14 DAY TRIAL // Continuing the long line of processors and processor chipsets, Intel and its partners have released the new Bearlake series of chipsets at the CeBIT trade fair which opened today in Hannover. CeBIT has become a launch pad for different technologies and products from companies all over the world, and now, we witness the 2007 edition of the trade fair, which has been organized every year since 1986.
The Bearlake series of chipsets, also known as the Intel 3 series of chipsets, is composed out of several chipsets designed to appeal different markets and consumer types. The main feature of these chipsets is the introduction of 1333MHz FSB, an upgrade from the 1066MHz FSB used on current Intel products.
With this, Intel makes yet another switch in order to maintain the leadership it has greatly worked for over the years by introducing DDR3 memory support. The chipset codenamed X38 will be the only one using exclusively DDR3 memory modules, compatible to DDR3-1066 and DDR3-1333 standards, P35, G35 and G33 will use a combo of both DDR2-800 and DDR3-1066 memory, while the remaining two, Q35 and Q33 chipsets will use DDR2-800 memory.
Intel's Clear Video Technology will be available on the G35 and G33 chipsets, G35 having DX10 support, along side HDCP and HDMI as the main difference from G33. X38 on the other side features PCI-Express 2.0 support with two PCI-Express interfaces running at full x16 speed lanes for video cards.
Intel will also be releasing processors supporting the 1333MHz FSB in the form of the Core 2 Duo E6650 (2.33GHz), the E6750 (2.66GHz) and the E6850 (3.0GHz). These will have a price of 266$, 183$ and 163$ for 1.000 units. The Bearlake chipsets are powered by the new ICH9 southbridge which, among other things, is another step towards completely removing the Parallel ATA interface. This southbridge is the starting ground for Intel's 45nm Penryn processors, the Core 2 Duo (Wolfdale) and the Core 2 Quad (Yorkfield).