Monday, August 7th 2017
Intel "Coffee Lake" Platform Detailed - 24 PCIe Lanes from the Chipset
Intel seems to be addressing key platform limitations with its 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" mainstream desktop platform. The first Core i7 and Core i5 "Coffee Lake" processors will launch later this year, alongside motherboards based on the Intel Z370 Express chipset. Leaked company slides detailing this chipset make an interesting revelation, that the chipset itself puts out 24 PCI-Express gen 3.0 lanes, that's not counting the 16 lanes the processor puts out for up to two PEG (PCI-Express Graphics) slots.
The PCI-Express lane budget of "Coffee Lake" platform is a huge step-up from the 8-12 general purpose lanes put out by previous-generation Intel chipsets, and will enable motherboard designers to cram their products with multiple M.2 and U.2 storage options, besides bandwidth-heavy onboard devices such as additional USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt controllers. The chipset itself integrates a multitude of bandwidth-hungry connectivity options. It integrates a 10-port USB 3.1 controller, from which six ports run at 10 Gbps, and four at 5 Gbps.
Other onboard controllers includes a SATA AHCI/RAID controller with six SATA 6 Gbps ports. The platform also introduces PCIe storage options (either an M.2 slot or a U.2 port), which is wired directly to the processor. This is drawing inspiration from AMD AM4 platform, in which an M.2/U.2 option is wired directly to the SoC, besides two SATA 6 Gbps ports. The chipset also integrates a WLAN interface with 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0, though we think only the controller logic is integrated, and not the PHY itself (which needs to be isolated for signal integrity).
Intel is also making the biggest change to onboard audio standards since the 15-year old Azalia (HD Audio) specification. The new Intel SmartSound Technology sees the integration of a "quad-core" DSP directly into the chipset, with a reduced-function CODEC sitting elsewhere on the motherboard, probably wired using I2S instead of PCIe (as in the case of Azalia). This could still very much be a software-accelerated technology, where the CPU does the heavy lifting with DA/AD conversion.
According to leaked roadmap slides, Intel will launch its first 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors along with motherboards based on the Z370 chipset within Q3-2017. Mainstream and value variants of this chipset will launch only in 2018.
Sources:
VideoCardz, PCEVA Forums
The PCI-Express lane budget of "Coffee Lake" platform is a huge step-up from the 8-12 general purpose lanes put out by previous-generation Intel chipsets, and will enable motherboard designers to cram their products with multiple M.2 and U.2 storage options, besides bandwidth-heavy onboard devices such as additional USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt controllers. The chipset itself integrates a multitude of bandwidth-hungry connectivity options. It integrates a 10-port USB 3.1 controller, from which six ports run at 10 Gbps, and four at 5 Gbps.
Intel is also making the biggest change to onboard audio standards since the 15-year old Azalia (HD Audio) specification. The new Intel SmartSound Technology sees the integration of a "quad-core" DSP directly into the chipset, with a reduced-function CODEC sitting elsewhere on the motherboard, probably wired using I2S instead of PCIe (as in the case of Azalia). This could still very much be a software-accelerated technology, where the CPU does the heavy lifting with DA/AD conversion.
According to leaked roadmap slides, Intel will launch its first 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors along with motherboards based on the Z370 chipset within Q3-2017. Mainstream and value variants of this chipset will launch only in 2018.
119 Comments on Intel "Coffee Lake" Platform Detailed - 24 PCIe Lanes from the Chipset
:laugh:
Meanwhile I am still on Z77 with 8 PCIE lines and life is good. Too much bitching on this thread.
Simple fact is that PCI-e 3.0 has more strict restrictions on construction than in the past with 2.0 or 1.1. You don't just push more bandwidth through the same design and expect it to work. Ever use a DisplayPort 1.1 cable on a 1.2 display and then try to drive 4k? PCI-e is the same way. Lets do math the other way, since we care about lanes. 40 PCI-e lanes at 3.0 is just as good as 120 lanes at 1.1. You're whining about lanes when you should be looking at bandwidth.
@RejZoR, you know sitting on all of that anger is bad for your health.
"Gimme the geebees" - that's what you sound like. In other news, the PS/2 ports is down from 2 to 1 or none and AGP, PCI slots and parallel ports are increasingly harder to come by.
* I wonder if this has anything to do with chipsets for Ryzen only adding PCIe 2.0 lanes - thus you can only make intel look bad if you disregard actual transfer speeds.
You're busy counting PCIe lanes and I get the rationale when you want to add more stuff on PCIe, but I have yet to see it translated to a real world use case that *fits the segment of the market* for that platform. Please do give one because it'd make your argument a lot stronger.
Bottom line PCIe progress is about bandwidth and number of lanes only becomes relevant once you need them. Bandwidth however needs to scale along with the progress of the add in cards you can plug in, and while there is new product available to plug into PCIe, on the Intel side its the chipset that has been offering these new lanes in good supply. I mean realistically, on mainstream, you'd expect a user to add one, or two M2 drives, maybe one PCIe SSD (but that is already well into enthusiast territory let's face it) and that's all she wrote. Oh ok, add a sound card and a wifi card on top, and you still have sufficient lanes.
Realistically and cost wise, however, you probably will just be using the M2 slots and put SATA SSDs instead which are a lot cheaper $/GB and for mainstream tasks just as responsive, giving you at least one slot and its lanes to play with, for example to run x8/x8 GPUs.
So maybe this will provide the insight you need as to why everyone including me doesn't see your argument here.
Also for quite some time GPUs do not actually use the full capacity of 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes, so whether your card runs in x16 or in x8 mode makes no difference (google if you're curious, it's something that gets benched from time to time).
Long answer, don't get the Z370 chipset, as it's an interim chipset which is just a rebadged Z270 from what I can tell. If you can hang on until early next year and the real 300-series chipsets, you're going to get more features for your money, as per the slides.
It's not going to be light years better, but it's an actual new chipset, rather than some rushed out solution for Intel to be able to shift more processors earlier than originally planned.Why use Google when you can read it here? www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1080_PCI_Express_Scaling/
All in all we're not that limited right now, it's more like the future is knocking on our doors and it's comforting to know we're ready.
I cannot wait until the miners buy every single amd card and he gets none. It will actually be the highlight of my day.
I hate McDonalds so much I'm gonna eat 20x Big Macs out of protest. About the same level of brilliance yo...
Guess what as it sits AMD is releasing a jack of all trades and a master of none. Their product sits squarely in the middle performance wise, the gpus consume too much power and the cpus don't have enough single threaded performance for their lower clock speeds.
People will still buy both products, AMD is finally at leasted competing in the same decade of performance. You posting in every single thread stating that Intel is crap just gets fucking old. Seriously shut up. No one cares and your repetitive dribble is idiotic and incorrect more times than not.
I have never blocked a member on this forum regardless of their level of stupidity, but you, your level has reached so far that it has become unfathomable. I quite honestly don't understand how you aren't banned from the news section. I wholeheartedly believe the world would be a better place.
I have an open mind and your posts seem to lean amd. You defend your stance on amds gpus with hbm. When someone (me) bunks the actual need for hbm/hbm2...be it innovative or not, you dont reply. It is innovative, i will agree...but only in a vacuum does it seem such to me. Higher density, lower power... all good things! But when we look at the ecosystem, less than 1% of people run 4k which is where the bandwidth is needed. So...great... helps 4k people. In 3+ years when more 4k is in the market, i have your back, but there will be new cards out from both camps smoking rx vega and volta.
Then you jumped on the pci bandwagon thing. While its good there are more lanes in TR, does it really matter for the majority? The majority has 1 gpu and sata based ssd. On the lower end side of intel and amd, there are enough lanes for sli/cfx x8/x8 and a single m.2. You need more, you need to pay for it.....in both camps.
So, as i have been saying, yeah, great things... but, it really doesnt translate well to a need or performance NOW. The defense and attitude is tiresome at best...so are the blanket insults (though in fairness, they are heaved at you too - nobody can seem to be 'the better man' here...).
I too am incredibly close to placing you on ignore...its getting old...