Current Intel chipsets do not SLI support for NVIDIA graphics cards. This will not change in the coming months, only an exception is made: Intel’s Skulltrail platform, a team from a dual processor motherboard with support for up to four PCIe-x 16 graphics cards.

Skulltrail ATis CrossFire technology in addition to NVIDIA’s SLI technology continues to support. The Board of “D5400XS” is the first motherboard that allows the free choice the customer the choice of graphics cards. Possible NVIDIA’s SLI is the nForce 100 MCP by an own chip. That provides, as the nForce 200 with the NVIDIA-700 series, the required PCI-Express lanes for the graphics cards available, since the original Intel chipset on the Board can provide 32 lanes. Two chips together with the southbridge in a voluminous cooler is hiding from the nForce 100 MCP. So far the heat dissipation with three small passive coolers was solved, but in continuous operation, a complete system for this seems to give to much heat. More various passive cooler on the Board to facilitate heat dissipation of the installed components. This shows which offers a large free space, will also be used for cooling in the I/O-Panel.

All of these cooling solutions should not be surprising if one takes a look at the specifications and the facilities of the Board. Intel is with a TDP of up to 150 Watts the processors, of which up to two on the Board find place on the way. But also many other components provide for a higher power requirements. Even the FB-DIMM memory is with a power of 10 Watts per module (approx. 5 watts for the Advanced memory buffer) not the power savers. Taking a look at the power connectors on the mainboard, to realize that you come up with had to be something in cooling. A 24-pin ATX connector, two 8-pin-EPS plug-in, which should offer hardly a power supply, connection and even a 4-pin hard drive power connector reveal the power hunger. In addition then the waste heat from various video cards of that are expected to complete the “small oven”.

Skulltrail is based on the Seaburg chipset (5400er series), part of the Stoakley platform. Stoakley is the successor of Bensley platform featured good 18 months ago (processor 5000 sequence chip record series), which can accommodate two Xeon processors with socket 771. Stoakley continues to FB-DIMM memory and comes with support for the “Harpertown” processors on FSB1600 accelerated type Xeon 5400 and 5200, presented in early November. The only non-Xeon early 2008 a special core 2 Extreme QX9775 will, an almost identical model for the core 2 extreme QX9770, but on the basis of socket 771. The Northbridge will continue with the ESB2 Southbridge (Intel 6321ESB I/o controller hub) combines and features compared to the ICH9 used currently in desktop systems only 8 to 12 USB 2.0 controller. Furthermore, serial-ATA of the second generation offered 6 x and 1 x parallel ATA. Other features include everyday things such as 7.1 audio, Gigabit-LAN, eSATA, and FireWire.

At the price of a fully-equipped system you may not think today. Two processors that cost$ 1,500 apiece, and to the memory of type FB-DIMM, which of course can score not with the underlying basement prices of DDR2 memory. This team for those most interested in the light of the price in question will come even with “only” two high-end graphics cards and the necessary accessories. A precise start date is however still out, and of course also the price of this motherboard by Intel. It is expected that also a suitable motherboard will be available with the appropriate processor, which is expected towards the end of the first quarter 2008.