We already know that Intel pins a lot of hopes on its Nova Lake processors and hopes that they will put it back on the map for high-end desktop CPU enthusiasts, but until today we did not know almost anything about the company's next-generation 900-series chipsets that will support Nova Lake CPUs. On Monday Jaykihn, a leaker who tends to know a lot about Intel's plans, published a table describing specifications of Intel's B960, Z970, Z990, Q970, and W980 platforms.
Intel 900 Series Chipset Specifications. pic.twitter.com/vJzhBQWk4oFebruary 9, 2026
Two things that strike the eye with the new family of chipsets is the lack of the H910 platform for entry-level PCs as well as the presence of the Z970 platform for inexpensive desktops with overclocking capability, which is an all-new category of platforms. For demanding users that plan to overclock their CPUs, Intel will offer its Z990 chipset (which supports overclocking using both multiplier and BCLK), whereas those who do not plan to overclock can go with the W980, which is officially positioned as an entry-level workstation solution and therefore supports vPro technology and manageability features. In addition, Intel will have the Q970 chipset for performance-mainstream desktops. Interestingly, the Q970 will be the only chipset that will not support memory overclocking among the 900-series chipsets.
B960 |
Z970 |
Z990 |
Q970 |
W980 |
|
Total PCIe Lanes |
34 |
34 |
48 |
44 |
48 |
Processor TB4/USB4 Ports |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
DMI Gen5 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 (6G Lanes) |
4 |
4 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
USB2 Ports |
12 |
12 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
USB3.2 (20G) Ports |
~2 |
~2 |
~5 |
~4 |
~5 |
USB3.2 (10G) Ports |
~4 |
~4 |
~10 |
~8 |
~10 |
USB3.2 (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 |
Processor PCIE 5.0 Slot Lane Config |
1x16 |
1x16 |
1x16 + 1x4 | 1x8 + 2x4 | 2x8 | 4x4 |
1x16 + 1x4 | 1x8 + 2x4 | 2x8 | 4x4 |
1x16 + 1x4 | 1x8 + 2x4 | 2x8 | 4x4 |
Processor PCIE 5.0 Storage Lane Config |
1x4 |
1x4 |
1x8 or 2x4 |
1x8 or 2x4 |
1x8 or 2x4 |
ECC |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Simultaneous Displays Supported |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
PCIE RAID 0/1/5/10 Support |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 Support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Intel vPro + Standard Manageability |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
The range-topping Z990 and W980 chipsets will offer 48 PCIe lanes (including 12 PCIe 5.0 lanes from the chipset and 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes from the CPU), two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports supported by the processor, 5 USB 3.2 20 Gbps, and 10 USB 3.2 10 Gbps ports. By contrast, inexpensive B960 and Z970 will only support 34 PCIe lanes (including 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes from the CPU and 14 PCIe 4.0 lanes from the chipset), one TB4/USB4 port supported by the processor, two USB 3.2 20 Gbps ports, and four USB 3.2 10 Gbps ports, according to the leak.
Intel's 900-series chipsets are expected to support Intel's Nova Lake processors that are said to use the LGA1954 socket and pack up to 52 cores, including up to 16 high-performance Coyote Cove cores, up to 32 energy-efficient Arctic Wolf cores, and four ultra-low-power cores. In addition, the new CPUs are projected to feature Xe3 integrated GPU and media engine from the Xe4 GPUs.
Although Intel has reaffirmed Nova Lake will arrive before the end of the year, the company hasn't shared any details about the processors yet. Before we see them, we expect to see a minor range of Arrow Lake Refresh chips.
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