Slides which claim to tell us how Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs, and associated Panther Point chipset, are panning out have found their way out of the pipework.
The 22nm LGA1155 CPUs should boast a dual-channel DDR3 memory controller - officially supporting speeds up to DDR3-1600 - and, what is described as, next-generation DirectX 11 Intel HD graphics capabilities. There's no mention of PCIe 3.0 support, yet previous suggestions have rumoured its presence. Usual suspects such as Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 do get a mention though and overall, it's believed that the die shrink will allow Intel to ramp up clock speeds, whilst reducing production costs further.
Moving on, Ivy Bridge parts should be compatible with 6-series Cougar Point chipsets (via a BIOS update), despite Intel preparing its Panther Point chipset for the new line-up. It's also suggested here that Sandy Bridge CPUs will be supported by Panther Point powered solutions, for some cross-platform action.
Improvements with Panther Point are believed to be an improved FDI interface - to support the simultaneous use of up to three displays - as well as integrated USB 3.0 support.
In conclusion, there we have the rumoured state of play ahead of an assumed launch, during the first half of 2012.
