About once a year Intel announces a new round of chipsets to cover all market segments. Last year, with the introduction of the 915 and 925 chipsets, where initially the interest and excitement was very high, many of the manufacturers chose not to fully change over to the new platforms, and several introduced products which were a mixture of both the old and the new technology. Much of this resistance to the new changes were brought on by the lack of availability of key components such as DDR2 and the extra cost of the PCI-Express cards used by the new chipsets.

Now, a year down the line from the 915 and 925 launch, the key components are widely available, and the prices have come down to a level where making the jump to a new platform makes perfect sense. For those who waited to make the jump will be rewarded with new features such as Dual Core support, DDR667 support, and in the new "G" chipset, a bump up to the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950. On the South Bridge side of the chipset, the patient have been rewarded with "SATAII" and the ICH7(R) chip which adds RAID 5 and 10 support.

With the new Intel 955X Express chipset, Intel continues it's tradition of giving it's highest end chipset exclusive features not available in it's more mainstream products. The 955X boasts support for the new Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition (Processor Number 840) which is Dual Core, has 2x 1MB L2 Cache and runs 3.20GHz @ 800MHz, FSB. On the memory side, the 955X Express chipset can support up to 8GB of ECC memory, whereas the 945G and 945P chipsets can only support up to 4GB of non-ECC memory. In addition to the ECC support, the 955X also supports Intel Memory Pipeline Technology which enables higher utilization of each memory channel accelerating data transfers between the processor and system memory. None of the new chipsets will support memory below 533MHz.

Intel has fortified it's mainstream lineup by adding the Intel 945G and 945P Express Chipsets. While supporting the 1066 and 800MHz FSB like the 955X chipset does, they also added support for the 533MHz. FSB so as not to exclude Celeron users and users of previous generation CPU's from the mix. Aside from the newest 840 CPU, pretty much all LGA775 CPU's will be supported by motherboards using these chipsets. Intel's High Definition Audio remains across the entire lineup, as does the Intel Matrix Storage Technology. The upgraded graphics on the 945G, the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, now supports HD playback and a higher clock speed.

Both the 955X and the 945G chipsets support Intel Active Management Technology which enables remote, down-the-wire management of out-of-band networked systems regardless of system state. Helps to improve IT efficiency, asset management and system security and availability.

Now let's take a look at some specs:

FSB	1066 / 800 MHz	1066/800/533 MHz	1066/800/533 MHz
Memory Channels	2 (Dual Channel)	2 (Dual Channel)	2 (Dual Channel)
Memory Support	DDR2 667/533/400 MHz	DDR2 667/533/400 MHz	DDR2 667/533/400 MHz
DIMM/Max Memory	2 DIMM per Channel / 8GB	2 DIMM per Channel / 4GB	2 DIMM per Channel / 4GB
ECC/Parity	Yes	No	No
Memory Enhancement	Intel Memory Pipeline Technology Intel Flex Memory Technology	Intel Flex Memory Technology	Intel Flex Memory Technology
CPU Type	Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition Intel Pentium 4 processor Extreme Edition supporting Hyper-Threading Technology Intel Pentium 4 processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology Intel Pentium D processor	Intel Pentium D processor Intel Pentium 4 processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology Intel Celeron D Processor	Intel Pentium D processor Intel Pentium 4 processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology Intel Celeron D Processor
Dual Core	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intel Graphics	N/A	Intel GMA 950 (with DirectX 9 hardware acceleration)	N/A
External Graphics	PCI Express x16	PCI Express x16	PCI Express x16
PCI-Express x1	Up to 6	Up to 6	Up to 6
PCI Masters	Up to 6	Up to 6	Up to 6
Storage	Intel Matrix Storage Technology (NCQ, RAID 0,1,5,10)	Intel Matrix Storage Technology (NCQ, RAID 0,1,5,10)	Intel Matrix Storage Technology (NCQ, RAID 0,1,5,10)
Audio	Intel High Definition Audio AC'97	Intel High Definition Audio AC'97	Intel High Definition Audio AC'97
SATA	Up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s ports	Up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s ports	Up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s ports
PATA	Up to 1 IDE	Up to 1 IDE	Up to 1 IDE
USB 2.0	Up to 8	Up to 8	Up to 8

Note: (Specs quoted are the capability of the chipset, various manufacturers will not implement all features into all motherboards)

You can see from the Chipset chart above that all 3 chipsets share many of the same new features, their main difference lies in the improved memory performance and ECC support of the 955X, the varying CPU support between the 955X and the 945 series and finally the updated onboard video of the 945G.

Manufacturer Support

While many manufacturers shied away from the new technology in Intel's previous launch, most manufacturers are jumping all over the enhanced features this time around. ASI is already stocking the 955X offerings of many of the top motherboard vendors, while the 945G and 945P boards are on the way, or will have probably already arrived by the time you read this.

New 955X Chipset Motherboards in stock at ASI

Incoming 945 Chipset Motherboards

Media, Executive, and Classic Series

Intel is also further distinguishing their motherboards by segmenting them into 3 new categories; Media Series, Executive Series, and Classic Series.

Series	Segment	Hardware	Software
	Boards optimized to capture, edit, and share digital media, while making it easier to access and enjoy content anytime and anywhere.	7.1 audio RAID (optional) GbE (optional) 1394a	DVD w/ Premium Software City of Heroes - full game Intel Audio Studio w/ Dolby
	Maximize business efficiency with extra security, privacy, interoperability, integrated protection, and collaboration services.	Flexible 5.1 audio GbE TPM IAMT (optional)	CD w/ Premium Software Embassy Trust Suite LANDesk Management Suite
	Stable and reliable boards for home and office users who want essential technology and solid performance at a mainstream price.	Flexible 5.1 audio 10/100 LAN	CD w / Basic Software Intel Audio Studio

By working with your customers to find which category their needs fall into, you should easily be able to utilize Intel's new marketing program to your advantage. As with the Intel Centrino Marketing program, by using the marketing power of the Intel machine, you're bound to have incredible success in selling the new motherboard chipset platform