Dual-Socket Desktop for Enthusiasts

[A.Rafay]

Intel Corp. has demonstrated its ultra high-performance gaming platform code-named Skulltrail during the ongoing Intel Developer Forum trade-show. The company seems to be serious about offering an alternative to AMD’s dual-socket enthusiast platform FASN8 and will commercially release the product late this year.

Intel’s Skulltrail platform for gamers based on code-named Seaburg chipset resembles Stoakley platform for high-end dual-processor workstations, but in addition to features like support for two quad-core Intel Xeon microprocessor with up to 1600MHz processor system bus, up to 128GB of FB-DIMM memory, Intel virtualization technology and other capabilities, the Skulltrail offers four PCI Express x16 slots for graphics cards, something that high-end gamers may require.

The new platform for no compromise gamers will let end-users without limits of budget to obtain eight processing engines as well as four graphics processing units for ultimate performance. Still, Intel will have to ensure that ATI, graphics product group of Advanced Micro Devices, and Nvidia Corp. enable driver support for 4-way CrossFire or SLI multi-GPU configurations.

Even though it remains to be seen whether Intel allows overclocking of its Intel Xeon processors, Noctua, a well-known maker of high-performance liquid-cooling systems, announced on Wednesday that its popular liquid solutions now feature mounting mechanisms for Intel Xeon processors.

“Maximum cooling performance at minimum noise levels and excellent reliability can be particularly important in the world of high-end workstations and special server applications. We’ve received lots of requests regarding Xeon compatibility and we’re pleased that we’re now able to provide Xeon mounting-kits as well as a Xeon-Edition of the NH-U12F and NH-U9F upon request. Finally, Xeon-based systems can benefit from the performance and quality of our coolers too,” said Roland Mossig, Noctua chief executive.

The new Intel Xeon mounting-kit is compatible with socket 771 and socket 604 and makes it possible to use Noctua’s coolers on Intel Xeon 5000 and Xeon 7000 series processors.
Unfortunately, Intel still has not announced the exact launch and availability dates of the Skulltrail-based computers. It is very likely that the new systems will be available in mid-November at the earliest, still ahead of AMD’s FASN8 with two AMD Phenom FX quad-core chips, which is set to emerge in early 2008.

Intel SkullTrail​

Source

 

[Atif]

That is a good thing but its gonna be very expensive and BTW the casing is awesome

 

[Fahad007]

128GB Of RAm OMG :O

 

[A.Rafay]

Intel confirmed that it will sample its Skulltrail dual socket machines this year, probably in December time and it looks like this FB DIMM powered machine will be the fastest thing around

 

[A.Rafay]

The dual-processor enthusiast-class code-named Skulltrail platform from Intel, which the company demonstrated at Intel Developer Forum, will be available in Q1 2008. But while the new extreme gaming machines will offer outstanding performance, they will come at a price with only central processing units (CPUs) costing $3000.


Intel’s Skulltrail platform for gamers based on code-named Seaburg chipset resembles Stoakley platform for high-end dual-processor workstations, but in addition to features like support for two quad-core microprocessors with up to 1600MHz processor system bus, up to 128GB of PC2-6400 (800MHz) FB-DIMM memory, Intel virtualization technology and other capabilities, the Skulltrail offers four PCI Express x16 slots for graphics cards to support 4-way CrossFire or SLI multi-GPU configurations.

Intel plans to release special versions of Intel Core 2 Extreme processors in LGA775 form-factor to power its dual-socket enthusiast platform, confidential documents seen by X-bit labs claim. The first of such chips will be Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775 clocked at 3.20GHz with overspeed protection disabled (unlocked multiplier), the new chip will utilize 1600MHz processor system bus and feature 12MB cache. Given that the newcomer is made using 45nm process technology, it will sport all the advantages that the new code-named Penryn family has. The new extreme chips from Intel will have thermal design power of 150W, therefore, will need very efficient and potentially noisy and/or expensive cooling systems.

It is currently known that Intel will offer Intel D5400XS motherboard for Skulltrail systems, but it is unclear whether large mainboard makers, such as Asustek Computer, will also offer a Skulltrail platform.

But those, who demand to have eight processing engines under the hood of their gaming station will have to pay a price for that. Each Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775 will cost $1499 in business quantities, meaning that end-users will have to pay over $3000 for processors alone. Dual-socket mainboards for workstations typically cost from $300 to $550, whereas high-end graphics cards usually retail for $399 and upwards. Typically, high-end systems also use high-performance hard disk drives, such as Western Digital Raptor X 150GB, in addition to high-capacity HDDs, such as Seagate Barracuda 1TB, which are also not really affordable. As a result, gamers will have to pay roughly $6000 only for critical components, such as two Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775, 4GB of memory, 4 graphics cards, one high-speed HDD and one high-capacity HDD. Given that monitor, case, power supply, optical drive, workmanship, various software and so on also do not come for free, Intel Skulltrail gaming stations will easily pass $10 000 milestone.

 

[A.Rafay]

Intel’s Skulltrail hits 5.0 GHz

Integrating the Seaburg chipset as well as two 771-pin “special” Xeon sockets, Piednoel told us that one of these systems has been overclocked in his lab to 5.0 GHz stable, and 5.2 GHz nearly stable. That system uses vapor cooling. The analyst mentioned he's using regular bathroom silicon around key parts of the board to keep condensation from becoming an issue. During Fall IDF he had a similar machine running just under 4 GHz with known BIOS limitations at that time which were keeping it from clocking higher......

DO read more here

 

[Adnan959]

OMG OMG OMG

Crysis running at 500 FPS .

Great topic begy.

 

[A.Rafay]

but it requires special cooling...

@adnan... i love your sig

 

[r3aper]

Apart from the hardware specs, this is one damn sexy casing!!!!!

 

[Munis]

ahhh this would never get into the mainstream ,even never in high-end machines but only in super expensive server+gaming machines. 4 PCI-Express!? i say Bullshit! SLI- drivers of today are not optimized correctly and don't even scale properly they are talking about 4 Graphics card utterly ridiculous

 

[A.Rafay]

Nvidia is working closely wih intel to optimize drivers for SLI... read the thread

 

[Adnan959]

Good to hear that, coz their new drivers were f**king up Crysis, performance should be much better in SLI.

@adnan... i love your sig

Thanks mate.