Stefan Mileschin

Slides from a detailed Intel desktop platform roadmap have been leaked and confirm that Intel has no plans to introduce Broadwell microprocessors next year.

The roadmap claims that Chipzilla will refresh the desktop platform with higher-speed chips based on Haswell micro-architecture as well as with new chipsets.

The slides were published by an Italian blog asder00.blogspot.it and they show Intel's cunning plans until the second quarter of 2014.

Previously, it was believed that Rockwell microprocessors with improved micro-architecture and slightly better performance-per-watt specifications compared to Haswell would run on types of client processors. It now looks like Haswell is doomed to an existence inside mobile computers and small form-factor desktops like Intel NUC.

It looks like Chipzilla will introduce its new high-end desktop microprocessors in LGA2011 form-factor in Q3 2013 and will refresh the mainstream desktop Core i-series "Haswell" microprocessor lineup in Q2 2014.

Chipzilla is now expected to introduce the code-named Haswell Refresh platform in Q2 2014. This new platform will feature a Intel 9-series chipset and higher speed Haswell chips. However they will not use Rockwell microprocessors made using 14nm process technology.

This plan was part of a roadmap last year. It seems that Intel wants to refresh the whole lineup of desktop CPUs.

One surprising thing in the roadmap was a mysterious Core i7-4771 processor which should be appearing in the third quarter. It is not clear exactly what this chip is and what it will look like. Next quarter Intel wants to rollout the H81 chipset.

The Haswell Refresh will be a little disappointing for those that wanted to see a bigger jump in technology from Intel. The new chips will only give a slight performance boost.

The Intel 9-series chipsets are a lot more interesting. They will include such core-logic sets as Z97 and H97 and will support SATA Express interface for high-speed storage devices. SATA express will dramatically performance of high-end SSDs that are limited by SATA-6Gb/s. It will mean that interface speeds can be boosted from 8Gb/s and 16Gb/s. The SATA Express connectors are backwards compatible with current SATA cables and will allow plugging both existing hard drives as well as future SATA Express PCIe-based devices.

The core-logic series will also support all-new Intel device protection technology with boot guard.

http://news.techeye.net/chips/intels...ell-is-delayed