Intel’s 1H 2011 desktop motherboard roadmap

Still not a lot of details of what’s to come

FOR THOSE OF you that are fans of Intel’s own brand motherboards and that are waiting for Sandy Bridge to upgrade, we can today unveil some of Intel’s upcoming consumer level motherboards. But before that takes place, Intel should also have a pair of new X58 boards in the market, although to live up to its roadmap, Intel only has 30 days to get these two models out.

So let’s start with the X58 boards, here we have the DX58SO2 which will be replacing the DX58SO. This model was shown at IDF in September and pictures of it can be found around the web. The other model is the DX58OG is being listed for pre-order with several online retailers around the world. It seems like this model is expected to launch in about two weeks’ time. We’ve only managed to track down a low resolution picture of this board courtesy of an Intel PDF related to its gaming motherboards.

Oddly enough, according to this PDF, the two new models don’t feature the same overclocking potential as the old DX58SO, but both models have gained Bluetooth support and the tiny pictures of the boards also suggests USB 3.0 support. What little can be made out from the pictures, it looks like the DX58OG lacks the eSATA ports, the second Ethernet port, one of the x16 PCI Express slots, half of the audio connectors and it has been given a simpler chipset and VRM cooling solution compared to the DX58SO2. The actual PCB appears to be the same, so this suggests that the DX58OG is simply just a cost reduced version of the DX58SO2.

The first of Intel’s P67 models is the DP67BG, again, already shown to the press and it’s set to replace the current DP55KG model. This board will feature a pair of x16 PCI Express slots, USB 3.0, eSATA and of course a pair of Intel SATA 6Gbps ports. Despite Intel’s discontinuation of support for PCI, this model features a pair of PCI slots thanks to a PCI Express to PCI bridge chip. We expect this to be the model Intel sends out with its Sandy Bridge review kits to the media ahead of the launch.

Next up we have the DP67BA which is the first P67 board that is from Intel’s Media series. It’s set to replace the current DP55WG model, board details are scarce at this time. This is followed by the micro ATX DP67DE which replaces the DP55WB. This takes to the H67 chipset and the DH67CL, which is the only full size ATX board from Intel with the H57 chipset and it replaces the DH55HC. The first of two mATX H67 boards is the DH67GD which is set to replace the current DH57DD, while the second model is the DH67BL which replaces the DH55TC.

Finally we have the mini-ITX boards, namely the DH67CF and the DH61AG. The first model is based on the H67 chipset while the second one is based on Intel’s most basic chipset for Sandy Bridge, the H61. The DH67CF will supersede the DH57JG while the DH61AG is a new entry, although it’s not expected to launch until the second quarter of next year, unlike the rest of the boards which are set for a Q1 launch. You can find some pictures of the DH67CF here and it should end up being one of the more feature packed mini-ITX boards with DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, USB 3.0, eSATA and even a full x16 PCI Express slot.

We have to apologise for the lack of details pertaining each of the new models, but Intel has, so far, not been as forthcoming as its partners when it comes to showing off its new Sandy Bridge motherboards. With two new X58 launching presumably this month, it’s at least clear that Intel isn’t planning on replacing socket 1366 within the next six months or so.  And, as you can see from the part of Intel’s motherboard roadmap, the company has left the second half of next year open, but this doesn’t mean that there won’t be something new coming, it just means that Intel isn’t ready to talk about it, yet.S|A

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