Intel have given motherboard producers the choice to spec out budget-oriented X299 boards with out top-end options like quad-channel reminiscence. That means you could possibly get cut-price X299 motherboards particularly designed for the lower-spec Core i5 and i7 X-series CPUs.
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The two Kaby Lake-X chips propping up the incoming X-series CPU vary aren’t in a position to entry the platform’s quad-channel reminiscence and solely help 16 PCIe lanes. A completely specced X299 motherboard would then have a bunch of inaccessible options when utilizing these new processors.
Intel’s Frank Soqui defined to me at E3 that they have been working with the board producers to provide them a method to differentiate their X299 choices from one another.
“We give guidance about how to do the PCI bus lanes,” said Soqui, “how much memory to put in and how to configure them. Different motherboard manufacturers will have a different density of memory support. They all change a little bit, I mean you can build a common board to scale across processors, but the different motherboard manufacturers can decide how much of those X-series features they want to take care of when they’re serving the market.”
I requested if that imply we may count on to see extra price-conscious X299 boards designed to cater for the Kaby Lake-X gang which eschew the expense of utilizing quad-channel reminiscence?
“Yes,” said Soqui,”because those manufacturers know their customers better than we do. That lets the motherboard manufacturers differentiate.”
It shall be fascinating to see whether or not any producers truly make the leap creating cut-down X299 boards down the road. While it would take away the value premium over the Z270 boards, it additionally limits the upgrading potential. But it will simply want one to take the danger and for it to be a hit to make the X299 the one Intel platform players want take into account.
It additionally kinda appears like a transfer from Intel to create a single, unified platform.
“You know, it’d be nice to say that,” said Soqui when I put it to him, “but there’s an overhead associated with that. When you’re on the performance side maybe you can sustain the overhead a little bit, I don’t think you ever get that ‘one ring to rule them all’ kinda thing. It’s nice to think that we could do that because what we want to do is lower the cost for motherboard manufacturers.”
He additionally made the purpose that there are nonetheless individuals who truly need, and use, the built-in graphics of the usual Kaby Lake vary. You know, the weirdos with out correct graphics playing cards, or company folks who love to do a enterprise with their PCs as a substitute of having fun with them.
“What you’ve seen us do is expand our X-series,” said Soqui. “So consider that a family now and then consider the non-X-series as another family of products.”
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