CPU Video
Intel Skulltrail and Penryn Performance Preview
The dream machine: Dual Quad-Core processors coupled with 8800GTX SLI.
Intel SkullTrail is an enthusiast gaming platform, which is a dual CPU system set to rival the AMD Quad FX platform. It is reported to have SLI and Quad SLI support.
Here are some extreme machines on IDF: One was powered by a 3.0GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (Yorkfield), another was a stock Skulltrail machine equipped with dual 3.4GHz quad-core processors, and the last system was a modded Skulltrail that was overclocked to 4GHz. The modded machine featured a pair of vapor phase-change coolers for the processors, liquid-cooled memory and GeForce 8800 GTX cards.
Quick Results:
Spec:
INTEL SKULLTRAIL PLATFORM FEATURES NVIDIA SLI TECHNOLOGY
- NVIDIA nForce 100 Media and Communications Processors Provide An Exciting SLI-Ready Platform for Intel Customers
- Intel demonstrated its new “Skulltrail” motherboard at this week’s Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco, CA. Skulltrail is a dual-socket motherboard that is targeted at ultra-high-end desktop enthusiasts and workstation customers.
- The Skulltrail motherboard uses Intel’s workstation “Stoakley” chipset designed for 2P CPU operation (1P configurations are not supported).
- To enable NVIDIA SLI support, Intel has purchased NVIDIA nForce 100 SLI MCPs from NVIDIA.
- The NVIDIA nForce 100 MCP converts a single x16 PCI Express Gen 1 bus into dual x16 PCI Express Gen 1 buses. This is how SLI is being supported on Skulltrail.
- NVIDIA assisted Intel in the bring-up and testing of the Skulltrail motherboard which was publicly demonstrated at the Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco this week.
- NVIDIA SLI technology is the world’s leading multi-GPU platform, allowing multiple NVIDIA GeForce graphics processing units (GPUs) to work together, resulting in scalable performance.
- Intel has not licensed SLI technology from NVIDIA. Intel purchased NVIDIA nForce 100 MCPs to enable support for SLI.
- Skulltrail is the only Intel motherboard which will feature NVIDIA SLI support. Intel is not using the NVIDIA nForce 100 MCP on any other chipsets, including X38.
- For other 1P segments of the Intel market, NVIDIA has a wide variety of SLI products already available, including the leading nForce 680i SLI MCP for enthusiasts and gamers.
- Skulltrail motherboards will only be available directly from Intel.
Some pictures:







