Intel 900-series Nova Lake CPU chipset specs leak
Chiplset details leak for Intel’s 900-series motherboards
Later this year, Intel is expected to launch their next-generation Nova Lake CPUs, and with them will come the company’s new 900-series chipset. This chipset will power the next generation of Intel motherboards, with B960, Z970, Z990, Q970, and W980 models.
For consumers, Intel’s new Z990 chipset will power the company’s flagship Nova Lake motherboards. The leaked specifications below confirm that the platform supports 48 PCIe lanes in total. This chipset will also support IA, BCLK, and memory overclocking, unlike lower-end 900-series motherboards.
At the lower end, we have Intel’s Z970 and B960 chipsets, both of which support up to 34 PCIe lanes. Both support memory overclocking, with Z970 supporting “IA” overclocking. IA overclocking is expected to be Intel CPU core overclocking (via multipliers). No H910 chipset exists for entry-level motherboards (at least not yet).
For enterprise/workstation users, Intel has its Q970 and W980 chipsets. Both are similar to the Z990, though with notable differences. Only W980 supports ECC memory. Furthermore, neither chipset supports CPU overclocking, though W980 supports memory overclocking.
Leaked Intel 900-series chipset specifications
| B960 | Z970 | Z990 | Q970 | W980 | |
| Total PCIe Lanes | 34 | 34 | 48 | 44 | 48 |
| Processor TB4/USB4 ports | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| DMI Gen 5 Lanes | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Chipset PCIe 5.0 Lanes | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 12 |
| Chipset PCIe 4.0 Lanes | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| SATA 3.0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| USB 2 Ports | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| USB 3.2 (20G) Ports | ~2 | ~2 | ~5 | ~4 | ~5 |
| USB 3.2 (10G) Ports | ~4 | ~4 | ~10 | ~8 | ~10 |
| USB 3.2 (5G) Ports | ~6 | ~6 | ~10 | ~10 | ~10 |
| IA OC | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| BCLK OC | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Memory OC | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| CPU PCIe 5.0 Slot Config | 1×16 | 1×16 | 1×16 or 1×8 + 2×4 or 2×8 or 4×4 |
1×16 or 1×8 + 2×4 or 2×8 or 4×4 |
1×16 or 1×8 + 2×4 or 2×8 or 4×4 |
| Processor PCIe 5.0 Storage Config | 1×4 | 1×4 | 1×8 or 2×4 |
1×8 or 2×4 |
1×8 or 2×4 |
| ECC | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Displays Supported | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| PCIe RAID 0/5/10 support | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SATA PAID 0/5/10 support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intel vPRO+ Standard Manageability | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
(Leaked Intel 900-series chipset specifications – via @jaykihn0)
More PCIe 5.0 lanes!
Overall, Intel’s 900 series CPU chipsets appear to deliver more PCIe 5.0 lanes to users. Note that Intel’s DMI has moved to PCIe 5.0 speeds, doubling its bandwidth. This gives Intel Z990 motherboards a chipset with PCIe 5.0, which is a first for Intel. Overall, Intel’s 900-series chipsets seem like solid improvements over their last-generation 800-series designs. With a faster DMI interface, Intel’s Nova Lake motherboards will be able to connect more to their chipsets without becoming bandwidth-constrained.
You can join the discussion on Intel’s Nova Lake 900-series chipset on the OC3D Forums.
