Tiger Lake-H modules include Nano-ITX-sized COM-HPC Client B model

Tiger Lake-H modules include Nano-ITX-sized COM-HPC Client B model

Aug 4, 2021 — by Eric Brown

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Congatec announced “Conga-HPC/cTLH” (COM-HPC Client B) and “Conga-TS570” (Basic Type 6) modules with up to octa-core Tiger Lake-H CPUs. The Conga-HPC/cTLH offers up to 128GB DDR4, optional NVMe, 20x PCIe Gen4, 2x 2.5GbE, 2x USB 4.0, and 8K support.

Following Adlink’s announcement of its Express-TL COM Express Basic Type 6 module equipped with Intel’s new 11th Gen Tiger Lake-H CPUs, Congatec has unveiled its own Tiger Lake-H based Conga-TS570 COM Express Basic Type 6 entry, as well as a server-class Conga-HPC/cTLH. Both modules are designed for “the most demanding IoT gateway and edge computing applications” and support standard Linux, Real Time Linux, and Yocto Linux, as well as VxWorks, RTS Hypervisor, Windows 10, and Win 10 IoT Enterprise.

Conga-TS570 (left) and Conga-HPC/cTLH plus Tiger Lake-H CPU choices for both
(click images to enlarge)

The Conga-HPC/cTLH is the first module we have seen to adopt the 120 x 120mm COM-HPC Client B form factor. Most COM-HPC modules, including Congatec’s Tiger Lake-U (UP3) equipped Conga-HPC/cTLU, use the 120 x 95mm COM HPC Client Size A variant. Avnet/MSC’s 9th Gen Coffee Lake based MSC HCC-CFLS adopts the 160 x 120mm Size C format.

Meanwhile, TQ just announced an updated version of the first Tiger Lake-H module to be revealed — the TQMx110EB. The new model adds support for new extended temperature Xeon W “MRE” Tiger Lake-H SKUs. The updated TQ release also adds an optional NVMe module and support for PCIe Gen4 x16. All these features are also available on Adlink’s Express-TL and the new Congatec modules. (For more details, see TQ’s updated TQMx110EB page.)

In addition to introducing the first hexa- and octa-core 11th Gen models, Tiger Lake-H supports more RAM (128GB) than the original, quad-core Tiger Lake-U models and adds PCI Express Gen4 x16 support. The laptop-focused H-series also offers twice the Level 3 cache, at up to 24MB.

Conga-HPC/cTLH (left) and Conga-TS570 block diagrams
(click images to enlarge)

The 0 to 60°C tolerant Core i7/i5/i3/Celeron “HE” models are the fastest. These are led by an octa-core, 16-thread Core i7-11850HE clocked to 2.6GHz/4.7GHz with 35W/45W TDP and 32-EU Iris Xe graphics. The Tiger Lake-H generation adds industrial temperature Xeon W “MRE” models with the same 35W/45W TDP. There are also some slower Xeon W MLE options with 25W TDPs. These are marked with the same “industrial use condition” as the MRE parts but are limited to commercial temperature support.

Tiger Lake-H features that have not changed compared to Tiger Lake-U include the Intel Iris Xe (Intel UHD) graphics with Intel Gen12 technology and the separate AVX-512 VNNI (Vector Neural Network Instructions) AI acceleration, which works on both the GPU and CPU cores. (For more details, see our earlier TQMx110EB and Express-TL reports.)

Conga-HPC/cTLH

Congatec’s Conga-HPC/cTLH is not only larger than the Tiger Lake-U based Conga-HPC/cTLU but offers more advanced features. You can load up to 128GB of 3200 MT/s DDR4 via 4x sockets. ECC RAM is optional on the Xeon-W parts when paired with the RM590E PCH. Otherwise, you have a choice of QM580E or HM570E chipsets. All these are part of Intel’s new 500 series PCH family, which will also be available on 11th Gen, desktop class Rocket Lake processors.

Conga-HPC/cTLH, front and back (renders)
(click images to enlarge)

The Conga-HPC/cTLH provides PCIe Gen4 x4 along with a PCIe Gen4 x16 PEG interface for up to 20x Gen4 lanes overall. One of those is sacrificed if you want the NVMe SSD on either the module (optional) or on a carrier board. The module also supplies 20x PCIe Gen3 lanes and 2x SATA III interfaces.

The module supports 2x 2.5GbE ports with TSN and Intel TCC network sync support. Almost all the Tiger Lake-U products we have seen are limited to a single 2.5GbE port, often paired with 1GbE. The exceptions are the Conga-HPC/cTLU and IEI’s dual 2.5GbE tKINO-UL6 Mini-ITX board.

The Conga-HPC/cTLH can power 4x 4K displays at once via 3x DP/DP++ interfaces along with the eDP alternative to LVDS. The module also supports 8K HDR displays, which Congatec says can be used for medical diagnostics that can be enhanced with the Tiger Lake’s Deep Learning Boost acceleration. The module also supports 40x HD video streams (1080p/30fps) running in parallel for 360-degree views.

For audio, you get I2S and 2x Soundwire links. The module provides 4x MIPI-CSI camera interfaces, compared to 2x on the Tiger Lake-U powered Conga-HPC/cTLU. MIPI-CSI is still a rarity in the x86 world.

Unlike the Adlink and TQ models, the Conga-HPC/cTLH provides dual USB 4.0 interfaces, which will probably not matter for a few years until the industry catches up. The Tiger Lake-U based Conga-HPC/cTLU and IEI’s tKINO-UL6 also support USB 4.0. (Between the CSI support and the dual GbE, we’re beginning to wonder if the tKINO-UL6 is built around the Conga-HPC/cTLU.)

Other interfaces include 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 8x USB 2.0, 2x UART, 12x GPIO, eSPI, and I2C. You also get the Congatec Board Controller, embedded BIOS, TPM 2.0, and ACPI 6.0 power management with battery support. The 120 x 120mm module is available in 0 to 60°C and -40 to 85°C models, depending on the CPU SKU, and there is 10-90% (non-condensing) relative humidity tolerance.

Conga-TS570

The 125 x 95mm Conga-TS570 COM Express Basic Type 6 module is the big brother to the 95 x 95mm Conga-TC570 Compact Type 6 module with Tiger Lake-U. The Conga-TS570 ships with the same Tiger Lake-H CPU and chipset options as the Conga-HPC/cTLH but is limited to 96GbE DDR4 via 3x sockets and a single 2.5GbE controller with TSN.

Conga-TS570, front and back (renders)
(click images to enlarge)

The Conga-TS570 is equipped with PCIe Gen4 x16 plus 8x PCIe Gen3 interfaces but it lacks the Gen4 x4 connection. Display support is the same but there is no MIPI-CSI and audio is limited to HDA.

Instead of a pair each of USB 4.0 and USB 3.2 Gen2, you get 4x USB 3.2 Gen2. Additional I/O includes 4x SATA III, 2x UART, 8x GPIO, eSPI, and single LPC, SPI, and I2C. Other features are the same as with the Conga-HPC/cTLH, including the optional NVMe storage.

Further information

No pricing or availability information were provided for the Conga-HPC/cTLH or Conga-TS570, but judging from the render images, we imagine it will take a while. More information may be found in Congatec’s announcement and Conga-HPC/cTLH and Conga-TS570 product pages.