The Nehalem Legacy: Eight Cores, 16 Threads

The Nehalem secret lies deeply buried in the Intel labs. From time to time, rumors or even unofficial news surface on the web and give us another glimpse of what the Nehalems would act and look like.

The Nehalem-EX series bears the Beckton codename and is a recent addition to the Nehalem family. Beckton promises an eight-core architecture for each of them to feature the older HyperThreading Technology (HTT), that would result in a 16-thread processor. More than that, each pair of processor cores will have an impressive 24MB of cache pool - a true powerhorse on a single chip. The CPU is specifically built for usage within multi-processor units and features Quick Path Interconnect with four links at 6.4Gbps, as well as a quad-channel FB-DIMM2 memory controller. The chip is likely to sit on a new LGA socket architecture, called Socket-LS, an impressive 1567-pin communication freeway. The Thermal Design Power varies between the lowest, 90-watt and the highest, 130-watt threshold.

The Nehalem-EP series, also known as Gainestown will feature the benefits of HyperThreading, but will only be limited to an 8 MB cache pool. The quad-core, dual-socket processor is designed to work with triple-channel DDR3 memory cards and would feature two Quick Path Interconnect links on a new, 1366-pin LGA socket.

The Bloomfield architecture will be an extreme performance processor and will unify all the Gainestown's features, except that it will have a single Quick Path Interconnect link on a single socket only. The CPU will sit on a LGA1366 socket and is supposed to have about 150 million more transistors at 731m than the current Kentsfields.

For mainstream performance, Intel will release the Lynnfield and Clarkfield processors, that will feature much lower clock speeds and the QPI link will be replaced by a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot as well as a DMI link to the southbridge.

Specialized forums spread the word that the first Nehalem will be the Bloomfield, set to emerge late next year, while the others will be available no sooner than late 2009.