready for production. What I could believe though, is that we will have Gulftown in retail before the end of the year. Ah well, we will see how things will work out eventually.

**Logos** · 06-10-2009, 01:05 AM

considering the news comes from BitTech, I'd be tempted to trust it...OK this said the compatibility between a six core CPU and current X58/LGA1366 sounds like extremely good news, as that's exactly what I feared for a few months, knowing that "more cores nehalem cpu's " were about to be released soon or later, I doubted about the compatibility. If true that's really nice.

**~~MomijiTMO~~** · 06-10-2009, 01:08 AM

Over the last few weeks all i7 going away, coming back, going away was from Bit Tech.

**Logos** · 06-10-2009, 01:10 AM

Originally Posted by MomijiTMO

Over the last few weeks all i7 going away, coming back, going away was from Bit Tech.

oh OK then

...yeah the six core part of the news might be true, but I admit I found the so soon disappearance of 920 and 950 very doubtful...especially the 950 that just came out.

**naokaji** · 06-10-2009, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by Logos

oh OK then

...yeah the six core part of the news might be true, but I admit I found the so soon disappearance of 920 and 950 very doubtful...especially the 950 that just came out.

I7 launched when? nov 08? so with the 950 having launched in may 09 it is certainly possible that the 950 is already being replaced again at the end of 09.

And 920 won't sell anymore if it turns out true that the I5 turbo will be more than just +1.

6 core lga1366 chips at the end of 09? sounds good, but I fear they are a tad too optimistic and it might end up launching in 2010 instead.

**Helmore** · 06-10-2009, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by Logos

oh OK then

...yeah the six core part of the news might be true, but I admit I found the so soon disappearance of 920 and 950 very doubtful...especially the 950 that just came out.

They said Core i7 920 and 940 (and possibly 950) would disappear when Gulftown (6-core Nehalem) arrives, that does not mean they would disappear soon. Also, Intel has always indicated that Gulftown would work on current Intel X58 motherboards.

**Mats** · 06-10-2009, 01:35 AM

I think it's possible, Intel wants the i7 to look much better than i5, so they EOL 920 without getting a replace for it, and adds the 6C.
i7 will still be the fastest available, just like when it showed up. A lot of people will miss that <$300 CPU, but i5 and Xeon will make up for that.
If it shows up in september or two months later doesn't matter to me.

**BulldogPO** · 06-10-2009, 01:40 AM

Would be powerful cruncher

BTW, Are they going to give axe for W3520 CPU´s also?

**LinkinParkBoy** · 06-10-2009, 01:53 AM

Six Core + 12 Threads + 32nm = Godlike :P

**saaya** · 06-10-2009, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by Shintai

Sounds wrong.

Lynnfield(45nm Quadcore) is a Q3 product. Clarkdale(32nm CPU+45nmIGP) is a Q4. And Gulftown(32nm 6core) is Q1 2010.

Its a 32nm slightly improved i7 with 2 more cores.

lynnfield is Q3 or Q4
clarkdale is Q1 2010
gulftown is Q1 2010

so thats probably why bittech said gulftown comes together with 1156 chips.

**~~Chad Boga~~** · 06-10-2009, 02:16 AM

It will be funny to see on many benchmarks(particularly gaming) this 6 core won't be any faster than the i975, let alone the Quad they could have brought out instead.

**SoulsCollective** · 06-10-2009, 02:27 AM

Originally Posted by BulldogPO

BTW, Are they going to give axe for W3520 CPU´s also?

Acording to popular opinion, no. The Xeon lineup will remain unchanged - thus prompting the common response of "who cares, I'll just get a Xeon".

**naokaji** · 06-10-2009, 02:38 AM

Originally Posted by Chad Boga

It will be funny to see on many benchmarks(particularly gaming) this 6 core won't be any faster than the i975, let alone the Quad they could have brought out instead.

If you just want to play games on a pc, get a E5x00, or a E7x00 and a cheap p45 board...

There are plenty of applications that do scale nicely with more cores, games are not among them though as the consoles don't get upgrades and with 99% of games being crappy ports any progress in pc hardware is a waste for gaming.

**~~Chad Boga~~** · 06-10-2009, 02:45 AM

Originally Posted by naokaji

If you just want to play games on a pc, get a E5x00, or a E7x00 and a cheap p45 board...

Not enough today or for the next 2 years.

There are plenty of applications that do scale nicely with more cores

Yeah for the 10% or less of desktop users who will benefit from a Hex over a faster Quad.

Actually perhaps if they have implemented Lynnefield's Turbo pattern it won't be such a loss at stock speeds, but one loses out if they want to overclock.

**inCore** · 06-10-2009, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by naokaji

If you just want to play games on a pc, get a E5x00, or a E7x00 and a cheap p45 board...

There are plenty of applications that do scale nicely with more cores, games are not among them though as the consoles don't get upgrades and with 99% of games being crappy ports any progress in pc hardware is a waste for gaming.

Yup, my E8400 is fine for ~100% of all games. There are exceptions, of course, but generally speaking I'd be happy with it if I only gamed.

Once I started crunching and photo editing, things changed.