NVIDIA's recent announcement of extending all its multi-GPU technologies to Intel chipsets-based socket LGA-1156 motherboards, even as the company reportedly plans its own chipset, comes in at no better time than this, when rival AMD has a decent lineup of GPUs, processors, and desktop platform technologies, all of which well-oiled. To beat AMD in the game, and propagate its own GPU and multi-GPU technologies, some sort of loose alignment with Intel is inevitable, especially considering ATI CrossFireX has been freely available to motherboard makers for several product generations now.

In a recent presentation circulated to sections of the media, NVIDIA put forward a sort of quasi-platform to rival AMD Dragon, although it isn't named or defined, NVIDIA refers to it as "Power of 3". Part of its key components include Intel socket LGA-1156 processor (from the Core i3/i5/i7 series) running on a motherboard with Intel P55 chipset, Windows 7, and two or more NVIDIA GeForce GPUs. To deal with two or more GPUs, NVIDIA defines its existing "NVIDIA SLI Ready" marker and the seemingly new "NVIDIA PhysX Ready" marker. The difference between the two is that the latter lets you install a second (or third) graphics card that is dedicated to PhysX.

Here's our ASUS LGA-1156, Intel P55 motherboard for the day: TUF Series Sabertooth 55i. As a short history lesson, ASUS' TUF series motherboards was touted as a parallel to its Republic of Gamers (ROG) series, and was unveiled back in March as the "Marine cool" design, although no products made it to the market. The selling points of TUF series is unparalleled durability and next-generation motherboard components, including "breakthrough innovations in materials--ceramic and metal--for exceptional Cooling". Here's hoping this one does. The Sabertooth i55 comes across as fairly mid-range within the P55 motherboard lineup, as far as features go, but banks heavily on design innovations.

For starters, the CPU is powered by a 12+2 phase VRM, while the four DDR3 DIMM slots rely on a 2-phase VRM. For the greater part of its features, the Intel P55 chipset pithes in. Additional storage controllers provide extra SATA ports, supporting ASUS DriveXpert technology. Expansion slots include two PCI-E 2.0 x16 (arrange as x8, x8 in SLI and CrossFireX), two PCI-E x1, and two PCI. Here's where the unique features start: metal heatsinks with ceramic coating that boosts surface area by 50% for better heat dissipation. On the components front, it features durable "TUF-branded" MOSFETs, and capacitors. The DDR3 DIMM slots lack retention clips on one end, a feature implemented by ASUS with several recent motherboards, that makes sure the clips don't interfere with installed graphics cards. Although there's adequate clearance on this board, it is utilised by providing a placeholder for a fan dedicated to memory cooling. In a short presentation, ASUS describes its innovations. There's no word on its availability and pricing.

The newest entry into ASUS' already huge lineup of socket LGA-1156 motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset, is the new Republic of Gamers Maximus III Gene. Unlike the Maximus III Formula, this one is based on the micro-ATX form-factor, with four expansion slots in all, to spare. The LGA-1156 socket is powered by a high-grade 10-phase digital PWM circuit. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. With two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electically dual x8 when both populated) wired to the CPU, the board utilizes the feature-set of the P55 PCH completely. An open-ended PCI-E x4 is located between the two x16 slots, and a legacy PCI slot below. Connectivity includes gigabit Ethernet, Firewire, USB, eSATA, and 8-channel ASUS SupremeFX X-Fi, implemented in the same way as on Rampage II Gene and Maximus II Gene. The ASUS Maximus III Gene motherboard is expected to start selling by the end of this month, its pricing is yet to be known.

Intel's so codenamed "Braidwood" technology, which was touted to be a successor for Intel Turbo Memory, in which a supplementary high-speed, low-latency NVRAM module is used to speed up booting, application startup, and enhance system responsiveness in general, is shelved for now, and will not be part of Intel 5-series chipsets' feature-set, according to industry sources. As a result, Intel P57, a variant of P55 that officially supports it, will not be implemented, as Braidwood is the principal difference between it and P55. Several motherboard manufacturers already have the hardware-side of the technology ready, as several high-end LGA-1156 motherboards have been spotted with Braidwood NVRAM slots, or at least placeholders of the same. The software-side of it, however, seems to be the problem child, sources explained.

Here's our ASUS P55 motherboard of the day: the P7P55D Premium. Positioned in the high-end segment of socket LGA-1156 motherboards, this board boasts of support for SATA III 6 Gbps. Associated with the SATA III controller, is also an interesting feature. To begin with, the CPU is powered by a digital PWM circuit with "32+3" phases. Sure there are that many chokes, but we do suspect choke redundancy here. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots to support dual-channel memory.

Unlike the P7P55D Deluxe, this board makes do with two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots, each of which arrange to 8-lanes PCI-E when both are populated. Other expansion slots include two PCI-E x1 and two PCI. Connectivity options include two gigabit Ethernet controllers, 8 channel audio, and a number of USB and Firewire ports. From the looks of it, there's also a place-holder for the NEC µPD720200 USB 3.0 controller, and its marked blue-coloured USB ports, though it's MIA.

Air cooling specialist Xigmatek is readying a socket LGA-1156 compatibility upgrade in the form of a bracket kit. The kit lets most of Xigmatek's existing coolers to work on upcoming socket LGA-1156 motherboards. The kit consists of two curved brackets with two holes each, a back-plate, bolts, and coils. With a hole spacing of 75 mm, LGA-1156 is somewhere along the way between LGA-775 with a spacing of 72 mm, and LGA-1366 with that of 80 mm. The LGA-1156 compatibility bracket kit from Xigmatek should be out by the time LGA-1156 processors and motherboards hit the scene. Unlike Noctua, which got generous with existing users of its coolers, Xigmatek's kit may go for a nominal price, while it is expected of newer batches of its coolers to come ready for the socket out of the box.

Noctua today announced the impending availability of its new NM-I3 SecuFirm2 mounting kit that adds support for Intel's upcoming LGA-1156 based Core i5 and Core i7 "Lynnfield" CPUs. Compatible with all Noctua CPU coolers since 2005, the new SecuFirm2 kit will be supplied to Noctua users free of charge after uploading a proof of purchase on Noctua's website.

"Back in 2006 when AMD introduced the AM2 socket, we started providing free mounting kits because we think that product and service quality should always go hand in hand", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "We've continued this tradition when Intel presented LGA1366 and we'll stick to our policy for LGA-1156 as well. We always like to think of our coolers as safe long-term investments, and even if you bought one of our first models four years ago, you'll still be able to upgrade it to the latest socket technology free of charge."

ASUS, known for its single-socket workstation motherboards, is preparing the first enterprise-grade socket LGA-1156 motherboard. The ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer builds on the features of its socket LGA-1366 cousins, by offering as many as five PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, a massive 16+3 phase CPU VRM, support for DDR3-2133 by overclocking, and the latest multi-GPU standards support.

Based on the Intel P55 chipset, the P7P55 WS SuperComputer makes use of a PCI-E bridge chip that allows it to hold at least four PCI-E 2.0 x16 devices (electrical 4x PCI-E x8), with a PCI-E x16 electrically x4. Both 3-way SLI and 4-way CrossFireX are supported. Connectivity is care of two gigabit Ethernet controllers, 8 USB 2.0 ports on the rear-panel, and another six internal, Firewire, and 8-channel audio with digital IO ports and DTS support.

ASUS includes its own design enhancements, including XtremePhase VRM, TurboV EVO voltage management, and a probe microchip. It doesn't look like ASUS will add this to its first wave of motherboard launches that coincide with those of Intel's first LGA-1156 processors, but expect this to be out at least in October.

NVIDIA enjoys its share of the pie with the existing socket LGA-775 platform, with a broad range of performance nForce, and value-oriented GeForce MGPU chipsets. With Intel's implementation of the FSB-replacement QuickPath Interconnect system interface with LGA-1366, a conflict ensued with regards to Intel licensing NVIDIA making chipset. Intel's contention stood that its older licenses did not cover the latest processors that implement integrated memory controllers and QPI. As a result, NVIDIA was forced to license its SLI technology to motherboard manufacturers for products based on Intel X58 chipset, and now Intel P55 chipset for the LGA-1156 series processor, and the future of NVIDIA Intel-series chipsets looked bleak at worst.

Fresh reports suggest that NVIDIA indeed has a chipset product lineup planned for Q1 2010, that supports socket LGA-1156 processors, codenamed MCP99. In addition to this, NVIDIA will also serve up two new LGA-775 chipsets, codenamed MCP85 and MCP89. What's common to all these chipsets is that they embed an integrated graphics processor (IGP). Some of these chipsets feature a 64-bit wide memory channel dedicated to the IGP's memory needs, apart from the 128-bit wide (dual-channel) system memory controller, on the LGA-775 platform. The dedicated memory channel allows the IGP to match entry-level graphics cards in terms of performance, without eating into the system memory. We predict this will be implemented in the same way AMD 780G, 785G and 790GX does, with dedicated memory chips present onboard. The LGA-775 compatible ones will further feature dual-channel DDR3-1333 standard supportive memory controllers for system memory. The MGPU will be named inside the GeForce 200M series.

With Intel's new socket LGA-1156 Core i5, Core i7 lines of processors, and compatible motherboards barely weeks away, memory specialist Corsair is readying a few DDR3 dual-channel memory kits to grace the occasion, and possibly coincide with the launch. Featuring in the XMS3 series, the four kits come in speeds of DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600, with capacities of 2x 4GB (8 GB) and 2x 2GB (4 GB). Whether these kits carry some kind of special branding, is not known, though being JEDEC standards compliant, the memory may work on most DDR3-supportive motherboards. Some of these kits feature Corsair's high-density, 4 GB modules. Listed below are the four SKUs:

• CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 - 2x 4GB, DDR3-1600, 9-9-9-24
• CMX8GX3M4A1333C9 - 2x 4GB, DDR3-1333, 9-9-9-24
• CMX4GX3M2A1600C8 - 2x 2GB, DDR3-1600, 8-8-8-24
• CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - 2x 2GB, DDR3-1600, 9-9-9-24

With one of the first 4 GB modules sold at (hopefully) mainstream prices, 8 GB (dual-channel), and 12 GB (triple-channel) kits could get popular in the months to come.

A little over a fortnight away from launch, one of Intel's first socket LGA-1156 processors, the Core i5 750 has started being listed on popular American online (and ground) retailer Fry's. Not for pre-order or expected stock, but accepting orders for same-day shipping! The processor ended up being priced just where we expected it to be: around the $200 mark (listed on roadmaps so far as $196).

Based on the Nehalem architecture, the Core i5 750 "Lynnfield" is a monolithic quad-core processor with a clock speed of 2.66 GHz, with a QuickPath Interconnect connection to the northbridge it shares the chip package with. It features 256 KB L2 caches per core, and a shared 8 MB L3 cache. Its integrated DDR3 memory controller addresses dual-channel memory. The listing can be found here.

The folks over at Coolaler and XFastest took one of the first public pictures of the retail packaging of Intel's Core i5 750 processor. The pictures reveal what is typically expected of an Intel retail package: a blue box with branding in the front, a sticker on the bottom-right corner that shows which model it is, windows that let you see the processor and its cooler. Inside, is the usual molded plastic cover that holds the processor and cooler, and some documentation.

The cooler design hasn't changed at all from several previous generations. It consists of a copper base with pre-applied thermal compound. From the base, several forked aluminum fins project radially. Size-wise, the cooler is roughly the same size as that of Core 2 Duo E8000 series processors. One of the first socket LGA-1156 processors to hit the market, the Core i5 750, along with Core i7 860 and 870 (both LGA-1156 processors too), will launch in under 5 weeks from now. More details about the processor can be read in our older article here.

MSI, in a slide circulated to distributors detailed its first wave of motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset, supporting socket LGA-1156 Intel processors. Like ASRock and Gigabyte which recently circulated their presentations, the slide from MSI lists out the features and specifications of four models, one of which is micro-ATX. The lineup starts with the all-exclusive P55-GD80 that supports as many as three graphics cards in multi-GPU configurations. This is probably the first motherboard to sport an all-DrMOS (driver MOSFET) design. DrMOS chips have been usually confined to the CPU VRM areas on some MSI motherboards. Next up, is the P55-GD65, that offers nearly the same feature-set, except that it only support 2-way multi-GPU graphics. Below it is the P55-CD53, which supports only one PCI-E x16 graphics card, and forms the entry-level ATX P55 motherboard from MSI. Finally, there's the micro-ATX P55M-GD45, that crams every feature it can in 245x235 mm, including support for 2-way multi-GPU.

What MSI chose to leave in the dark are whether any of these motherboards support NVIDIA SLI, and about where is the coveted G9P55-DC, which packs an NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip for high-bandwidth 3-way SLI. Perhaps the board makes it much later. Also sourced are their tentative pricing. The P55-GD80 could be priced at 190 Euro, with P55-GD65 at 140 Euro, and the P55-CD53 at 106 Euro. There's no word on that of the P55M-GD45. Much more on the slide.

Gigabyte's first wave of motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset, supporting the upcoming LGA-1156 processors, is set to consist of as many as nine models according to a company slide sourced by XFastest. Of these, there are seven ATX, and two micro-ATX motherboards, graded by features, and Gigabyte exclusives. The ATX lineup starts with a GA-P55 UD6 model, and proceeds down in the order UD5, UD4, UD3P, UD3R, UD3, and US3L. The micro-ATX series holds GA-P55M UD4 and UD2. It's over to the slide that lists out features of each model in the series:Gigabyte's lineup could launch along with the first Intel LGA-1156 processors, less than five weeks from now.

Some of Arctic Cooling's biggest claims to fame are the Freezer series CPU coolers that offered good levels of cooling performance for mainstream prices. The company then had Intel and AMD specific versions of the cooler in the form of Freezer 7 Pro (Intel) and Freezer64 Pro (AMD). In a move to unify the two designs as far as CPU socket compatibility goes, Arctic Cooling released the Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2, which sports support for both Intel and AMD sockets.

Measuring 104 L x 58 W x 126.5 H mm and weighing 520 g, the Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 has essentially the same design of the predecessors, except for its retention mechanism that holds various different kinds of sockets, including Intel LGA-1366, LGA-1156, LGA-775, AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2. The cooler has a 92 mm 45 CFM PWM-controlled fan that cools a 42-fin aluminum fin array to which three copper heat-pipes convey heat from a copper CPU block. The cooler has a cake of the MX-2 thermal compound pre-applied. The Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 is priced at US $28.90 or 20.90 Euro.

ASRock detailed its first-wave of motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset, supporting the company's upcoming LGA-1156 socket processors. In a presentation to vendors, the company listed out four models targeting 3~4 price points. The lineup is lead by the ASRock P55 Deluxe, followed by P55 Extreme, P55 Pro, and the micro-ATX P55M Pro. The slides list out out every notable feature of the products, including specifications, features, and ASRock exclusives. It's over to the slides.

GlacialTech seems to be ready with its Igloo series models for the upcoming Intel LGA-1156 socket. Igloo coolers are traditionally stock heatsink replacements that are at best slightly better than the cooler the processor ships with, ideal for OEMs. GlacialTech has two models ready this time: the smaller Igloo 1050, and the larger Igloo 1100. The two measure 95x95x57 mm and 95x95x67 mm, and weigh in at 310 g and 380 g, respectively. The two are mounted with an 80 mm PWM controlled fan. These should be out in the market by the time the first LGA-1156 processors arrive, and that's five weeks from now. Variant details follow.

"Clarkdale" is the codename for Intel's upcoming dual-core processors derived from the Nehalem/Westmere architecture. The move marks a leap for Intel in two ways: introducting the first commercial-grade 32 nm microprocessor, and implementing a radical new design that involved relocating the platform's northbridge component entirely to the CPU package. Slated for Q1 2010, Clarkdale will go by three brand indentifiers to grade it according to a performance and feature scale. You have the Core i5 class that enables the entire feature-set of processor, there's the Core i3 class that offers some features, excluding Intel Turbo Boost technology for example, finally there's the sub-$100 Pentium part (yes, Pentium lives on), which offers a smaller feature-set. HyperThreading technology is disabled on this one.

Chinese tech-site IT168 published a comprehensive performance (p)review of the 3.06 GHz Clarkdale part. In the article, the 3.06 GHz Clarkdale was pitted against the 3.00 GHz "Wolfdale" Core 2 Duo processor. The memory (Dual-channel DDR3-1333, 4 GB) and graphics hardware (ATI Radeon HD 4870, 1 GB) were kept common between the two test-beds. Tests ranged from memory and CPU internal bandwidth tests, math-intensive tests, synthetic multimedia and 3D tests, and finally, modern 3D games.

ASUS seems to be just about ready with a full-fledged lineup of motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset, that supports LGA-1156 socket CPUs. The newest entry in the company's P7P55 series is the high-end P7P55D Deluxe. The model is placed above the P7P55 EVO and P7P55 Pro, which descend in the same order in the lineup. The P7P55D stands apart with some high-grade components and overclocker-friendly features. The CPU is powered by a lavish 19-phase digital PWM circuit, cooled by chunkier heatsinks that distribute heat among each other using a heatpipe.

The four memory slots supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory are powered by a 4-phase circuit. The user is given greater control of voltages and clock speeds using the TurboV technology. This board even bundles a pop-out wired remote that provides some on-the-fly controls. The expansion slot layout is identical to that of the P7P55 EVO, with three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (two of which are electrically x8 when populated, and one is electrical x4). The P55 chipset provides six SATA II ports, while external controllers give out three additional ports. Connectivity and other expansion options include two gigabit Ethernet controllers, over a dozen USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, and audio with digital output. The P7P55D Deluxe could feature in the first wave of P55 motherboards released by ASUS.

Zalman rolled out its newest CPU cooler, the CNPS9900A LED. This cooler is near-identical to the CNPS9900 LED, with the same dimensions of 94(L) x 131(W) x 152(H) mm, weight of 730 g (1.61 lbs), and an all-copper heat dissipation components design. The differences between the two are that CNPS9900A LED packs a Zalman RC33P resistor cable, and a tube of Zalman's ZM-STG2 thermal compound.

The construction involves a copper CPU contact base from which three heatpipes dissipate heat two two circular copper fin rings on either sides of a blue LED-lit 120 mm fan. Without the RC33P cable, the fan spins at 1000 rpm ~ 2000 rpm, with noise levels of 19.5 dBA ~ 38.0 dBA. But when the RC33P is installed, the speeds and noise outputs are reduced, at 800 rpm ~ 1300 rpm, with noise levels between 18 dBA ~ 28.5 dBA. The ZM-STG2 thermal compound has a thermal conductivity of 4.1 W/mK. 3.5 g of this compound is supplied in a tube. The CNPS9900A LED is compatible with all major sockets including Intel LGA-775, LGA-1156, LGA-1366, and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3, 939/940, 754. It is expected to be priced at US $64.

EVGA seems to have found its roots in Intel's 5-series chipset due to lack of chipsets from NVIDIA that support the latest Intel processors. In the process, EVGA gets to make Intel 5-series motherboards brandishing SLI support, as well as some pretty impressive enthusiast-grade features. With the X58 Classified series, EVGA took on the mighty ASUS to give out a full-featured motherboard for overclocking LGA-1366 processors. It looks like the company is working on another motherboard with similar credentials for LGA-1156 socket processors, based on the Intel P55/P57 chipset.

The EVGA 132-LF-E657 is a full-featured LGA-1156 motherboard focussed on overclocking. The CPU is powered by a lavish 12-phase circuit that makes use of DrMOS (driver-MOSFETs). The CPU socket further seats LICC (Low Inductance Ceramic Capacitors). Electrical stability is brought about by two 8-pin ATX CPU power connectors, a design first featured on the X58 Classified. Additional power stability for the expansion slots is brought about by a 4-pin Molex input. The four DDR3 DIMM slots are powered by a 3-phase circuit. Intel Braidwood technology is supported on this motherboard. The technology involves an NVRAM module that speeds up OS and applications loading. There are two clock generators on this board, perhaps to handle two independent clock domains that gives the user greater control over a few settings.

Scythe Europe announces the release of Revision B CPU Coolers Kama Angle, Ninja 2 and Ninja Mini. One of the major improvements besides the new package design is the extended socket compatibility which now allows to mount these Scythe CPU coolers an even wider range of sockets.

Thanks to the M.S.M.C. (Multiplatform Socket Mounting Clips) it is now possible to mount the CPU Coolers on socket LGA 1366 and the upcoming LGA 1156. This improvement allows the new Kama Angle, Ninja 2 and Ninja Mini in the Revision B as well as a few more other Scythe CPU Coolers to gain more flexibility without requiring any further accessory. These new Clips have a wide range for the Push-Pins to slide and therefore can be mounted on the Intel based platforms LGA 1366, LGA 1156 and LGA775 by using only one clip. Well known performance and silence features of Scythe products are hereby compatible to Core i7 as well as Core i5 processors. Furthermore clips for socket 478 (Intel), 754, 939, AM2(+) and AM3 (AMD) are supply as in the first of Kama Angle, Ninja 2 and Ninja Mini.

With Intel's LGA-1156 Ibex-Peak platform weeks away from launch, like most major motherboard vendors, Biostar its compatible motherboard lineup ready, top to bottom. The company has at least three motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset for the first wave, two in its mid-range T-Series, and one high-end T-Power series. The lineup starts with the T-Series T5 XE, continues with T-Series TP55 XE, and ends with the T-Power I55.

The T-Series T5 XE is a low-frills model that relies on the chipset's stock feature-set for the most part. The CPU is powered by a 4+2 phase power circuit, and the memory by a 2-phase circuit. The expansion slots are standard issue, two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots that are electrically x8 when both are populated with video cards, two each of PCI-E x1 and legacy PCI, six SATA II ports routed to the chipset, an additional controller driving the IDE, one gigabit Ethernet connection, and 8-channel audio. Simple anodized aluminum heatsinks cool the chipset and a portion of the board's VRM area.

Intel recently detailed its strategy with the Core brand, and its various brand-modifiers (namely i3, i5, i7, and i9). The move to give some LGA-1156 processors the Core i7 modifier, based on the performance level they offer, particularly sparked off several debates about if the move actually benefits the consumers as much as it does to Intel. Back then, Intel did not divulge much about a number scheme that characterizes LGA-1156 Core i7 processors from their LGA-1366 counterparts. Fresh information suggests that Intel may have one such number-scheme in place that will demystify its lineup.

The LGA-1156 socket lineup will be spearheaded by quad-core desktop chips that will start selling from September 8, tentatively. These consist of a 2.66 GHz part, a 2.80 GHz part, and another 2.93 GHz one. Sources revealed much earlier that these could be priced US $194, $284, and $562, respectively. Among these three, the 2.66 GHz part lacks HyperThreading technology in its feature-set, and hence, will be placed in the Core i5 series. To further clarify the lineup, the following model numbers have been suggested:

One of Gigabyte's first LGA-1156 motherboards in the micro-ATX form-factor, the GA-P55M-UD4 was previewed by CPU3D.com, revealing an upper-mainstream motherboard sporting all the essentials and a little more. The CPU socket is powered by a lavish 14-phase circuit, cooled by independent VRM heatsinks. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. The expansion slots on this board include two PCI-E x16 slots (electrically x8, x8 when both are populated), one open-ended PCI-E x4 slot, and a legacy PCI slot. The P55 PCH provides five internal SATA II ports (blue), and one eSATA port on the rear-panel. An additional controller provides two SATA II ports (white) and the legacy IDE connector. 8-channel HD audio driven by Realtek ALC889A codec, one gigabit Ethernet interface, two Firewire ports in all, and 14 USB 2.0 ports make for the rest of the feature-set. It makes use of Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 construction. The GA-P55M-UD4 will be part of Gigabyte's first wave of LGA-1156 motherboards.