Since Computex 2009 we have had one pressing question surrounding slated release of Intel’s P55 Chipset. Will it have Braidwood technology or not? Although it has yet to be answered we can at least get an idea; not from Intel itself but rather all the board manufacturers showing off their P55 concepts.

Looming in the horizon is Core i5 Lynnfield. As time draws closer we are seeing an array of motherboards from all the major players scattered throughout the web. What mostly goes unnoticed, is a small outlined spot on each of these boards. This little, unimposing space, is the foundation for Braidwood.

Unlike its arguably failed predecessor, turbo memory, this new design concept is showing promise. It is basically flash memory that is designed to speed up processes that would generally bog down a computer. It boasts faster OS loading times and throughput for connected media as well as frequently used applications. While it may sound familiar to Vista Readyboost propaganda; Braidwood technology is an improvement of Readyboost, which is claimed to similiarly “speed up” a user’s system through the use of devices such as USB memory sticks. The Braidwood addition looks to be a component that one physically installs on the motherboard, giving users more control over its use, as well as a potentially a much faster bus for data transfer.

This type of setup will also give a ‘snappier’ feel on normal day to day operations with our PC’s. The exacts on what I/O features Braidwood will support is unclear. Intel has given a general blanket statement on an overall system performance boost but no specifics. As well the next generation of Intel’s Vaunted Core i7 could very well receive the same technology further improving its performance. One can only sit and hope for something more concrete from Intel. The best we can do is watch and wait and see what the latest engineering samples of P55 reveal in their designs.

The Picture Above is Gigabytes sample P55 Board; you can see the slots for the intended Braidwood Flash Modules.