Intel 800-Series Chipsets: A Closer Look

Intel’s upcoming 800-series chipsets promise exciting features for high-end desktop systems. Let’s break down the key points:

1. Chipset Lineup

The 800-series family comprises five SKUs:

• Z890: The flagship chipset with robust overclocking capabilities.
• W880: A workstation-oriented chipset supporting memory overclocking (XMP).
• Q870: A mid-range chipset with fewer lanes and no overclocking support.
• B860: Designed for memory overclocking but with reduced lanes and I/O.
• H810: Entry-level chipset with minimal features.

2. Z890: The Overclocking Champion

• Total HSIO Lanes: 60 (26 from CPU, 34 from PCH).
• PCIe Lanes: 48, supporting USB4/TB4, PCIe 4.0, and SATA III.
• Overclocking: CPU IA, BCLK, and Memory overclocking.
• Unique Feature: ECC DRAM support.

3. Other Chipsets

• W880: Similar to Z890 but lacks CPU overclocking.
• Q870 and H810: Fewer lanes, no overclocking.
• B860: Memory overclocking only, with fewer lanes and I/O.

4. PCIe Lanes

• B860: Supports one PCIe 5.0 x16 graphics card and a Gen 5.0 x4 M.2 SSD.
• H810: Supports one PCIe 5.0 x16 graphics card via CPU lanes.
• PCIe 4.0 lanes: 14 for B860, 8 for H810.

5. Missing CPU Overclocking

• Intel’s decision not to support CPU overclocking on mainstream motherboards is a notable omission.
• AMD offers overclocking even on non-X CPUs, making their mainstream options more versatile.

6. Arrow Lake-S CPUs

• These CPUs will use the LGA 1851 socket.
• DDR5-only compatibility (no DDR4 support).
• Increased PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes via CPU and PCH.
• Refreshed Alchemist iGPUs and integrated LLC “Adamantine” for GPU Tile.
• Launching in 2H 2024.

Stay tuned for more details as we approach the launch date! 🚀