Over the past couple of years it seems as though every new desktop CPU release from Intel has required either a new chipset, board redesign, or at the very least a BIOS update for the user to experience the latest and greatest from Intel. The biggest change occurred in June of 2006 when Intel launched the Core 2 series and overnight several previous generations of Socket 775 compatible chipsets and motherboards were deemed obsolete.

Sure, the 975X, 945G/P, and even the i865 chipsets were able to support the new Core 2 architecture, but the motherboards designed around them required a significant overhaul in the electrical components and trace layouts to work correctly - not to mention new BIOS releases. We also had the release of the P965 family of chipsets that were designed expressly for the Core 2 series which brought about another twist in the selection process. It was a scant four months later when the Kentsfield quad-core CPUs were launched and we went through the entire motherboard/BIOS revision process again. Unfortunately, some of those users that purchased boards at the June launch of the Core 2 family found they required yet another board in order for Kentsfield to operate properly.

Here we are again a year later with another new CPU design release from Intel that requires both specific chipset and BIOS support on the motherboard in order to work properly. As in past releases, there are some motherboard/chipset designs that function out of the gate. Others require nothing more than a BIOS update, a few will become obsolete, and we have several that are still under consideration as to whether or not they will be compatible.

We have spoken at length with the various motherboard suppliers and have a fairly good indication of what motherboard/chipset combinations will work with Wolfdale and Yorkfield (the desktop Penryn codenames for dual-core and quad-core, respectively). The recently released Intel P35, P31, G31, G33, G35, and X38 chipsets have native support for the 45nm processors. However, even though these chipsets fully support Wolfdale and Yorkfield, the motherboards based on these chipsets could require something as simple as a BIOS update, or - in the worst cases - a new board revision.

In the vast majority of cases with these particular Intel chipsets, the motherboard will POST and operate even if the BIOS does not fully recognize the processor. However, in early testing of the processors we have noticed that most of the motherboards will require a BIOS update in order to properly optimize the performance of the system. We expect to see a flood of BIOS updates over the coming weeks that not only recognize each 45nm processor, but also provides specific performance optimizations for each board.

Elsewhere in the land of Intel chipsets, we have several manufacturers that will offer a combination of Wolfdale and/or Yorkfield compatibility on their 945GC-based motherboards. While this chipset does not specifically support 1333FSB operations, a couple of manufacturers have worked their BIOS magic to provide support. We might even see support on the venerable 975X chipset as ASUS is in the process of validation testing for their workstation boards. Even though the P965 chipset does not officially support the 45nm processor families, we have MSI offering BIOS support for two of their boards. We also expect to see "unofficial" support on the latest performance oriented P965 boards from ASUS and Gigabyte if stability problems when overclocking can be overcome. We will be testing a couple of their boards next week to see how well they work.

The situation with the NVIDIA designed chipsets for the Intel market is a little different. The 680i SLI, 680i LT SLI, GeForce 7150, and GeForce 7100 chipsets officially support Wolfdale and Yorkfield. The 650i SLI and GeForce 7050 chipsets will support these processors, but it seems as if that will be a supplier to supplier decision at this time. Of note, we have several 680i SLI motherboards that are currently undergoing qualification testing at this time, not for lack of chipset support, but for board designs. The reference board A1/T1 designs from EVGA will only require a BIOS update to work as an example, while motherboards from Gigabyte, ECS, abit, Biostar, and Foxconn are questionable at this point. We will have an update on these particular motherboards shortly; in the meantime, it appears the revised 680i boards from NVIDIA's launch partners along with boards from ASUS, MSI, and DFI should be fine with nothing more than a BIOS update.

You might be wondering why we have not discussed VIA or SIS yet. Well, there really is nothing to discuss at this time as neither company has a chipset in the market that officially works with the 45nm processors. We do expect new chipsets from SIS in Q1 of 2008 that will provide support but do not expect new product designs from VIA.

We will update the data on the following charts as the manufacturers provide additional information. We have placed comments regarding optimized BIOS releases, qualification testing, and other information in the Notes section. A "-" designates that the motherboard should POST with a Wolfdale or Yorkfield processor but the BIOS is not optimized yet or might not offer full functionality. If you have a specific question on a motherboard that is not listed or additional information that is provided here, we suggest you contact the manufacturer directly. Now let's see what the current status is on a supplier by supplier basis.



abit

abit Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
I-45CV	Intel 945GC/ICH7	Wolfdale Only with BIOS Upgrade
I-45C	Intel 945GC/ICH7	Wolfdale Only with BIOS Upgrade
IP35 Pro	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
IP35	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
IP35 E	Intel P35/ICH9	-
IP35V	Intel P35/ICH7	-
IX38 QuadGT	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
Fatal1ty FP-IN9 SLI	NVIDIA 650i SLI	In Qualification Testing
IN9 32X-MAX	NVIDIA 680i SLI	In Qualification Testing
.

abit will be releasing optimized BIOS spins for their P35 boards shortly and the IX38 QuadGT has full support out of the box. abit has confirmed their NVIDIA based 650i/680i motherboards will officially support Wolfdale and Yorkfield.

ASUS

ASUS Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
P5KPL-E	Intel G31/ICH7	-
P5KPL	Intel G31/ICH7	-
P5KPL-VM	Intel G31/ICH9	-
P5K-VM	Intel G33/ICH9	-
P5K-V	Intel G33/ICH9	-
P5E-VM HDMI	Intel G35/ICH9R	-
P5K-Pro	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5K-E Series	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5KR	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5K Premium	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
Blitz Formula	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5K3 Premium	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
Blitz Extreme	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5K3 Deluxe Series	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5K	Intel P35/ICH9	-
P5K SE	Intel P35/ICH9	-
P5KC	Intel P35/ICH9	-
P5K WS	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5K64 WS	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P5E-VM DO	Intel Q35/ICH9D0	-
P5E3 WS Pro	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
P5E WS Pro	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
Maximus Formula	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
P5E3 Deluxe	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
P5E3	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
P5E	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
P5E3 Deluxe WiFi	Intel X38/ICH9R	BIOS 0601 Optimized
Maximus Extreme	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
P5GC	Intel 945GC/ICH7	-
P5GC-VM Pro	Intel 945GC/ICH7	-
P5GC-VM	Intel 945GC/ICH7	-
P5G-MX	Intel 945GC/ICH7	-
P5WDG2 WS	Intel 975X/ICH7R	In Qualification Testing
P5W64 WS	Intel 975X/ICH7R	In Qualification Testing
P5N-E SLI	NVIDIA 650i SLI	BIOS update required
Striker	NVIDIA 680i SLI	BIOS update required
P5N32-E SLI	NVIDIA 680i SLI	BIOS update required
Striker Extreme	NVIDIA 680i SLI	BIOS update required
P5NT WS	NVIDIA 680i LT SLI	BIOS update required
.

The vast majority of the ASUS Intel-based chipset motherboards will POST and operate fine with the currently released BIOS spins. However, we expect of flood of BIOS updates from ASUS shortly to address proper processor recognition and to optimized BIOS releases for the performance oriented motherboards. ASUS is even trying to qualify their two 975X workstation motherboards and we expect an answer within 24 hours if this will be possible. Their complete lineup of NVIDIA-based motherboards will work, although a BIOS update will be required for full functionality.

Biostar

Biostar Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
TP35D3-A7 Deluxe	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
TP35D2-A7	Intel P35/ICH9	-
P35D2-A7	Intel P35/ICH9	-
TF7150U-M7	NVIDIA GF7150/630i	-
TF7100P-M7	NVIDIA GF7100/630i	-
GF7050V-M7	NVIDIA GF7050/610i	-
TF650i Ultra-A7	NVIDIA 650i SLI	-
945GC Micro 775 V6.1	Intel 945GC/ICH7	BIOS i9gcm814 - Wolfdale only
945GC-M7 TE	Intel 945GC/ICH7	Wolfdale Only
TF680i SLI Deluxe	NVIDIA 680i SLI	In Qualification Testing
.

Biostar is offering full Wolfdale and Yorkfield support on their Intel P35, NVIDIA GeForce 7xxx, and NVIDIA 650i SLI products. Wolfdale is only supported on the 945GC chipset, and the 680i SLI is still an open question mark.



DFI

DFI Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
LANPARTY UT P35-T2R/T	Intel P35/ICH9R	LP35DA19 Optimized
LANPARTY UT P35-T2R	Intel P35/ICH9R	LP35DA19 Optimized
Infinity Blood Iron P35-T2L	Intel P35/ICH9	-
Infinity Blood Iron P35-T2RL	Intel P35/ICH9R	I35RDA05 Optimized
Infinity NF650i Ultra-T2	NVIDIA 650i SLI	In Qualification Testing
LANPARTY UT NF680i LT	NVIDIA 680i LT SLI	In Qualification Testing
.

DFI has already released optimized BIOS spins for their P35 boards and we expect to hear about full NVIDIA support shortly, though our 680i board generally worked with the latest BIOS spin.

ECS

ECS Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
GF7100PVT-M	NVIDIA GF7100/630i	-
NF650iSLIT-A	NVIDIA 650i SLI	In Qualification Testing
PN2-SLI2+	NVIDIA 680i SLI	In Qualification Testing
G31T-M	Intel G31/ICH7	Wolfdale Tested - Yorkfield in Qualification
P33T-A	Intel G31/ICH7	In Qualification Testing
G33T-M2	Intel G33/ICH9	BIOS update required
P35T-A	Intel P35/ICH9DH	Wolfdale Tested - Yorkfield in Qualification
.

ECS has already approved Wolfdale on their G31T-M and P35T-A motherboards and we expect them to support Yorkfield also. The other Intel chipset motherboards are in testing at this time, and the chipset and board combination should support both processors. Once again, the only open support question revolves around their NVIDIA 650i SLI and 680i SLI motherboards.

EVGA

EVGA Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
e-7150/630i	NVIDIA GF7150/630i	-
e-7100/630i	NVIDIA GF7100/630i	-
e-7050/610i	NVIDIA GF7050/610i	Awaiting Response
nForce 680i SLI T1/A1	NVIDIA 680i SLI	BIOS update required
nForce 650i Ultra T1/A1	NVIDIA 650i SLI	BIOS update required
nForce 680i LT T1	NVIDIA 680i LT SLI	BIOS update required
.

EVGA is one of NVIDIA's premier launch partners and utilizes the NVIDIA reference platforms. This is an advantage the majority of time when it comes to quick BIOS releases and general support. The only open question currently is the GeForce 7050 motherboard. The 650i/680i boards will have optimized BIOS releases shortly that will fully update Wolfdale/Yorkfield performance on these products.

Foxconn

Foxconn Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
X38A	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
P31A-S	Intel P31/ICH7	-
G31MX-K	Intel G31/ICH7	-
G33M	Intel G33/ICH9	-
G33M-S	Intel G33/ICH9R	-
P35A	Intel P35/ICH9	-
P35A-S	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P35AP-S	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
MARS	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
P35AX-S	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
N68S7AA-8EKRS2H	NVIDIA 680i SLI	In Qualification Testing
.

Foxconn's current Intel chipset product lineup supports the new processors, though they will be releasing BIOS updates with improved CPU recognition and performance over the coming weeks. We have not received on answer on whether or not their 680i SLI motherboard will be fully supported.



Gigabyte

Gigabyte Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
GA-G31MX-S2	Intel G31/ICH7	-
GA-G31M-S2L	Intel G31/ICH7	F3c Optimized
GA-G33M-DS2R	Intel G33/ICH9R	-
GA-G33M-S2 Series	Intel G33/ICH9	F2b Optimized
GA-P31-DS3L	Intel P31/ICH7	-
GA-P31-S3G	Intel P31/ICH7	F2a Optimized
GA-P35C-DS3R	Intel P35/ICH9R	F5 Optimized
GA-P35C-S3	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
GA-P35-DQ6	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
GA-P35-DS3	Intel P35/ICH9	-
GA-P35-DS3R	Intel P35/ICH9R	F7d Optimized
GA-P35-DS3L	Intel P35/ICH9	-
DA-P35-DS3P	Intel P35/ICH9	-
GA-P35-DS4	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
GA-P35-S3	Intel P35/ICH9	-
GA-P35-S3L	Intel P35/ICH9	-
GA-P35T-DQ6	Intel P35/ICH9R	F5c Optimized
GA-P35T-DS4	Intel P35/ICH9R	-
GA-X38-DQ6	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
GA-X38T-DQ6	Intel X38/ICH9R	-
GA-73UM-S2H	NVIDIA 7150/630i	In Qualification Testing
GA-N650SLI-DS4	NVIDIA 650i SLI	In Qualification Testing
GA-N680SLI-DQ6 rev2	NVIDIA 680i SLI	In Qualification Testing
.

Like the other manufacturers, Gigabyte is in the process of releasing optimized BIOS releases at this time that address both performance and CPU recognition on their motherboards that use Intel chipsets. We will be testing their P965 motherboards shortly to see if the latest revision 3 boards work properly or not. However, since the P965 chipset does not officially support the new 45nm processors, there is no guarantee of compatibility. We fully expect the GeForce 7150 board to be certified shortly but we are still leery of the 650i/680i motherboards after experiencing problems with the 1333FSB rates with the QX6850 processors.

Intel

Intel Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
DX38BT	Intel X38/ICH9R	BIOS 1251 or up
DG33TL	Intel G33/ICH9R	BIOS 0297 or up
DP35DP	Intel P35/ICH9R	BIOS 0297 or up
DQ35MP	Intel Q35/ICH9R	BIOS release pending
DQ36JO	Intel Q35/ICH9R	BIOS release pending
DG33BU	Intel G33/ICH9	BIOS 0297 or up
DG33FB	Intel G33/ICH9	BIOS 0297 or up
.

We expect to see further BIOS releases from Intel shortly on their branded motherboards that address CPU recognition and performance optimizations. However, you should not have any problems running your system with the motherboards and BIOS releases shown.

MSI

MSI Motherboards with Intel 45nm Processor Support
Model	Platform	Notes
G31M	Intel G31/ICH7	BIOS 7.x or later
G31M2	Intel G31/ICH7	BIOS 5.x or later
G33 Neo	Intel G33/ICH9	BIOS 1.1 or later
G33 Platinum	Intel G33/ICH9R	BIOS 1.1 or later
G33M	Intel G33/ICH9	BIOS 1.1 or later
P31 Neo	Intel P31/ICH7	BIOS 1.1 or later
P31 Neo2	Intel P31/ICH7R	BIOS 4.x or later
P35 Diamond	Intel P35/ICH9R	BIOS 2.1 or later
P35 Neo	Intel P35/ICH9	BIOS 1.3 or later
P35 Neo2	Intel P35/ICH9	BIOS 1.4 or later
P35 Neo3	Intel P35/ICH9	BIOS 1.x or later
P35 Platinum	Intel P35/ICH9R	BIOS 1.4 or later
P35D3 Platinum	Intel P35/ICH9R	BIOS 1.1 or later
X38 Diamond	Intel X38/ICH9R	BIOS 1.x or later
X35 Platinum	Intel X38/ICH9R	BIOS 1.x or later
P965 Platinum	Intel P965/ICH8R	BIOS 1.7 or later
P965 Neo2	Intel P965/ICH8R	BIOS 3.7 or later
P965 Neo-F V2	Intel P965/ICH8	BIOS 3.7 or later
945 Neo5	Intel 945GC/ICH7	BIOS C.x or later, Yorkfield under Testing
945GCM5 V2	Intel 945GC/ICH7	BIOS H.5 or later, Yorkfield under Testing
P6NGM	NVIDIA GF7150/630i	BIOS 1.x or later
P6N SLI	NVIDIA 650i SLI	BIOS 1.x or later
P6N Diamond	NVIDIA 680i SLI	BIOS 1.3 or later
.

MSI has already posted full Wolfdale and Yorkfield compatibility testing on their website for each of the boards listed above. We have to hand it to MSI for being ahead of the game when it comes to customer support in this area. MSI will be providing additional performance optimizations in their BIOS spins over the course of the next few weeks.



Quick Take

It appears that a user with an Intel chipset based on the X38, P35, P31, G31, G33, or G35 chipset should not have a problem getting the system to POST and generally operate with either a Wolfdale or Yorkfield processor. However, the vast majority of motherboards based on these chipsets will require a BIOS update to offer proper CPU recognition and performance optimizations. The good news is those requirements are being fulfilled now and we should see an avalanche of BIOS releases over the next few weeks for these motherboards.

The support for the 945GC chipset will be based on the supplier and there will not be official support from Intel for the P965 chipset. However, we do expect to see unofficial support on a few of these boards with MSI already providing BIOS support. Note that there are no guarantees beyond stock performance if the boards operate at all with these processors. We should have further information next week on the P965 and Yorkfield.

The only "current" chipset family that seems to have any questions at this time is the NVIDIA 680i SLI. This is not due to the chipset itself, but the designs of the motherboards that use it. Several of the original 680i SLI motherboards had to be revised for the Kentsfield family of processors to work correctly. Those that were not revised are subject to the supplier performing extensive qualification testing on their motherboards before official support is granted. Otherwise, it appears that only a BIOS update will be required to provide full support for the 45nm processors - basically the same requirement for most of the Intel chipset boards.

The GeForce 7150/7100 series motherboards work fine, though we will still see new BIOS revisions to optimize performance. Support for the GeForce 7050 and 650i SLI motherboards will be on a supplier by supplier basis according to the information we have at present. We have not been provided an answer yet on the 650i Ultra boards, but we expect them to be in the same category as the 650i SLI motherboards.

All in all, motherboard support for the Wolfdale/Yorkfield processors should be widespread based upon the latest chipsets available for the Core 2 family. How and when the BIOS support for these new processors will be fully mature is a question that we hope to fully answer of the course of the next week. It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that newer motherboards and chipsets are almost a "sure thing" while older Core 2 boards may have some difficulty. If you already have a Core 2 system, however, performance improvements while nice may not be enough to convince you to upgrade right now. Nehalem is only about a year away, and at least there we can state unequivocally that a new chipset and motherboard will be required.