Core i5 isn't necessarily a new term floating around the Internet, however lately there's been quite a bit of talk about the "Core i7 lite," and now there's a motherboard to support it.
Earlier this week, we reported that P55 motherboards compatible with Intel's Lynnfield CPUs (aka Core i5) may actually start shipping in July, and sure enough, Gigabyte's GA-IBP made a grand appearance at CeBIT this afternoon, months ahead of June's Computex "big reveal" as we originally predicted. In comparison to the meatier Core i7, the Core i5 serves as a cheaper, "lite" alternative for consumers wanting plenty of power but need to pinch pennies.
According to Engadget, on-hand gigabyte representative were tight-lipped about the specifics of the GA-IBP motherboard, saying that many of the details were still under an NDA. Additionally, Intel's booth proved just as uninformative, claiming that no Core i5 prototypes were available at the show. Still, after recent reports circulating about possible Core i5 boards shipping soon, it's good to actually see the physical product.
Gigabyte actually did post a few details next to the motherboard at the show, revealing that the GA-IBP offers dual channel DDR3, ATI CrossFireX and Nvidia SLI support, and Blu-ray playback supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC8898 HD audio. Gigabyte's board also features an on-board 2-gigabyte Ethernet LAN connection with Teaming functionality as well as Power/Reset/Cir CMOS onboard buttons for easy workbench operations.
If all goes according to plan, look for both the processor and motherboard to hit the market in July.
