Replacing the ICH8, the new southbridge is a truly new generation with impressive performance and impressive features.

Let's look at its properties:

Up to 6 PCIEx1 ports;
up to 4 PCI slots;
4/6 (4 for ICH9, 6 for ICH9R) SATA II 3.0 Gb/s ports with support for AHCI mode and NCQ function * ;
the ability to organize a RAID array (only for ICH9R) levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 (10) and 5 with the Matrix RAID function;
12 USB devices 2.0 (on two EHCI host controllers) with the ability to individually disable;
Gigabit Ethernet MAC controller and a special interface (LCI/GLCI) for connecting a PHY controller (i82566 for Gigabit Ethernet implementation, i82562 for Fast Ethernet implementation);
support for Intel Turbo Memory;
High Definition Audio (7.1);
binding for low-speed and obsolete peripherals, etc.

The letter R at the end of the abbreviation means support for Raid, and not simple, but 5 with the Matrix RAID function, which means that one set of disks can be used in several RAID modes at once - for example, RAID 0 and RAID 1 can be organized on two disks, and for each the array will be allocated its own portion of the disk.

It will be useful to many new feature Intel Rapid Recover Technology, allowing you to quickly resume system operation in the event of a failure hard drive or data corruption. And given the above, ICH9R will allow you to simultaneously raise, for example, Raid 5 as the main one and in addition to it (on the same disks!) Raid 1 SLR for separate support for safety operating system.

The southbridge also now supports eSATA and SATA Selective Disablement, up to 12 USB 2.0 ports, and Intel Turbo Memory technology, which is worth a special mention.

Intel Turbo Memory allows you to install a 512 MB or 1 GB NAND flash memory module in one of the PCI-E slots to use it as a cache for the operating system, which can significantly reduce the number of hard disk accesses, thereby significantly speeding up application loading and opening files.

With such an impressive collection of benefits, it has gained well-deserved popularity as a platform for low-cost server solutions such as VPN servers, WEB servers and file servers for small organizations.

*Wikipedia says - NCQ (English Native Command Queuing - hardware command queuing) - a technology used in SATA devices since SATA / 300 to improve performance. Supported Devices NCQ are able to accept multiple requests at the same time and reorganize the order of their execution to achieve maximum efficiency (performance) taking into account the internal architecture of the device (minimizing the number of head movements and waiting for the desired sector on the track). NCQ improves the performance of tasks associated with random reading, processing data from two or more sources, simultaneous operation of several programs.

ViewSonic Expands myViewBoard Ecosystem with Screen Sharing Solutions

ViewSonic Corporation, the world's leading provider of visual presentation products, announced that it is further expanding its myViewBoard ecosystem with new devices, including the myViewBoard Box, myViewBoard Direct and ViewBoard Huddle. New devices support different scenarios sharing screen, allowing users to easily connect to myViewBoard while enjoying many benefits. Combined with the rich digital whiteboard tools of myViewBoard, these solutions greatly enhance collaboration in both educational and commercial environments.

AOC Introduces G2 Gaming Monitor Lineup: IPS Panel, Up to 144Hz Refresh Rate, 1ms Response Time

AOC, one of the world's leading brands in the monitor market, introduces the new G2 line. The series consists of four models with Full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels): 27-inch (68.6 cm) 27G2U and 27G2U5, as well as 23.8-inch (60.4 cm) 24G2U and 24G2U5. All models feature an aggressive, modern design with red accents on the front and back. rear panels, and are equipped with a height-adjustable 130mm stand for better ergonomics.

The future is out of bounds: the NEX 3 series of smartphones offers users the ultimate 5G experience

At the presentation in Shanghai, vivo officially unveiled the new NEX 3 series smartphones. Following its commitment to future technologies, the company showed off the 5G and 4G versions of the devices. Vivo's flagship breakthrough innovations redefine industry standards and user experience. mobile devices. Cutting-edge 5G technology, unique design with an innovative display, and smart features are the hallmarks of vivo's new flagship series.

Transcend Information Inc., the world's leading media and storage manufacturer, is hosting a Summer Dream-themed photography competition that will consist of two stages: Landscape Photography and Creative Photography. Post your photos on Transcend's Facebook and VK pages for a chance to win valuable prizes from Transcend.

Profitable printing formula: pull a ticket with cashback

Until the end of September, it is doubly pleasant to buy printers with CISS of the PIXMA G series. Firstly, these are reliable and easy-to-maintain devices that provide high performance and low printing costs. And secondly, you will get cashback and a chance to win a certificate for a family trip!

Huami unveiled two new products and one concept product at IFA 2019

Technology company Huami held a successful presentation at IFA in Berlin. Following its international debut at MWC earlier this year, at IFA, the company announced the launch of two new products, the Amazfit GTS watch and Amazfit Stratos 3. Another recently launched product, the Amazfit GTR watch, received the IFA Product Technical Innovation Award 2019. Finally, Huami has also unveiled a new technology that will be used in future models. smart watch Amazfit is a curved HD screen. Huami announced the release of new products at a press conference, the slogan of which was "Intellectual movement". The press conference was attended by representatives of almost 70 media from around the world.

HUAWEI Introduces Sport Bluetooth Headphones Lite

HUAWEI introduces the HUAWEI Sport Bluetooth Headphones Lite wireless earphones, which provide high-quality sound and 11 hours of music playback on a single battery charge. Headphones are equipped with Bluetooth 4.1 interface and communicate at a distance of up to 10 meters from the connected device.

The first ever high-end audio-video exhibition Hi-Fi & High End Show URAL starts this week!

Already this week, the first ever high-end audio-video exhibition Hi-Fi & High End Show URAL starts. What you need to know and not to miss: Aalt Jouk van den Hul himself, the founder of the Van Den Hul brand, is coming, Mikhail Borzenkov, Oleg Lyugin, MMS-Cinema, Pult.ru will give lectures. Prizes will be awarded: Yamaha WXA-50 network compact preamplifier, Yamaha YAS-108 Black soundbar, KEF M500 headphones, Ruark R1MK3 compact radio. For the first time in Russia, they will show Olympica NOVA and Minima Amator II acoustics from the Italian company Sonus Faber, Jamo C 97 II from the updated Concert series, the Cambridge AX line, Thorens TD 148A turntable and Q Aciustics Concept 300 acoustics.

Donor Day LG Electronics and Trade House "KIRGU"

Having taken over the baton of kindness from the city of Makhachkala, the #LGKirguMarathonDobra social project arrived in Khasavyurt, becoming the 101st donor day for LG and the second joint one with Kirgu Trade House. A large-scale event with the support of the FMBA of Russia, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Dagestan and the Republican Blood Transfusion Station was held at the modern Palace of Sports named after. Hamida Gamidova. The action was attended not only by local residents and representatives of both companies, but also by honored guests, including the Minister of Industry and Energy of the Republic of Dagestan Umakhanov Saygidpasha Darbishevich, as well as the head of the city of Khasavyurt Okmazov Zainudin Dadabegovich, chief physician of the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Dagestan "Khasavyurt Central City Hospital named after R.P. . Askerkhanov» Khiriyev Titalav Khairullaevich, Hero-Afghan Bulatkhanov Umaroskhab Abdulaevich, People’s Hero of Dagestan Omarov Zaybodin Laduevich.

New chipsets - updated southbridges.
Quite a match for its northern counterparts, ICH9 has a number of evolutionary improvements compared to ICH8, and also supports (only ICH9R) one technology that can be considered revolutionary.
Let us briefly list the main functional characteristics of the new family of southbridges:

Up to 6 PCIEx1 ports;
. up to 4 PCI slots;
. 4/6 (4 for ICH9, 6 for ICH9R) Serial ATA II ports for 4/6 SATA300 devices (SATA-II, the second generation of the standard), with support for AHCI mode and functions like NCQ (for ICH9, this mode is guaranteed to work only under Windows Vista), individually disconnectable, with support for eSATA and port splitters;
. the ability to organize a RAID array (only for ICH9R) levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 (10) and 5 with the Matrix RAID function (one set of disks can be used in several RAID modes at once - for example, two disks can organize RAID 0 and RAID 1, each array will have its own part of the disk);
. 12 USB 2.0 devices (on two EHCI host controllers) with the ability to individually disable;
. Gigabit Ethernet MAC controller and a special interface (LCI/GLCI) for connecting a PHY controller (i82566 for Gigabit Ethernet implementation, i82562 for Fast Ethernet implementation);
. support for Intel Turbo Memory;
. High Definition Audio (7.1);
. binding for low-speed and obsolete peripherals, etc.

ICH9R traditionally differs from ICH9 in the presence of support for RAID arrays, as well as two extra SATA ports.
Special versions of the southbridge ICH9DO (Digital Office) and ICH9DH (Digital Home) are based on ICH9R, but the first of them offers the additional functions of Active Management Technology 3.0, Trusted Execution Technology and Virtualization Technology, and the second - Viiv Technology (the positioning of both of these variations is obvious) .

Of the minor evolutionary changes, we can note the number of USB 2.0 ports increased to 12, the implementation of the eSATA function and port splitters (which is relevant for external eSATA connectors) for SATA chipset ports, and SATA connectors now (like USB, starting with ICH8) are subject to individual shutdown.

An alternative to creating RAID arrays for data safety can be new technology Intel Rapid Recover Technology, which allows you to create a disk image on another hard drive, quickly update it without touching unchanged files, and quickly restore data if the first hard drive is damaged.

The Gigabit Ethernet MAC controller is still integrated into the southbridge, but we have not seen its use in any i965-based board - apparently, for ordinary desktop systems, a network controller from Marvell, Broadcom, Realtek and others connected via tire PCI Express turns out to be cheaper.

At the same time, users of corporate vPro systems will certainly appreciate the features of the proprietary Intel controller.
It would be strange to expect the return of PATA support after it was abandoned in ICH8, and it really did not happen - Intel considers this issue closed despite the abundance of problems with chipset PATA "substitutes".

The most intriguing feature of the new series of southbridges is the support for Intel Turbo Memory technology (known as Robson Technology in development).
Its essence is to install a module with a certain amount of NAND flash memory on the board (for a start, it is planned to produce variants with 512 MB and 1 GB).

Basically, apparently, the module will be installed in the PCIEx1 slot, although, in principle, other connection options are possible (for example, to contacts for an external USB port).
The benefit from Turbo Memory will be received by Windows users Vista, and unlike, say, USB key fobs with flash memory, the module integrated on the board can be used by the new Microsoft OS for both ReadyDrive and ReadyBoost.

Briefly, in the first case, we get the opportunity to use a flash drive as a cache memory for a hard drive - for linear read-write operations there cannot be a big gain here (flash memory is slower than a hard drive), so the benefits of ReadyDrive will be observed with regular operations of exchanging small portions of data, which are typical for reading-updating the paging file (access time for flash memory is noticeably less than for a hard disk).

An additional advantage is the reduction in the number of accesses to the hard disk (data is merged to the disk in batches, during idle times, and reading is not performed at all if the necessary data is in the Turbo Memory cache), which saves energy - of course, this is a real gain only for mobile devices. devices.

ReadyBoost, on the other hand, expands the available memory for pre-reading and caching data (from the hard disk), and although with RAM flash drives cannot compete in speed, yet reading not from a hard drive, but from flash memory with its low random access time can significantly speed up application loading and opening files (numbers are called up to 2 times).

The disadvantage of Turbo Memory is the potential fragility of flash drives, the best of which are characterized by the number of rewrite cycles of the order of a million (possibly several million), which, even with some reserve capacity, can lead to loss of storage capacity long before the end of the life of the PC, in which it is installed.

Heat dissipation.
The heat dissipation of the new chipsets deserves special mention.
Despite being manufactured using the same 90nm process technology and more complex logic, the 3x series chipsets consume noticeably less power than their predecessors: P35 - 14.5W (P965 - 19W), G33 - 16W (G965 - 28W) .
Moreover, the difference is so noticeable that it's easy to detect even by touch, although the chipset heatsinks for the P35-based boards we've seen are no longer available.

This is a very pleasant trend, because after the hot i965 and sizzling nForce 600i, it seemed that soon we would have to develop new standards for chipset cooling devices.

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Driver 19.9.2 Optional

The new AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 19.9.2 Optional driver improves performance in Borderlands 3 and adds support for Radeon Image Sharpening.

Cumulative windows update 10 1903 KB4515384 (added)

On September 10, 2019, Microsoft released a cumulative update for Windows 10 version 1903 - KB4515384 with a number of security improvements and a fix for a bug that broke Windows work Search and caused high CPU usage.

For the last six months, the newly minted Intel platform under LGA775 processors with support for the most modern technologies like DDR-II and PCI Express gets absolutely polar ratings from consumers. The dissatisfaction is mainly due to the fact that, in sum, the ultra-modern components do not have enough performance to be able to claim significant bonuses, at a decent cost to purchase new hardware, which is almost incompatible with the previous generation. The reasons for dissatisfaction include the high latency of the current DDR-II memory, a small difference between graphics performance under PCI-E x16 and AGP 8x, clock frequencies of cores and system buses comparable to the previous generation of Pentium 4 processors, and much more.

In turn, opponents emphasize the real novelty of the platform, the great potential for its development, especially against the background of the exhausted capabilities of the same DDR-I or AGP. Yes, they agree, at the current stage, the possibilities inherent in theory have been implemented in practice in a somewhat "raw" form, however, this is only the beginning and in any case there will be no return to the old, as well as alternatives, and prices are already gradually accepting a civilized view. As for the further evolution of the platform - so please, nothing stands still, and the recent announcement Intel processor Pentium 4 EE 3.46 GHz with new system logic 925XE Express supporting 1066 MHz system bus is a direct proof of that.

Needless to say, where the wind blows: very soon FSB 1066 MHz support will migrate from Extreme (Xtreme) Edition versions of chipsets and processors to mass platforms, DDR-II 667 memory will receive certification and support, the market will be saturated with affordable video cards, and finally it will be possible to talk about the transition from Socket 478 to Socket 775. Those who want a new one right now will have to spend a lot of money without clear prospects, those who want to buy with an eye on a subsequent upgrade, it's more reasonable to wait half a year. But one way or another, if we are talking about processors from Intel, you will have to work with the LGA775 platform anyway.

Okay, nightingale with fables... Today we'll talk about what awaits us in 2005, namely the new generation of Glenwood/Lakeport chipsets with a series of ICH7 southbridges replacing, respectively, the current Alderwood/Grantsdale (i925X/ i915) with ICH6, as well as about new processors and a little about the corresponding system piping for new PCs.

Everyone knows Intel's tendency to give pretty names to current working projects. There was a new name for the platform based on Glenwood/Lakeport chipsets, however, like almost all of the company's current projects, the idea is being promoted within the framework of the "digital home" concept. So, in 2005, Intel plans to promote the East Fork (EF) strategy, which, in addition to the traditional set of processors and system logic, will be related to the development network controllers and related software.

It cannot be said that the new chipsets are designed exclusively for work in desktop PCs, such a clear division in Intel's chipset strategy has long been gone. The same Lakeport will appear in the third quarter of 2005 as part of the Napa mobile platform ( new version Centrino) called Calistoga, with the ICH7-M south bridge and will be tailored for processors with Yonah / Merom cores, support for DDR2-667 memory and the Serial ATA-300 interface. It is already known that specific versions of the Lakeport chipset will work with server variants of the Xeon series chips. Today we will not get into this jungle and will limit ourselves only to options for desktop PCs.

Judging by currently known rumors/leaks, the release of new versions of chips with the Prescott core will be completed this year, the Pentium 4 570J with a FSB of 800 MHz, 1 MB of L2 cache and NX bit support. The next core, Prescott 2, which will be implemented as Pentium4 630, 640, 650, 660 and 670 models, will differ little from its predecessor at first - the same frequency barrier (3.8 GHz), the same connector (LGA775), the same FSB (800 MHz) and the same manufacturing process (90 nm), only the L2 cache will be increased to 2 MB, support for EM64T instructions, EIST technology (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology) and possibly Vanderpool / LaGrande will appear. Although I strongly doubt the latter, the time to support these technologies with hardware and software has not yet come.

Already by the middle of 2005, a 2-core processor with a Smithfield core is being prepared. The processor will be presented in three versions. One, for the performance sector, will be supported by the Glenwood chipset, the other two versions for the mainstream systems will work with the Lakeport chipset. In the second half of 2006, Smithfield will move to 65 nm process technology.

For now, we will have to be content with Pentium 4 series processors with the Prescott core and for some time with the Prescott 2 core. But the Glenwood and Lakeport chipsets with the ICH7 southbridge decoupling, which will be presented very soon, may well outlive all Prescott versions, and maybe even and NetBurst architecture. :)

Glenwood/Lakeport northbridges

If we think from the point of view of continuity of generations, then Glenwood/Lakeport chipsets can be called direct evolutionary heirs of Intel 925/915. There are changes, but they affected mainly clock frequencies. Now each of them (and not just the new i925XE) will support FSB 1066 MHz. Support for 2-channel DDR2-667 memory will debut for the first time, and southbridges will get native support for Serial ATA 300.

Expected characteristics of the new generation of chipsets

Chipset Glenwood Lakeport-G Lakeport-P

Support for the integrated controller 2-channel DDR2-667 will increase the peak performance of the memory subsystem from 8.5 Gb / s for DDR2-533 to 10.8 Gb / s. Please note that the notorious Turbo memory mode, which gives about 3% - 7% performance increase, first introduced in the i875P (PAT) chipset and then migrated to the Intel 925X, will also remain in the new version of Glenwood.

Flagship chipset support system bus 800 MHz is not a tribute to compatibility with old Pentium 4 or Celeron processors. Rather, it is aimed at supporting the first processors with the Smithfield core, which, due to the 2-core architecture and the associated issues of increased power consumption, will initially only support 800 MHz FSB. And, as has already been repeatedly stated in the press, lower clock frequencies than modern P4.

As for the replacement for the Intel 915, both chipsets expected at the time of the announcement will support a PCI Express x16 slot (and no AGP!). Two versions will remain traditional - a discrete version of Lakeport-P and Lakeport-G with an integrated graphics core, but nothing has been heard about the GV / GL options yet. Nothing surprising, since even the i915GV/GL have appeared recently and are sold mainly by system integrators. They say different things about the integrated graphics in Lakeport-G, but it looks like it will be either the current DirectX 9 GMA 900 core with a clock speed of 333 MHz, or its "overclocked" version. As for the ADD2 add-on cards that support a second display in CRT, LCD, TV and HDTV formats, there is talk of further expanding the feature set and video output capabilities with something like the ADD2+.

At the stage of commissioning a new generation of chipsets, Intel finally and irrevocably refuses support for DDR1 memory. DDR2-667 certification appears instead, samples of which are promised by the manufacturers by the first quarter, and mass batches - by the second quarter of 2005, just in time for the start of deliveries of motherboards to Glenwood/Lakeport. The step, of course, is a bold one, since the cost of DDR2-533 modules is still somewhat higher than the prices for DDR400. However, it is possible that Intel believes that by the time Lakeport chipset supplies begin, prices for DDR400/DDR2-533 will equalize.

As shown in the table above, the older Glenwood chipset supports up to 8GB of memory in 4 slots. By the time boards appear on it, along with modules on chips with a capacity of 256 Mbit and 512 Mbit, versions on 1 Gbit chips will be widely available. So far, nothing is known about support for EM64T (AMD64) instructions, but most likely, systems based on the Glenwood chipset will be sharpened for 64-bit instructions.

Southbridges ICH7

The new ICH7 family of southbridges, on closer inspection, are also enhancements to the ICH6 with the same inter-bridge 2.0 Gb/s Direct Media Interface (DMI) connection. As you know, due to the addition and / or combination of support for RAID and Wi-Fi, it was assumed that in addition to the basic ICH6, versions ICH6R, ICH6W and ICH6RW would appear on the market. It ended up that the last two remained on paper, and the public, puzzled by the integration wireless networks in a desktop PC, I had to buy external Wi-Fi devices or kits from manufacturers with an attached PCI card.

Meanwhile, East Fork's strategy will still include support for Wi-Fi, at least in part of the "digital home" platforms. So far, Intel hasn't promised any new Wi-Fi-enabled southbridges. From Taiwan, from manufacturers, there are already some leaks on this topic, they say that at the time the first samples of chips with the Smithfield core appear, a special IEEE802.11a / b / g Caswell 2 module will be presented. I won’t be surprised if in the end will do without the integration of elements of wireless controllers into the southbridge, it is already quite hot without it. :)

The list of new southbridges includes five versions of ICH7. This refers to the basic ICH7, ICH7DH (Digital Home, basic for family entertainment PCs), ICH7DO (Digital Office, SOHO-class digital office), ICH7DE (Digital Enterprise, something very productive with support for RAID levels 5, 0, 1 and 10 , for enterprises) and the trivial ICH7R, with support for RAID levels 0, 1 and 10.

New southbridges of the ICH7 series:

Of course, the first thing that catches your eye is the increase in the number of PCI Express x1 slots (or buses, that is, lanes) from four in ICH6 to six in some versions of ICH7. Advanced manufacturers motherboards this fact will allow you to make your own versions of SLI motherboards on Intel desktop chipsets.

Another improvement is more interesting, now there is support for Serial ATA 300 (Serial ATA II) with the same number of integrated ports. And the most significant difference between the new southbridges from each other is the set of RAID levels that can be changed from version to version. True, the RAID5 that appeared for the first time will be typical only for the ICH7DE version.

Only the ICH7DE south bridge is planned to support Intel AMT (Intel Active Management Technology) software technology. It cannot be described in a nutshell, the technology implies a new level of active management and control of enterprise resources, from operational diagnostics and administration to resource development strategy planning, etc. Even miracles such as remote power-up of client PCs, operating system upgrades, data recovery and much more will be available. AMT was talked about a lot at the latest Intel Developer Forums in San Francisco and Moscow, who are interested can briefly read about this technology. I have not delved into this in detail yet, but according to Intel management, the introduction of AMT could give the company a 10% annual cost savings on enterprise resource management.

EnergyLake technology, which will appear as part of the ICH7DH southbridge for "digital homes", implies a development on the current topic of energy saving. I do not know the details about this technology yet.

But already now we can say that two LAN chips for the PCI Express bus will debut simultaneously with the new Glenwood/Lakeport chipsets: Tekoa with Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) support and Ekron with Fast Ethernet (100BASE-TX) support. The Tekoa chip with the PCI Express bus, among other things, is interesting for its reduced power consumption compared to the previously promoted GbE Northway chip, as well as support for iAMT technology.

Rest functionality ICH7 families are practically known to us from the previous generation. Of course, will be fully present Intel technology HDA (High Definition Audio) with support for 7.1 audio codec, Dolby Digital/DTS systems and VoIP (Voice-over-IP) technology. Eight USB 2.0 ports will remain unchanged.

A few words about what will follow the Glenwood/Lakeport chipsets in the future. The web is already telling scary tales about the North Bridge Broadwater paired with ICH8. The chipset will support the mythical Allendale/Millville chips with DSB 800/1066 MHz, a new tire DMI with a bandwidth of 1 Gb / s in both directions, 2-channel DDR-2 533/667 and DDR3-800 memory, and its integrated version will have fourth-generation Intel graphics. However, all this is still in a terrible prospect, since the release of Broadwater is not planned before the end of 2006.

In conclusion, we can guess a little about the timing of the start of deliveries of Glenwood/Lakeport chipsets and motherboards based on them. Rumors from Taiwanese OEMs say that distribution of trial batches of new A0 stepping chipsets will begin towards the end of the 4th quarter of 2004, that is, even before the New Year. I wouldn't be surprised if the East Fork strategy in a "kit" with new chipsets and processors is announced with fanfare at the spring Intel Developer Forum, which traditionally takes place in February. As a result, if nothing goes wrong, the first samples may be featured in the news and reviews before March, and we'll see plenty of mass motherboard samples at the CeBIT exhibition. All that's left is to survive the winter. :)