Although Intel does not really like all those legacy devices and technologies and tries to get rid of them in its new platforms (and does a quite useful thing, so to speak), sometimes it should continue to go with them. As I learned over this Japanese web-site, Intel’s next-generation Grantsdale chipset that supports PCI-Express and boasts with loads of advanced I/O features, also can use DDR in addition to DDR-II SDRAM memory!

As we reported in our article about Springdale, Intel’s upcoming i875P and i865-series chipsets will support PC2100 and PC2700 DDR SDRAM memory even with 800MHz Quad Pumped Bus. The same strategy will be used for the Grantsdale platform: end-users and PC-vendors will be able to choose whether to install PC3200/PC2700 DDR SDRAM or utilise more expensive and exotic 533MHz DDR-II SDRAM memory. I have no idea how mainboard makers will implement 2 channels of DDR and 2 channels of DDR-II, keeping the costs at low levels, but let us hope that they will be able to solve this problem. Maybe because both memory types have much in common, it will be possible to utilise the same traces for DDR as well as DDR-II?

Intel Tejas processors will feature 1066MHz Quad Pumped Bus next year. The newcomer will bring us a new type of socket, the so-called Socket T. Intel will also unveil Prescott processors with 1066MHz QPB for the same platform and socket in 2004 in order to make sure that there are different CPUs to support one platform.

Note that DDR SDRAM support by Grantsdale means that Intel is very serious about the launch of its platform in the desired timeframe and even if memory makers are not able to ramp DDR-II production by the time Intel rolls-out its new CPUs, the Santa Clara giant will be able to offer solutions for DDR SDRAM memory that is popular already now. Some makers of memory modules already demonstrate DDR500 memory devices (see this news-story), hence, in a year time they will probably be able to supply DDR533 products and in case DDR-II is not ready to go yet, the fastest DDR SDRAM chips will substitute it for a while because Intel’s chipsets will be able to use it.