Thursday, March 20th 2014
Intel Updates Desktop CPU Roadmap, Haswell-E, Broadwell, Devil's Canyon Blip
At GDC, Intel announced a backpedal from its plans to eventually reshape desktop CPUs into components that come hardwired to the motherboards across the line, by announcing three new CPU families. It includes the Haswell-E HEDT platform, Broadwell performance platform, and Devil's Canyon. The three are expected to launch in reverse order, beginning with Devil's Canyon. A variant of existing "Haswell" silicon in the LGA1150 package, Devil's Canyon is codename for a breed of hand-picked chips with "insane" overclocking potential. In addition to binned dies, the chips feature a performance-optimized TIM between the die and the integrated heatspreader (IHS). The dies will be placed on special "high tolerance" packages, with equally "special" LGA contact points. The chips will be designed with higher voltage tolerance levels. Devil's Canyon is expected to branded under the existing Core i7-4xxx series, possibly with "Extreme" brand extension. It will be compatible with motherboards based on the Z97 chipset.
Next up, is "Broadwell." A successor to Haswell, Broadwell is its optical shrink to Intel's new 14-nanometer silicon fab process, with minor improvements to IPC, new power-management features, and likely added instruction sets, much like what "Ivy Bridge" was to "Sandy Bridge." It will take advantage of the new process to step up CPU and iGPU clock speeds. Broadwell is expected to launch in the second half of 2014. Lastly, there's Haswell-E. Built in the company's next-gen LGA2011 socket (incompatible with the current LGA2011), this HEDT (high-end desktop) processor will feature up to eight CPU cores, up to 15 MB of L3 cache, a 48-lane PCI-Express 3.0 root complex, and a quad-channel DDR4 integrated memory controller (IMC). Intel is also planning to launch a socketed variant of the Core i7-4770R, which is based on the company's Haswell GT3e silicon, which features the Iris Pro 5200 graphics core, with 40 execution units, and 128 MB of L4 cache.
Next up, is "Broadwell." A successor to Haswell, Broadwell is its optical shrink to Intel's new 14-nanometer silicon fab process, with minor improvements to IPC, new power-management features, and likely added instruction sets, much like what "Ivy Bridge" was to "Sandy Bridge." It will take advantage of the new process to step up CPU and iGPU clock speeds. Broadwell is expected to launch in the second half of 2014. Lastly, there's Haswell-E. Built in the company's next-gen LGA2011 socket (incompatible with the current LGA2011), this HEDT (high-end desktop) processor will feature up to eight CPU cores, up to 15 MB of L3 cache, a 48-lane PCI-Express 3.0 root complex, and a quad-channel DDR4 integrated memory controller (IMC). Intel is also planning to launch a socketed variant of the Core i7-4770R, which is based on the company's Haswell GT3e silicon, which features the Iris Pro 5200 graphics core, with 40 execution units, and 128 MB of L4 cache.
29 Comments on Intel Updates Desktop CPU Roadmap, Haswell-E, Broadwell, Devil's Canyon Blip
basic models for every day users
K chips for people who want a mild OC
insanely priced chips with huge OC advantages
works for me, i'll happily go the middle option there.
just because its heading that way, doesnt mean we'll get there any time soon. intels performance per core is going to be an advantage for some time to come.
I'm really interested in:
Edit::oops: I don't like doing this and I think it's "bad form", but the write up on this over at The Tech Report is much more informative, IMHO.
i went Q6600 -> Xeon E3120 (roughly an E8400) -> x6 1080T -> i5, and every single step of the way was a massive improvement to performance.
The rest of this crap is rather routine. Yes, Haswell will have an enthusiast chip. Yes, Haswell will have a successor. Yes, Intel is backing away from the decision to make everything tied irreparably into a motherboard choice. I'm less excited about that, though confirmation is good.
I'm also looking at this, and wondering exactly what is going to be used on those heat spreaders. It makes precious little sense to have a specific overclocking line, when you're cutting OCs by using cheap thermal paste. At the same time, Intel cutting costs by demonstrating viable chips with only paste will be a hard thing to get bean counters to back away from. That PCMA is interesting, but way more expensive than the thermal pastes they seem to already utilize. Whatever they choose, that kind of thing costs money and if AMD doesn't provide some high level competition then we're kinda screwed as consumers. Intel isn't shy about making consumers pay for their products.
Call me cautiously optimistic that Intel is promising reasonable tech in their future. I would be less than pleased if the SB-e (specifically the X79 chipset) style under-delivered final product was a recurring thing. I'm still looking for the 12 SATA III and 8 USB 3.0 ports on a board less than $1000, if it's being offered at all. Before someone comments, no I don't accept having 48 PCI-e lanes as a justifiable replacement. It's great for multi-gpu rigs, but when a new PCH has less native connectivity than the ICH10R south bridge there are some rather difficult questions to answer.
Everytime someone says how skt2011 is useful for gaming is disappointing considering 2011 wasn't designed to be a gaming platform. So people need to stop treating it as such. skt2011 is more of a server platform than it is a gaming platform.
People seem to have the hardest time understanding that the PCH is the beginning to get you started, not the end and that in most cases, sysadmins won't even use the PCH if a RAID card is handy.
All in all, if you ask yourself what you use your computer for and you answer is "gaming" skt2011(-3) is not for you and you really should stick with 1150.
Also, saturating DMI is easier than one might think, another reason to not give the PCH more than it can bite off.
1) If you bought into the X79 chipset two years ago it was the enthusiast option. There was no Xeon server option for work loads. That and 1155 was the only other socket. If you are comparing a decision several years ago to the options today you are missing reality.
2) Initial slides promised huge connectivity from the PCH. It was not delivered. This is evident because some boards enabled this additional connectivity, though Intel did not officially support it. Talk about a mixed standard.
3) There is not a single PCH for socket 2011. People seem to forget, but C606 came out after X79. C606 seems far more geared toward workstations, than what one might call an enthusiast.
4) You can always add expansion cards. Fantastic. Why am I paying $300+ for an entry level board ($600+ for anything that is meant to be more robust) that has a PCH based on 45nm fabrication, with more cooling considerations than older tech? Doubling or tripling the PCI-e lanes is great, but that means less is coming from the board. Perhaps I'm missing something, but shouldn't that mean I'm paying less for the board?
If I were buying a gaming rig today, as you seem to think I'm implying, then yes I'd get a socket 1150 board with a Z87 PCH. If it was November/December 2011, my option beyond the X79 chipset was Z77. There was no Xeon option, nothing but Ivy-bridge in socket 1155, and that is why I believe the X79 PCH underperformed. Intel knew AMD couldn't compete, pushed out a compromised solution, and because of the high price tag basically forgot that it existed. There is no X89 to address the shortcoming, despite IB-e being on the market. Intel seems to be focusing on the next enthusiast platform, and the pin incompatible "upgrade" of socket 2011. If there is a greater testament to compromised vision I do not know what it is.
This is why I'm hoping that the X99, or whatever Intel introduces for Haswell-e, is awesome. It's been more than 3 years, so looking forward to the level of connectivity that was expected for X79 doesn't seem unreasonable. If you'd like to continue defending X79 (which it doesn't need, from one X79 owner to another) then go ahead. I'm looking toward a brighter potential future.
Meanwhile, go use some of the PCI-E lanes when you start feeling the PCH is inadequate, that's whey they're there and why there are 40 of them no less. I don't know about you, but i don't plan on replacing my 2011 rig just because of the PCH.
I'm not trying to say X79 is good. I'm trying to say that if you need more than what it offers, you should be looking at expansion anyways. Cost-wise, replacing everything doesn't make sense to just add some more drives or to get USB 3.0. Anything along those lines.
There will be no reason to go to broadwell b/c it should overclock worse and heat up more. Yay.
I'd rather go back to 2004.