A reliable tipster, Jaykihn @jaykihn0 on X, has leaked the complete configuration details of all motherboard chipsets in the Intel 900-series for Nova Lake CPUs. Even the exact chipset names have been provided, which include B960, Z970, Z990, Q970, and W980.
The inclusion of the Z970 is surprising, since there has never been a 70-class chipset in the Z lineup before. Then again, there’s no mention of the H970 chipset here. Therefore, chances are Intel is renaming the high-end Hx70 series to the Zx70 chipset, or Z970 in this case.
Note: This article is based on leaks and rumors and also partially reflects the writer’s own opinion. As such, it should be taken with a grain of salt.
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Intel 900-series chipsets for Nova Lake CPUs leaked: Everything to know
According to Jaykihn @jaykihn0, there will be a total of five chipsets in the Intel 900-series motherboard lineup: B960, Z970, Z990, Q970, and W980. The first three are consumer-focused, while the last two are workstation-grade chipsets.
Here are the exact configurations of all five Intel 900-series motherboard chipsets:
As per the configuration table, the B960 and Z970 of the Nova Lake CPUs have the same number of PCIe lanes physically, so the changes between them will be based on the firmware/BIOS. This also suggests that they could be the same silicon underneath. The Z970 will reportedly get all the features of the chipset silicon, while the B960 will have a few features locked, such as IA overclocking. But it appears they are mostly identical.
The Intel Z990 chipset will be the true successor to the current Z890. Compared to the old Intel 800-series chipsets, the upcoming 900-series chipsets will reportedly bring support for PCIe Gen 5 for SSDs, matching AMD motherboards in feature parity. Even the chipset DMI lanes are now upgraded to Gen 5 speed.
Apart from that, Jaykihn also confirmed a crucial detail about the Nova Lake CPUs. Apparently, the next-gen processor’s LP-E cores cannot be overclocked. Intel is expected to use the P/E/LP-E core configuration for the Nova Lake CPUs, as first seen in the Panther Lake processors.
Jaykihn @jaykihn0 on X is highly reliable in the industry. This user also leaked the exact configurations of the older Intel 800-series chipset, and they were accurate, which leaves little room for doubt. However, this is still an unconfirmed report, so take it with a grain of salt.
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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan
