Intel launched its fourth generation Core processors just under a year ago, with the code name Haswell. This week, Intel debuts two new chipsets, along with a refresh of the Haswell processor line that will have faster clock speeds.
Ars Technica reports that the new versions of Haswell from Intel offer a speed boost and that's about it. However, the two new versions of Intel's latest chipset that are being revealed today, the Z97 and H97, have some interesting features that should help storage speeds in Windows and Mac PCs. There's support for the new M.2 specification designed for small form factor SSDs. The design should allow them to have transfer speeds of up to 1 GB per second, thanks to two PCI Express lanes.
The other new storage feature is an update to Intel's Smart Response Technology. This update will allow the chipsets to support hybrid hard drives with a built in SSD containing 16 GB of storage and more, rather than having them as separate drives. This should allow for faster boot up times for PCs.
And what about Broadwell? Intel's next generation Core processor was supposed to start production in the first quarter of 2014 but so far the company has been silent on if that has actually happened. The latest leaked roadmap from Intel indicates that Broadwell, which is being made on an new 14nm process, won't be coming out until late 2014 or early 2015, which means that they will miss the big "back to school" shopping season and possibly the holiday period.
Source: Ars Technica | Image via Intel
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