Intel’s Roadmap – Processor Roadmap – THG.RU

CPU Roadmap

Deschutes Slot 2

The ‘Deschutes’ will be a Pentium II that will run at 100 MHz bus clock and come with a so called ‘CSRAM‘ 2nd level cache that will run at CPU clock rather than 1/2 CPU clock in the Pentium II. This shall increase the performance by 10% over the Pentium II at the same clock speed. The Deschutes will be able to cache up to 4 GB RAM and can run in up to quad CPU configuration, so that it’s mainly targeted to server systems in the first place. This CPU will need a new slot, which will probably be called ‘Slot 2‘. This Slot has got considerably more contacts, but by placing the contacts in three rather than two rows above each other, the cartridge won’t be much bigger than the Slot 1 SEC. The Deschutes is planned to be launched as a 400 MHz version sometimes in the 2nd quarter next year and will need the upcoming 450NX chipset on its motherboard. A 450 MHz version will follow in the second half of 1998.

Pentium II

The Pentium II will come in a 333 MHz version early 1998 which will still run at 66 MHz bus clock. The next steps will be a 350, 400 and 450 MHz version in the following quarters, all running at 100 MHz bus clock, requiring the 440BX chipset to support this new bus clock. As it seems, only the 100 MHz bus clock version will include a different tag RAM to give the Pentium II the ability to run with more than 512 MB properly. The Pentium II will only be able to run in up to dual CPU configurations.

Mobile Pentium II

A special low power version of the Pentium II for mobile systems will be seen beginning next year for the first time. This CPU will probably come with a smaller L2 cache and it shall run at less than 2.5 V. CPU speeds will range from 233 up to 300 MHz.

Pentium Pro

The Pentium Pro w/ 256 kB L2 cache for normal desktop systems will soon go out of production. The roadmap only talks of this CPU until end of this year. Since Intel doesn’t have a Pentium II solution for server systems until 2nd quarter 1998, you will be able to get the Pentium Pro w/512 and 1MB L2 cache until this time.

The roadmap doesn’t speak of the upcoming Pentium Pro Overdrive however, which will be a Pentium II for Socket 8. This CPU could increase the life span of Socket 8 boards beyond 1998.

Tillamook

The Tillamook should be seen in the shelves pretty soon, since the roadmap is placing it in the current quarter of 1998. This CPU will be a Pentium MMX shrunk to 0.28 micron die size and therefore requiring much less power and less voltage. This CPU is targeted to the mobile systems market, but the 266 MHz version expected early next year will be interesting for desktops as well.

Pentium MMX

The well known Pentium MMX will only as 233 MHz version see the second quarter of next year. All slower versions will slowly but surely go out production until then, starting with the Pentium MMX 133 MHz which won’t be produced next year anymore.

Pentium Classic

The good old Pentium Classic will soon disappear. The 166 MHz and slower versions will only be produced until end of September, the Pentium Classic 200 will go out of production by the end of this year.

Chipset Roadmap

440FX

The good old 440FX Pentium Pro / Pentium II chipset will be the first current one to disappear. In the first quarter next year when AGP and SDRAM support will become standard it will be replaced by the 440LX and 440BX chipset.

450GX

The oldest of the current chipsets, designed as Pentium Pro server solution will finally disappear when the Deschutes and the 450NX Slot 2 chipset will come out in the second quarter next year. It’s currently the only chipset that supports quad CPU configurations, which makes it inevitable for high end servers until the Deschutes Slot 2 comes out.

430TX

The 430TX Pentium chipset is the only Socket 7 chipset you can find on Intel’s new roadmap. Nobody speaks of the 430HX chipset anymore, which shows that it will be out of production pretty soon as well as the anyway unnecessary 430VX chipset. Since Intel does not plan to launch any other Socket 7 chipset anymore, the 430TX will be produced as long as Intel produces Socket 7 CPUs.

440LX

The 440LX Pentium II chipset will be launched in a few weeks on August 26 1997. It will come with AGP and SDRAM support to increase the performance of Pentium II systems. Unfortunately AGP is still suffering several problems, e.g. the delay of Windows NT 5 and Memphis, so that you will need some cheesy VxDs supplied from Intel to take at least some kind of advantage of AGP until the above mentioned operating systems come out. We are anyway only talking of AGP rev. 1.0, which will probably go through the same start problems as PCI several years back. Currently I can’t see any significant performance advantage of AGP (see upcoming review) and I hope it will improve until early next year.

440BX

The 440BX Pentium II chipset, planned to be launched in the second quarter next year will finally give us the 100 MHz bus clock, but it will support the good old 66 MHz as well of course. It will come in two different flavors, either with the PIIX4 (PCI ISA Interface Xelerator) known already from the 430TX chipset or later next year with the PIIX6, which will support ‘FireWire’ or ‘1394’ as well as the I₂O server/multi processor extension. The 440BX will probably only support SDRAM and of course include AGP.

450NX

The 450NX Deschutes Slot 2 chipset will finally replace the 450GX Pentium Pro chipset for server platforms. This chipset will be the first for Slot 2 and hence only run with the Slot 2 Deschutes CPU. It will support up to quad CPU systems, I₂O ,probably ‘1394’ as well and of course AGP. This chipset is running at 100 MHz bus clock and since the Deschutes is not planned to run at a slower bus clock it might not even support 66 MHz. Intel will have to do a sensible timing to get the 450NX as well as the Deschutes ready for the 2nd quarter 1998, since both components depend on each other.