Biostar is ready with its pair of mid-range motherboards for the upcoming LGA1155 Sandy Bridge processor platform, based on the Intel P67/H67 Express chipsets. The two were earlier pictured in their pre-release forms at this year's Computex event. Both models fall into the company's mid-range TSeries family. The TSeries TP67XE is the larger (ATX) model that builds slightly over the chipset's feature set, it is outfitted with USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s (2 ports each). The rather high-end looking CPU VRM uses a total of 9 phases, power is drawn from two 8-pin ATX EPS connectors (probably connecting both connectors is optional, and only to enhance overclocking). Expansion slots include two each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x8/x8, when both are populated), PCI-Express x1, and PCI. Connectivity includes 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, FireWire, eSATA 3 Gb/s, and a number of USB 2.0 ports.

The second smaller (micro-ATX) board, the TSeries TH67XE, is based on the H67 chipset, and supports FDI that lets you use the integrated graphics processor on some processors. It uses a simpler 6+1 phase VRM, and goes slightly easy on the overclocking-capability department, but does retain USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16, one PCI-Express x16 (electrical x4), a PCI-Express x1, and a PCI. One out of six of the SATA 3 Gb/s channels from the PCH are assigned as an eSATA port. Other connectivity features include 8-channel HD audio, FireWire, gigabit Ethernet. Display connectivity includes DVI and D-Sub. Both boards will be out by the year's end, when Intel releases its new processor platform.

Having turned its most profitable quarter, Intel is banking on its vast lineup of the 2010 Core processors, which will be updated towards the end of the year. By 2011, Intel will have a new series of second generation Core i7, Core i5, and Core i3 processors, based on a brand new architecture, and built for new sockets and chipsets. A roadmap of the same reached sections of the European media, which shows the company to be almost ready with a full-fledged lineup of desktop processors covering most price-points, by 2011.

The new architecture on which these processors are based is referred to by Intel as "Sandy Bridge", key features of which include the inclusion of the new Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), a more advanced instruction set than SSE, to accelerate complex applications. AVX aside, there's Turbo Boost technology 2.0 that comes with even smarter algorithms to automatically manage clock speeds of individual processor cores to maximize performance within the processor's TDP envelope, AES-NI, which is a more manageable hardware data encryption instruction set, and processors with integrated graphics (IGP) controllers will have even faster ones, because Intel will be relocating the IGP and memory controller to the same die as the processor cores, this IGP is referred to as Intel "GT2" graphics.

At this year's Computex event, some of the most unexpected exhibits were socket LGA1155 motherboards based on Intel 6-series chipsets, across the board, from virtually every major motherboard vendor. Unexpected, because it's been less than an year since released mainstream derivatives of the Nehalem/Westmere architectures that use the LGA1156 socket. LGA1155 will form the base for performance, mainstream, and value segments of processors based on the upcoming Sandy Bridge architecture, which is a generation successor of Nehalem. With so many motherboard vendors showing off their creations in release-grade conditions, it is obvious that engineering samples of processors to go with them are already on the loose and will land in some enthusiast's hands. It did, in the skillful hands of Coolaler, who wasted no time in putting it through a quick run through popular benchmarks.

Coolaler tested an LGA1155 quad-core processor operating at 2.5 GHz, which CPU-Z can't name but marks it as a Sandy Bridge engineering sample. Among the little that's known about this processor, is that it has a base clock speed of 100 MHz (Nehalem/Westmere processors use BClk of 133 MHz), which means that to achieve 2.5 GHz, it uses a multiplier value of 25. It has all the instruction sets of Westmere including SSE 4.2 and AES acceleration, but also features AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions), a successor to SSE 4.2 which expands the processor's number crunching abilities, and increases performance per MHz. The cache structure up to the second level is the same (32 KB L1I, 32 KB L1D, 256 KB /core L2), but uses a smaller L3 cache at 6 MB (compared to 8 MB on Lynnfield). HyperThreading technology provides the OS with 8 logical CPUs to deal with.

ECS showed off a trio of socket LGA-1155 Black Series motherboards based on the Intel P67 chipset, designed for next-generation Sandy Bridge processors. It consisted of the high-end P67H2-A, upper-mid range P67H2-A2, and mid-range micro-ATX P67H2-M. The P67H2-A packs most high-end features, making use of an nForce 200 bridge chip, to give out three PCI-Express x16 slots (x16, x16, NC or x16, x8, x8), supporting 3-way SLI and CrossFireX, USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, and certain overclocker-friendly features. Expansion slots include 3x PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, and 2x PCI. Connectivity includes dual Gigabit Ethernet.

The P67H2-A2, while lighter on features, is equally overclocker-friendly, in fact more. A rotary-knob on the board has 9 digits, each digit stepping the BClk by 5%, giving the knob the ability to overclock the processor by 45% on the fly. Expansion slots include 2x PCI-E x16 (x16, NC or x8, x8), PCI-E x1, and 2x PCI. There are two SATA 6 Gb/s controllers for 4 internal ports, 4 SATA 3 Gb/s, dual gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel audio, and USB 3.0. The P67H2-M is the simplest of them all. The micro-ATX motherboard features PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, and PCI; 2x SATA 6 Gb/s, 3x SATA 3 Gb/s, 2x eSATA 3 Gb/s; 8-channel audio, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and USB 3.0. As with every other LGA-1155 motherboard, these can be expected only in 2011.

Gigabyte is next in line to exhibit its product readiness for Intel's next-generation "Sandy Bridge" socket LGA-1155 processors that release next year, with the company showing off its high-end GA-P67A-UD7 motherboard. Resembling the GA-P55A-UD7 in many aspects, this board features a 24-phase VRM. Apart from the Intel P67 PCH, an NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip multiplies the processor's 16 PCI-E 2.0 lanes intro 32 PCI-E 2.0 lanes, which split up between four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, depending on how they are populated. The monolithic VRM+chipset cooler has a water-block for better cooling. Other expansion slots include one PCI-E x1, and two PCI. The usual plethora of connectivity features, such as dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, eSATA, and 7.1 channel HD audio, are also present. Expect this board to be out in 2011.

Following Biostar's display of its socket LGA-1155 motherboard, market-heavyweights ASUS and MSI were also seen exhibiting their LGA-1156 motherboards based on the Intel P67 chipset. The ASUS P8P67D EVO uses 12+2 phase CPU VRM, has four DIMM slots for dual-channel DDR3 memory, and expansion slots which include two PCI-Express x16 (electrical x8 when both are populated), two PCI, and three PCI-E x1. MSI's P67A-GD65 uses an 8+1 phase VRM with High-C capacitors. Both models feature SATA 6 Gb/s, USB 3.0, and other features commonly found in today's P55-based motherboards, with the difference of the LGA-1155 socket that will fit next-generation Sandy Bridge processors. LGA-1155 is not compatible with LGA-1156, probably except for the cooler mount hole spacing. LGA-1155 platform will likely be introduced in early 2011, looking at how major motherboard vendors are ready with their products in time for this year's Computex event, which is the large major IT exposium before next year's CES.

Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge processor architecture which uses the new LGA-1155 socket seems to be closer than one would think, with motherboard vendors such as Biostar being ready with motherboards that run those processors. The motherboard vendor showed off two socket LGA-1155 motherboards that are based on the Intel P67 and H67 chipsets. The P67 is engineered to be the chipset for processors that need discrete graphics, the chipset lacks the Intel FDI technology needed to connect the processors' embedded graphics controller to display outputs on the motherboard, whereas the H67 does, and is designed for processors with embedded graphics.

The first spot is the TP67XE, based on the P67. This ATX motherboard has all the features of a mid-range performance board. The processor is powered by a 4+2 phase VRM, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. It is said that the Sandy Bridge processors will have higher reference DRAM speeds than present Nehalem/Westmere chips (which have DDR3-1066 and DDR3-1333 depending on the model), expansion slots include one PCI-Express x16, one PCI-E x16 (electrical x4), two PCI-E x1, and two PCI. While the board has padding for a 2-port 3rd party USB 3.0 controller, it is indicated that Intel 6-series chipsets will finally introduce native SATA 6 Gb/s.

Intel plans a pair of new sockets for launch with its new processor architecture that succeeds Westmere, codenamed "Sandy Bridge", which are due for 2011. As part of its "tick-tock" product launch strategy, the company is currently transitioning between the 45 nm "tock" (Nehalem architecture), and 32 nm "tick" (Westmere architecture). In 2011, it will transition from the 32 nm "tick" (Westmere architecture), to the 32 nm "tock" (Sandy Bridge architecture). The company uses a "tick-tock" model of process development, where each processor architecture gets to be made in two successive manufacturing processes, while each process gets to build two succeeding architectures. It seems to have become clear that with Sandy Bridge, Intel will also switch to new socket designs, making existing motherboards obsolete then. Architecturally, Sandy Bridge will introduce new feature-sets that make the CPU more powerful, clock-to-clock, such as AVX - Advanced Vector Extensions, an evolution of the SSE instruction set, native AES engine which has been introduced with Westmere, and so on.

The present LGA-1156 package on which Intel builds value-through-performance processors including a bulk of mainstream processors, will be succeeded with the LGA-1155 package. Though similar, LGA-1155 and LGA-1156 are not inter-compatible, meaning that LGA-1155 processors will not work on existing LGA-1156 motherboards, and LGA-1156 processors will not work on LGA-1155 motherboards, either. For these processors, the arrangement of vital components is similar to the LGA-1156 package, except that every LGA-1155 processor - dual-core or quad-core - will feature an on-die display controller.

Intel's mainstream market implementation of the Nehalem architecture will come in the form of monolithic quad-core a dual-core chips that have northbridge machinery integrated. Based on the Lynnfield (quad-core) and Arandale (dual-core) designs, Intel will place the processors on a common system design dubbed the "Ibex-Peak". The processors are likely to be branded as Core i5, Core i4 or even Core i3 depending on a lot of factors. Additionally, Intel plans enterprise variants of the said chips.

To seat these chips, Intel is designing new sockets: LGA-1155, LGA-1156 the two can be classified into the sockets for the desktop variants, with another LGA-1167 socket most likely to be exclusive for the Xeon variants. PCGH sourced some images from Intel's Design Development Tools (DDT) portal (found here), which tell that Intel names its new series of sockets as "socket H". Pictured below is a processor package viewed from its business-end. The other three you can see, are interposer-boards. These are devices that resemble the actual product packages that sit on the sockets. You can see a grid of leads over the "IHS" of the package. The leads serve to help in the technical development of products based on the package design, hence it is found on the DDT portal. It should give you an idea of what an LGA-1155, LGA-1156 and LGA-1167 processor should look like, sans the leads on the IHS. The images below in the same order. Finally, pictured much earlier, is the Ibex-Peak platform motherboard that demonstrates the design.