Intel's upcoming micro-architecture for x86 processors, called Nehalem, will arrive on the market later this year. Although there is a long way ahead before we are able to get a fully-functional Nehalem-based
computer on our desktops, things seem to move forward at the chip manufacturer's headquarters.
According to a report published by tech website Chiphell, the first Nehalem-ready motherboard will be codenamed "Smackdown". The motherboard has reached the pre-production stage and looks just like in the attached images.
However, Intel showcased some Nehalem-based system during the IDF. Despite the fact that there were only a few available details regarding the chip manufacturer's latest micro-architecture, the dual-core workstation was running two native quad-cores for a total of 16 simultaneous threads. We can only imagine that the dual-processor systems powered by Nehalem chips will be slightly more impressive than the Skulltrail platform running at full speed.
However, the leaked pictures of the Smackdown motherboard unveils a single-socket motherboard with a more than average cooling system. No heatpipes aboard, no oversized northbridge cooler, just a neat and simple motherboard powered by an unknown chipset.
As far as we can tell, the motherboard sports four DDR2-800 memory DIMMS for a total memory capacity of 16 GB on four modules. However, the Smackdown seems more of a low-end / mid-range motherboard than a high-end unit; the two PCI-Express x16 expansion slots could support Three- and Quad-SLI links if only the chip in between would be one of Nvidia's nForce 100 chips.
What's interesting about the motherboard is the fact that it comes with solid capacitors covered in aluminum, that serve the CPU power module. The high-quality Japanese capacitors are especially designed to sustain the most aggressive power variations without leaking.
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