P35
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| Intel P35 Express | ||
| Specifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| P35 GMCH | ||
| Supported Processors | Core 2 Duo | |
| Supported Sockets | LGA775 | |
| Supported FSBs | 1333MHz | |
| Memory Capacity | 8GB (4x2GB) | |
| Memory Type | DDR3-1066
DDR2-800 | |
| Memory Bandwidth | 17GB/s (DDR3)
12.8GB/s (DDR2) | |
| Graphics | PCI-E X16 (1) | |
| ICH9/ICH9R/ICH9DH | ||
| USB 2.0 Ports | 12 | |
| SATA Ports | 6 (ICH9R/ICH9DH), 4 (ICH9) | |
| eSATA Ports | yes | |
| RAID Support | ICH9R and ICH9DH only | |
| PCI-E Slots | PCI-E (6) | |
| Ethernet | Gigabit (1) | |
| Audio | HD Audio | |
Contents |
Introduction
The P35 Express chipset is the first in a lineup of next generation chipsets for Intel's Core 2 processor lineup. Replacing the existing P965 chipset, the new P35 adds support for new technology such as DDR3 memory and a faster front-side bus. Additionally, the P35 chipset also offers native support for Intel Turbo Memory (aka Robson Cache) technology that allows a block of high-speed flash memory to be attached to the system to help improve performance. As the P35 is the mainstream offering in the new line of chipsets, it is likely that most Intel-based systems will be based on this product going forward.
Major Features
DDR3 Support
The most significant change in this chipset is the addition of support for DDR3 memory. This newer memory provides a number of improvements, that lead to both higher performance and lower power consumption. Since the communication between the chipset and memory is electrically incompatible, DDR3 DIMMs are keyed so that the modules will be mechanically incompatible with DDR2 slots. As such, support for this new memory will mean that existing RAM will no longer be compatible with systems supporting this new form of memory.
Current indications show improvements in memory bandwidth of approximately 10-15% over DDR2-based systems, so this new form of memory does have the potential to provide significant benefits to many workflows. This will naturally be contingent on the specific modules chosen by the user, however the newer memory standard provides significantly more headroom than it's predecessors. Please see the DDR3 article for more information on these benefits.
It is, however, important to note that the P35 chipset can also support DDR2 memory if desired, however the motherboard must be designed differently to support each type of memory. As such, most motherboard manufacturers will be providing users with the option of purchasing either DDR2 or DDR3 boards using this chipset. This will allow users to elect to stick with the older DDR2 memory that they may already have, however it will mean they will not be able to use the new memory without replacing their motherboards.
1333MHz Front-Side Bus
The second major improvement provided in this generation of chipsets is support for processors using a 1333MHz front-side bus. As the FSB is the link that connects the processor to the rest of the system, the additional bandwidth provided by this higher speed link helps to prevent bottlenecks from forming. Coupled with the higher bandwidth provided by the DDR3 memory, this allows the system to chew through large blocks of data at a faster rate than before.
Intel Turbo Memory
The Intel P35 chipset adds the ability to use a bank of high-performance flash memory as a cache to help improve the performance of the system. When used with an operating system that supports this technology (such as Windows Vista), Intel Turbo Memory allows the system to store commonly used data on this bank of non-volatile memory. While this technology is unlikely to provide much improvement in image processing tasks, it does have the potential to provide significant acceleration to boot times and software loading times. While not a major thing, given the rapidly falling prices of flash modules this technology should provide a relatively low-cost way to make the system more responsive to the user.
See Also
- Intel 965 - The predecessor to the Intel P35 chipset.
- Intel X38 - Upcoming high-end chipset that will replace the 975x chipset.
