Intel’s Haswell to Feature Secrete Weapon: Integrated Voltage Regulator

[jones377]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/di...rete_Weapon_Integrated_Voltage_Regulator.html

It's been known for some time that Intel will integrate the VRMs onto the Haswell package, but this article goes into more details than leaked before. Some highlights:

* On package "Common Cell" Architecture
* 20 Power cells @ 25A each
* Each power cell supports 16 phases, totaling 320(!) phases
* Fine grain power management

 

[tweakboy]

They just made the GPU super fast not like I care and some other tweaks. At first only mobiles get Haswell , comes to desktop after that.

Its just new technology for the GPU to be really fast...... its only gonna be 5 percent increase in perf. clock for clock vs Ivy and Ivy bridge E which I'm getting will slaughter howard imo

 

[sm625]

How are they going to squeeze the requisite multiple microhenries and millifarads needed for a proper VRM into that package??

 

[PottedMeat]

interesting, power mosfets & logic on one die

 

[ShintaiDK]

The last of the 2005 concept finally put into production.

 

[Abwx]

How are they going to squeeze the requisite multiple microhenries and millifarads needed for a proper VRM into that package??

These components will remain in the MB , close to the socket.
The CPU only integrate the command and switching circuitry.

 

[Abwx]

interesting, power mosfets & logic on one die

That s old tech , really , for whom has little knowledge
of existing SMPS dedicated chips...

 

[Ferzerp]

I can only see this as something that can potentially limit the ability to overvolt and overcurrent the procs if they so choose.

 

[meloz]

I can only see this as something that can potentially limit the ability to overvolt and overcurrent the procs if they so choose.

Your glass is always half empty or what?

Intel do not need on-package voltage regulation to do what you fear.

 

[Ferzerp]

Your glass is always half empty or what?

I'm a realist who knows better than to be a "fan" of any company and recognize that what is good for me may be at odds with what is good for the company manufacturing the the things that I buy.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

I can only see this as something that can potentially limit the ability to overvolt and overcurrent the procs if they so choose.

true, but whats also just as possible, if not more so, is that voltage regulation becomes that much more efficient and thus we see lower volts and higher overclocks than what was possible before, including with less expensive motherboards

 

[Arachnotronic]

I'm a realist who knows better than to be a "fan" of any company and recognize that what is good for me may be at odds with what is good for the company manufacturing the the things that I buy.

Companies are in the business of making things that people want to buy.

BTW, Intel has been quite clear that Haswell will bring about overclocking improvements over SNB/IVB.

 

[blackened23]

Yeah I saw that on the reddit AMA earlier today. Haswell is said to overclock much better than SB/IB, should be interesting.

 

[cytg111]

Yeah I saw that on the reddit AMA earlier today. Haswell is said to overclock much better than SB/IB, should be interesting.

- yes and apparently, the reason as to why it's a better overclocker can be read out of the haswell "preview" done by anand (i guess it's this) : http://www.anandtech.com/show/6355/intels-haswell-architecture

So .. whats the "overclock" feature ?

 

[masteryoda34]

- yes and apparently, the reason as to why it's a better overclocker can be read out of the haswell "preview" done by anand (i guess it's this) : http://www.anandtech.com/show/6355/intels-haswell-architecture

So .. whats the "overclock" feature ?

Just looked through the article again. I am going to bet it is the decoupled L3 cache. This would let the CPU cores run at a higher frequency than the system bus and L3.

For instance, my 45nm Nehalem quad core maxes at about 3.6GHz for the L3 (uncore) and 4.2 GHz for the core frequency. Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge had the CPU frequency and L3 frequency tied together, which may explain why we didn't get a huge overclocking headroom increase with the transition to 32nm and 22nm. The L3 may have been holding back the core frequency. Now with the core and L3 decoupled again on Haswell, we'll get to see how high the CPU cores can go without the L3 holding it back.

 

[cbn]

So .. whats the "overclock" feature ?

http://www.legitreviews.com/news/14176/

high end overclocking features that allow greater BCLK tuning and which currently only appear in the top end, pricey SB-E LGA 2011 platform will be present in the mainstream Haswell desktop and laptop parts too. Significantly, the BCLK coarse ratio adjustments of 1.00, 1.25 and 1.67 which allow BCLK to change without unwanted overclocking of those SATA ports and other components, will feature in the new Haswell mainstream parts. This will help with clock speed granularity, since simply adjusting the multipliers along with limited BCLK as happens now on Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPUs leads to large clock speed jumps, preventing optimum fine tuning of system performance.

 

[cbn]

This article specifically mentions i7:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/di...ocessors_to_Further_Improve_Overclocking.html

With Core i7 "Haswell" K-series LG1150 central processing units, Intel will bring variable BCLK coarse ratios to the mainstream platforms, which will provide more flexibility to overclockers.

 

[IntelUser2000]

So its on package, not on die. PCWatch article says that on-die VR is still a bit of ways away.

That may mean only the ULT parts may get it.

 

[ShintaiDK]

So .. whats the "overclock" feature ?

BCLK overclocking on LGA1150 due to ratios

Also the VRM should give better overclocking.

 

[ShintaiDK]

So its on package, not on die. PCWatch article says that on-die VR is still a bit of ways away.

That may mean only the ULT parts may get it.

ULT wont get it. They have on package VRM and PCH.

They might get it with Broadwell tho.

 

[IntelUser2000]

ULT wont get it. They have on package VRM and PCH.

They might get it with Broadwell tho.

That's what I meant. On-die means it would have had it everywhere, but its on-package which gives Intel the option to feature it on select versions - like ULT.

As for on-die, it still looks like its in the research phase, which IMO means Skylake++

 

[ShintaiDK]

That's what I meant. On-die means it would have had it everywhere, but its on-package which gives Intel the option to feature it on select versions - like ULT.

As for on-die, it still looks like its in the research phase, which IMO means Skylake++

All Haswell SKUs will feature the VRM. So not sure what you are trying to say.

 

[kache]

Companies are in the business of making things that people want to buy.

They generally don't specifically target enthusiasts, though.

 

[Arachnotronic]

They generally don't specifically target enthusiasts, though.

The enthusiast space, much like the All-In-One PC space, is one of the few desktop spaces that's actually growing quite nicely.

Intel cares very much about the enthusiasts.

 

[2is]

I'm a realist who knows better than to be a "fan" of any company and recognize that what is good for me may be at odds with what is good for the company manufacturing the the things that I buy.

You realists have a horrible track record for predicting overclocking potential, which means Haswell will most likely be a great ocer.