DFI working on P55 motherboard

While Intel's Core i5 processor won't be released until the second half this year, motherboard manufacturers are already working on designing compatible motherboards. The Core i5 processor is based on the Nehalem architecture, but with a few notable differences. The Core i5 has a dual channel DDR3 memory interface and a CPU-integrated PCI-Express controller. This has allowed Intel to integrated the north- and southbridge into a single chip, the P55.

DFI seems to be ready for the launch of Core i5, their first model looks quite finished. The motherboard is branded LANParty Dark P55 T3eH6 and features no less than three PCI-Express 16x slots which are likely to run in a 16x / 0x / 8x /8x or 8x / 8x lanes. THe two upper graphics card slots share their connection with the processor, while the bottom slot gets eight lanes from the P55 chipset. 

Apart from the obvious LGA 1156 socket, the motherboard features four DDR3 slots and a sturdy 6+2 phase power provision for the CPU. Through the P55 chipset, six SATA 3 Gbps connectors are available and an additional controller adds two more ports, making for a total of eight.

The DFI LANParty Dark P55 T3eH6 motherboard, image source: Techpowerup

Tags: corei5 ddr3 nehalem sata usb p55 socket-1156

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