PCI-Express, S-ATA, BTX... When?

[Tab]

Serial ATA

Intel IDF: S-ATA Article (AnandTech)
S-ATA Standard Website

First Question. Why do we have Hard Drive Manufactures using bridges (excluding Seagate) and not native S-ATA? Why do we have a different power connector? What is taking CD/DVD Manufactures so long to start to implement this technology? I've also heard of a external S-ATA Standard, does it exist? What are the details of it?


PCI-Express (I'd like to add a side note that PCI-Express and PCI-X are two different things!)

PCI Express: Interconnect of the future (AnandTech)
PCI-SIG Group

When is going to come out? I know that we don't even use AGP 4x to its full extent, but we've got to have some massive architecture changes, what are they?


BTX (Balanced Technology eXtended)

Balanced Technology Extended (AnandTech)
Form Factor Organization

I assume since Intel is the leader, AMD will adopt to this forum factor as well? When is it going to become mainstream?


I know someone is going to say to me you can't have always have cutting edge technology. However, it seems to be these new technologies will soon make the others obsolete. When will they becoming out mainstream? Someone has to know, we must have some people that are involved in the industry that browse these forums! Anyone know anything about OLEDs as well? I've heard that companies are slowing on a research because profits on LCDs are much larger, is this true?

 

[MichaelD]

Bump for a very interesting and (with the right replies and links) educational thread.

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Bump for a very interesting and (with the right replies and links) educational thread.

Thanks, just got some questions. Intrested in the External S-ATA Spec. Wouldn't mind having a laptop with a S-ATA Connection connected to a Raptor Drive.

 

[MrCodeDude]

I know PCI-X is supposed to come out this Fall (Q3/Q4). Same with BTX boards, but remember that BTX won't necessarily make ATX obsolete. Like the transformation from AT to ATX, the transformation from ATX to BTX will be the same. And once BTX comes out, I'd still imagine there will be quite a lot of faults with the first boards out there, so probably stable BTX next Spring/Summer would be my prediction.

 

[Tab]

I figure it'll be mature by the fall then :|

 

[SUOrangeman]

SATA won't be "mainstream" until optical/non-hard drives are released with the connectors. Maybe that will encourage more chipset makers to incorporate SATA directly into the chipset (currently, only Intel has done so with its latest and greatest). IDE/ATAPI, although it still works well, is very old and is probably not as efficient as it could be. It is definitely time to move on to something better and forward-thinking.

As far as BTX and the new PCI busses, I'll definitely give these technologies a lot of consideration before my next personal build.

-SUO

 

[WackyDan]

PCI express will be out in May/June with the 915 chipset of Intel ->with the major manufacturers.

 

[Nyati13]

Originally posted by: SUOrangeman
SATA won't be "mainstream" until optical/non-hard drives are released with the connectors. Maybe that will encourage more chipset makers to incorporate SATA directly into the chipset (currently, only Intel has done so with its latest and greatest). IDE/ATAPI, although it still works well, is very old and is probably not as efficient as it could be.
-SUO

The Via K8 chipset has SATA-RAID built into the Southbridge (with 2 connectors)

Jeremy

 

[Pariah]

SATA PCMCIA cards already exist. If you wanted a Raptor on a laptop it can already be done. SATA is mainstream when Dell, HP, and other major OEM's include them in their standard configurations. If they already do, the SATA is already mainstream. The SATA bridge has no affect on anything, except cost. It's cheaper to make one drive (parallel) and adapt the other interfaces to it if there are no side penalties. There are no SATA opticals because there really isn't much of a point to having them right now. With SATA II we'll see an external cable spec and likely more optical drives.

 

[stickybytes]

which one of the upcoming intel chipsets will have the pci-express bus?

 

[stickybytes]

which one of the upcoming intel chipsets will have the pci-express bus?

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: WackyDan
PCI express will be out in May/June with the 915 chipset of Intel ->with the major manufacturers.

 

[gibbsman]

This is such exciting new technology. My PC is really ready for an upgrade, but I've been too short on cash lately. However with all these new changes, I think I'll just start saving my pennies and get a new machine next summer when all this has come out and has had some time for revisions. Facinating stuff!

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: gibbsman
This is such exciting new technology. My PC is really ready for an upgrade, but I've been too short on cash lately. However with all these new changes, I think I'll just start saving my pennies and get a new machine next summer when all this has come out and has had some time for revisions. Facinating stuff!

Yea, I just wish someone in the industry would tell us some more

 

[Mday]

Originally posted by: MrCodeDude
I know PCI-X is supposed to come out this Fall (Q3/Q4). Same with BTX boards, but remember that BTX won't necessarily make ATX obsolete. Like the transformation from AT to ATX, the transformation from ATX to BTX will be the same. And once BTX comes out, I'd still imagine there will be quite a lot of faults with the first boards out there, so probably stable BTX next Spring/Summer would be my prediction.

why did you bring up pci-x? pci-x is not the same thing as pci express. pci-x has been around for a while, version 2.0 should be here soon.

 

[beatle]

Originally posted by: Pariah
The SATA bridge has no affect on anything, except cost. It's cheaper to make one drive (parallel) and adapt the other interfaces to it if there are no side penalties.

This is true, but I still wonder why WD still uses a bridge for the Raptor... perhaps a proper SATA interface is more difficult to engineer at this point of the game?

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: Mday

Originally posted by: MrCodeDude
I know PCI-X is supposed to come out this Fall (Q3/Q4). Same with BTX boards, but remember that BTX won't necessarily make ATX obsolete. Like the transformation from AT to ATX, the transformation from ATX to BTX will be the same. And once BTX comes out, I'd still imagine there will be quite a lot of faults with the first boards out there, so probably stable BTX next Spring/Summer would be my prediction.

why did you bring up pci-x? pci-x is not the same thing as pci express. pci-x has been around for a while, version 2.0 should be here soon.

Heh...

PCI-Express (I'd like to add a side note that PCI-Express and PCI-X are two different things!)

 

[JamminJimmy]

Will I be able to pop out my P4 2.6 CPU and Ram and stick it into a mobo with PCI Express?

 

[Pariah]

Originally posted by: beatle

Originally posted by: Pariah
The SATA bridge has no affect on anything, except cost. It's cheaper to make one drive (parallel) and adapt the other interfaces to it if there are no side penalties.

This is true, but I still wonder why WD still uses a bridge for the Raptor... perhaps a proper SATA interface is more difficult to engineer at this point of the game?

So they can use the same parts from other drives.

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: Pariah

Originally posted by: beatle

Originally posted by: Pariah
The SATA bridge has no affect on anything, except cost. It's cheaper to make one drive (parallel) and adapt the other interfaces to it if there are no side penalties.

This is true, but I still wonder why WD still uses a bridge for the Raptor... perhaps a proper SATA interface is more difficult to engineer at this point of the game?

So they can use the same parts from other drives.

Ah, that makes sense I guess. Using up the rest of their inventory. Atleast I got one question answered.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: JamminJimmy
Will I be able to pop out my P4 2.6 CPU and Ram and stick it into a mobo with PCI Express?

Yes with the itnel 915 chipset you shall. However with the intel 925 you will not. It is supposed to incorporate DDR-2 and a new socket.

 

[InlineFive]

Now that I have SerialATA I really like it. However I think the two most important advances will be PCI-X and faster SerialATA (hopefully along with drive prices going down) will help lessen the bottleneck of harddrives in today's systems.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: JamminJimmy
Will I be able to pop out my P4 2.6 CPU and Ram and stick it into a mobo with PCI Express?

Yes with the itnel 915 chipset you shall. However with the intel 925 you will not. It is supposed to incorporate DDR-2 and a new socket.

Socket 775 he means...

 

[AndyHui]

However I think the two most important advances will be PCI-X

PCI Express, not PCI-X.

PCI-E = PCI Express (new serial technology...read the article I wrote)

PCI-X = PCI-eXtended (old technology...basically a widened, overclocked PCI bus)

 

[foshizzle]

is serial ATA hot swappable? I was reading some article about why you should use the special SATA power cable, instead of a regular power connector. And the article said that it is so that you can unplug it while it was on. That just made me wonder if it is truly hot swappable.