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6U CompactPCI boards feature Intel Core i7 processors

Concurrent Technologies has released the PP 712/08x family of 6U CompactPCI boards, an embedded product range to feature the Intel Core i7 processor family. Depending on the application requirements a choice of processors are supported: the 2.53GHz Intel Core i7-610E, 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-620LE and the 1.06GHz Intel Core i7-620UE. These processors are based on 32nm process technology and the new Intel integrated memory/graphics controller architecture. With up to 8 Gbytes of DDR3-1066 ECC SDRAM, dual PMC/XMC sites, three Gigabit Ethernet ports, four SATA300 disk interfaces and dual head graphics, the boards also offer rear I/O interfaces that are compatible with the PP 512/06x family providing a continuing upgrade path. The new family can optionally support extended temperatures ranging from -40°C to +85°C. The boards are particularly suitable for CPU intensive processing applications within the telecommunications, defence and homeland security market sectors.

The new family is based on the combination of the Intel Core i7 processor and an Intel PCH (platform controller hub), the Mobile Intel QM57 Express chipset. This combination benefits from the integration of the graphics controller and the memory controller into the processor, resulting in reduced memory latency and improved performance-per-watt. The Intel Core i7 processors feature Intel Direct Media Interface Technology and Intel Flexible Display Interfaces to the PCH to provide simultaneous high-speed non-graphic traffic and video/graphic traffic. The processors feature Intel Hyper-Threading Technology to allow multiple simultaneous execution threads in each core and Intel Turbo Boost Technology which elevates performance for specific workloads by increasing processor core frequency on one core when the second core and/or graphics engine utilisation level is low. The CPU and graphics engines have separate Turbo modes, and by using simple BIOS setup options, the user can disable either or both of the turbo modes, or pre-set a bias towards one or the other feature.

For high performance I/O processing the new family supports two PMC/XMC sites. Each PMC site supports up to 133MHz PCI-X operation as well as x8 PCI Express XMC interfaces. As an option it is also possible to enable high performance XMC modules to communicate with each other directly via the XMC Pn6 connectors between the two XMC sites independently of the main interconnecting busses. The boards can operate as a system controller board, a peripheral board or as a satellite board (blade). The new family includes three 10/100/1000Mbit/s Ethernet interfaces (one front and two rear) and the front panel also provides two USB 2.0, RS232, dual head graphics via two digital (1600 x 1200) and analogue (2048 x 1536) interfaces. The rear I/O connections, compatible with the PP 512/06x family, provide three further USB 2.0 ports, an RS232 port, four SATA300 mass storage interfaces and an Intel High Definition Audio interface. Other features are a watchdog timer, long duration timer, LAN boot firmware and options for an onboard 2.5inch SATA300 disk and a CompactFlash site. For applications requiring rear I/O connections a transition module is available.