Democratizing computing: Should AMD & Intel offer more I/O in lower end?

seroton10:

they really should design a new X970 chipset that provides more internal connectivity

Since Promontory 21 has three 4x4 PHYs and a 3x4 PHY two Prom21s in series offer 5 x4 PHYs. With x8/x8 switched PEG that’s seven slot capable.

Probably not very useful with the limited number of single slot PCIe cards, though, which is presumably why there aren’t any mobos with this config.

seroton10:

Or they just stopped caring.

Maybe it’d be a profitable desktop market niche if every L1 user who’s dissatisfied current gen platforms aren’t like HEDT used to be bought like a million mobos per chipset rebranding.

Threadripper gets a bit spendy but EPYC’s a fairly cost effective way to access a wider IO die if one’s needed. So I’d say it’s less about corporate disinterest than user disinterest.