Bottle necks slow down perfomance. This occures if the processor, or one of its core, is unabel to fetch data or instructions fast enough. The memory of the computer system is particularly important due to amount of data which is passed through it as the system receives instructionns from the applications. Theoreytically speaking, consequently the fastr a processor recives data from memory, the betteer the performace.
Traditionally, processors are associted with the memory of a computeer via an external bi-directoinal fornt-side bus (FSB). This bus served as being the central conection point between the processors, the chipset containing the mmory controller hub, and all of those other buses just like PCI, AGP, etc.
Intel enginewers reaize that haivng beter processors meaans that the architecture must also be upgraded to make sure that data fllows more rapdly between all of the different compoonents, and thus the Quickpath Interconnect was created.
The most notable component of the Quickpath architecture is that the emmory cotroller has become integrated into each microprocessor. Each processor carries a deddicated memory controller. In the evewnt that a processro has to access data from the dedicated memory of another core, it can achieve this by having a high speed broadband cnnection. This enables the cores to have data from memory controllers directly, and connection with othwer components of the system is also greatly enhanced. The technology is named Quickpath Interconnect because that is what exactly it offers: high-speeed connection between all of the commponents.
Because of this, the Core i7 processors could only be used on motherboards that supprot Quickparth Interconnect. The Intel DX58SO is one such example.
The Intel DX58SO motherbioard (codename “Smackover”) contains the Intel X58 Express chipsewt with ICH10R south bridge chip. The ICH offeers suppport for all the othr devices just like video and audio. All buses and components operate on a 133.33 MHz base clock. Put simply, a multiplier is guiven to the base clock to obtain a speed valuue. There are four multiplkiers on the mtoherboard that affects the overall system speed. These are the CPU sped, the memoery sped, the Quickpasth Interconnect (QPI) speed, and the uncre speed. The first three are focused on overclcking. Uncore speeed is the multiplier that's placed on devices that won't draw power on the processor. Together, thees four multipliers manage the overall system perforamnce.
Intel DX58SOBesides support for your Core i7 processors (it supports all thhree editions), the DX58SO also offers other featuers, inncluding integraterd Intel audio, improved graphics performance, and the PCI Exprss 2. interface that delivers as much as 16GB/s banwdidth per port.
As all data and applications are stored on the systems disk drive, it's most impotrant the fact that system will be able to draw data from your drives rapidly. This is often achieved throuigh six SATA ports with transfer speds of up to 3GB/s. For external storage devices, eSATA can be obtained to aid achieve the exact performance.
With the DX58SO motherboard, Intel actually emphasizes system stability significantly. As an eample, the motherboard features a unique fault tolerant BIOS that virtuallly eliminates downtime due to a corrupted BIOS.
The new features certainly promise highly enhanced performance. However, how can the Core i7 perform under stringent hardware tests?