Intel 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" ES Shown Running PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

[btarunr]

Screenshots of a SiSoft SANDRA database submission of an alleged Intel 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" desktop processor machine confirms that the processor introduces PCI-Express gen 4.0 support to Intel's mainstream desktop platform. PCIe gen 4.0 has been rather limited in Intel's product stack, with only 10th Gen Core "Ice Lake-U" and "Ice Lake-Y" mobile processors supporting it so far. The upcoming 11th Gen "Tiger Lake" mobile processors will support it, too. Intel's HEDT product line, currently led by "Cascade Lake-X," as well as the server side of things, let by "Cooper Lake," are limited to PCIe gen 3.0. The SANDRA screenshot shows the "Rocket Lake-S" powered machine running a PCI-Express 4.0 NVMe SSD.

According to alleged "Rocket Lake-S" + Intel 500-series chipset platform maps leaked to the web by VideoCardz, "Rocket Lake-S" will finally take forward strides in the area of I/O. The CPU socket puts out not just its usual PEG slot (16 lanes meant for PCI-Express graphics cards), but also a CPU-attached M.2 NVMe slot with 4 PCI-Express gen 4.0 lanes, much like Socket AM4 motherboards based on AMD X570 or B550 chipsets. What's more, Intel fattened the chipset bus with 8 lanes. While the bus is still DMI 3.0 (with PCI-Express gen 3.0 physical layer), 8 lanes mean a doubling in bandwidth compared to Intel 400-series chipsets (or older). The 500-series PCH itself will still be PCI-Express gen 3.0 based, putting out only gen 3.0 downstream PCIe lanes, unlike the AMD X570, which puts out gen 4.0 downstream general purpose lanes, and uses a PCI-Express 4.0 x4 pipe to the CPU. Quite a few Intel 400-series chipset motherboards have preparation for PCIe gen 4.0 PEG slot when paired with a "Rocket Lake-S" processor.



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[svan71]

wow that's amazing, it's never been done before

 

[TheLostSwede]

Wasn't this obvious based on the reserved M.2 slot on all the Z490 boards?

 

[Assimilator]

8x PCIe 3.0 lanes from Intel 500-series is the same bandwidth as 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes from X570, so Intel is still only reaching parity with AMD... and X670 will likely launch with Zen 3 later this year and expand its PCIe 4.0 connectivity, which will obsolete Intel's un-launched 500-series... what a burning dumpster fire Intel's desktop platform is ATM.

 

[Kapone33]

8x PCIe 3.0 lanes from Intel 500-series is the same bandwidth as 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes from X570, so Intel is still only reaching parity with AMD... and X670 will likely launch with Zen 3 later this year and expand its PCIe 4.0 connectivity, which will obsolete Intel's un-launched 500-series... what a burning dumpster fire Intel's desktop platform is ATM.

One can only hope. I thought that X570 would give us some PCIe love but once again I have been whemled.

 

[TheLostSwede]

8x PCIe 3.0 lanes from Intel 500-series is the same bandwidth as 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes from X570, so Intel is still only reaching parity with AMD... and X670 will likely launch with Zen 3 later this year and expand its PCIe 4.0 connectivity, which will obsolete Intel's un-launched 500-series... what a burning dumpster fire Intel's desktop platform is ATM.

Once again, there is no X670.

One can only hope. I thought that X570 would give us some PCIe love but once again I have been whemled.

How much PCIe connectivity do you need?

 

[Kapone33]

Once again, there is no X670.


How much PCIe connectivity do you need?

I want to see the x16 slots wired as such and why not a full x4 instead of 3 x1.

 

[Assimilator]

Once again, there is no X670.

I can't forsee AMD launching a new CPU series without launching a new chipset with it.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I can't forsee AMD launching a new CPU series without launching a new chipset with it.

That I don't know, but there's no X670.

I want to see the x16 slots wired as such and why not a full x4 instead of 3 x1.

PCIe takes up a lot of die space. Considering X570 is the same as AMD's IOD, there are limitations to what they could've done. I guess also that's what the Threadripper is for?

 

[Ashtr1x]

8x PCIe 3.0 lanes from Intel 500-series is the same bandwidth as 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes from X570, so Intel is still only reaching parity with AMD... and X670 will likely launch with Zen 3 later this year and expand its PCIe 4.0 connectivity, which will obsolete Intel's un-launched 500-series... what a burning dumpster fire Intel's desktop platform is ATM.

AMD will probably only make an X670 when there's any improvement like perhaps more I/O like you said, I do really hope X670 comes without that chipset fan as well and this time rumor was ASMedia was handling the chipset vs AMDs own (X570). Intel is barely matching the X570 parity, just doubling down the Gen 3 output. Gotta see how the IPC and performance of these new parts stand.

 

[Kapone33]

That I don't know, but there's no X670.


PCIe takes up a lot of die space. Considering X570 is the same as AMD's IOD, there are limitations to what they could've done. I guess also that's what the Threadripper is for?

Yes but AMD shafted all of us on X399 by making so that if we wanted to got 7nm we either paid through the nose for STrx chips, or lose a ton of bandwidth to come down to AM4. It doesn't even matter that X570 is PCIe 4.0 either as it is cheaper to buy 4 1TB NVME drives and put them in a less than $100 adapter than to buy a 4 TB PCIe 4 NVME drive (Trust me you will love to see 4 drives in RAID 0 on NVME). What blows my mind is that STrx boards are less expensive than some flagship X570 and B550 boards even though there is no comparison between them when it comes to I/O potential.

 

[Makaveli]

8x PCIe 3.0 lanes from Intel 500-series is the same bandwidth as 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes from X570, so Intel is still only reaching parity with AMD... and X670 will likely launch with Zen 3 later this year and expand its PCIe 4.0 connectivity, which will obsolete Intel's un-launched 500-series... what a burning dumpster fire Intel's desktop platform is ATM.

I'm also not sure AMD will launch a X670 chipset.

 

[Kapone33]

I'm also not sure AMD will launch a X670 chipset.

If anything it will likely be spring of 2021 but we have gotten new MBs with every chip launch for Ryzen and maybe it will be A520 boards in terms of the thread though I wonder how many Z490 owners will pony up for an 11th Gen CPU?

 

[halcyon]

So another 16+4 PCI-e lanes , right?
When will Intel learn?

 

[Eskimonster]

Im looking forward to see the benches vs zen 3

 

[Crackong]

SoMeOnE made something like these in 2019 .....
Wonder who that was ?

 

[watzupken]

I won't call it a win for now. Considering Intel's practice, I am not surprise if they will deliberately put in conditions in order to use PCI-E 4.0, i.e. you need a Z490 chipset, i5 processor, etc. So far, most of the leaks point to a high end processor being used.

 

[EarthDog]

Wasn't this obvious based on the reserved M.2 slot on all the Z490 boards?

In other news water is wet.

I feel like I could've said that in so many news articles lately, lol.

 

[Berfs1]

I want to see the x16 slots wired as such and why not a full x4 instead of 3 x1.

There are technical limitations. On the B550-F Strix for example, that second x16 slot actually isn't coming from the CPU, those lanes are from the chipset. The reason there is 3 x1 slots is so that you can run either that x16 slot in x4 mode with all other x1 slots disabled, or you can have 3 x1 slots enabled and that x16 slot running in x1. The reason it made sense to do that at first (back to like Z77 era), is that there are some cards at the time that only could use 4 lanes electrically but needed to fit inside a pcie x16 slot. For example, the Elgato 4K60 Pro mk1. That had the pcie finger so you could put it in that chipset x16 (x4) slot while having more stability.

Also uh, this has to do with chipset limitations, I have not yet seen a consumer chipset that can handle x16 configurations. While Z490 CAN do 24 lanes, look carefully at the Z490 product page on Intel ARK. In fact, please feel free to check every single chipset there is, I guarantee you there are no consumer chipsets that could do x16. They can do x1, x2, and x4. So yes, it IS viable to use chipset lanes for pcie lanes, it is not viable to use them for anything that requires x8 or x16.

 

[BArms]

Is this saying that 11th gen + 500 series will allow one and only one PCIE 4.0 SSD while other SSD's and the video card will use PCIE 3.0?

 

[Vayra86]

What's next, 'Intel Rocket Lake seen running Windows 10' ?

 

[EarthDog]

Is this saying that 11th gen + 500 series will allow one and only one PCIE 4.0 SSD while other SSD's and the video card will use PCIE 3.0?

Yes.

 

[Kapone33]

There are technical limitations. On the B550-F Strix for example, that second x16 slot actually isn't coming from the CPU, those lanes are from the chipset. The reason there is 3 x1 slots is so that you can run either that x16 slot in x4 mode with all other x1 slots disabled, or you can have 3 x1 slots enabled and that x16 slot running in x1. The reason it made sense to do that at first (back to like Z77 era), is that there are some cards at the time that only could use 4 lanes electrically but needed to fit inside a pcie x16 slot. For example, the Elgato 4K60 Pro mk1. That had the pcie finger so you could put it in that chipset x16 (x4) slot while having more stability.

Also uh, this has to do with chipset limitations, I have not yet seen a consumer chipset that can handle x16 configurations. While Z490 CAN do 24 lanes, look carefully at the Z490 product page on Intel ARK. In fact, please feel free to check every single chipset there is, I guarantee you there are no consumer chipsets that could do x16. They can do x1, x2, and x4. So yes, it IS viable to use chipset lanes for pcie lanes, it is not viable to use them for anything that requires x8 or x16.

I know what you are saying but Threadripper and Cascade Lake X are considered consumer chipsets. I also wistfully look at my 990FX Sabretooth as that is wired the way I believe mainstream boards should be wired. There is no reason (latency aside) that they could not easily put a PLX chip on the board to provide more PCIe lanes.

 

[Assimilator]

I know what you are saying but Threadripper and Cascade Lake X are considered consumer chipsets. I also wistfully look at my 990FX Sabretooth as that is wired the way I believe mainstream boards should be wired. There is no reason (latency aside) that they could not easily put a PLX chip on the board to provide more PCIe lanes.

There is: cost. Since being acquired by Broadcom, PLX has pushed its prices through the roof, which is why motherboards stopped including their chips.

 

[EarthDog]

I know what you are saying but Threadripper and Cascade Lake X are considered consumer chipsets. I also wistfully look at my 990FX Sabretooth as that is wired the way I believe mainstream boards should be wired. There is no reason (latency aside) that they could not easily put a PLX chip on the board to provide more PCIe lanes.

They are HEDT chipsets (cascade lake X), so a crossover between consumer and workstation/server.

PLX chips cost a lot of money is one reason. Another is that most users don't need such a thing on mainstream platforms in the first place. That is (part of the reason) why HEDT exists as it is a crossover for more PCIe lanes, more bandwidth, etc. That said, I know the Supermicro Z490 boards use a PLX chip. So if you need all those lanes and still are in the mainstream platform... there are at least two boards out there that will do it. But think about it... if this really was a want or need, we'd see a lot more out there. As it is, PLX chips have become more rare as each passing generation goes by (in part due to more lanes on the CPU).