A discovery by hardware detective momomo_us shows that Intel will launch a new variant of Meteor Lake processors for the new LGA1851 socket. Contrary to prior rumors, Arrow Lake, which will fight for a spot on the list of best CPUs, might not be the first processor to employ the LGA1851 socket.
Before Intel released Meteor Lake, opinions were divided on whether the chipmaker would release the 7nm processors on the desktop. During the official announcement, Intel confirmed that Meteor Lake would be an exclusive architecture for mobile platforms.
However, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel, said in a later interview that Meteor Lake would arrive on the desktop in 2024. Intel ultimately clarified that it wouldn't be a traditional socketed chip. Instead, Meteor Lake would likely arrive in a BGA (ball grid array) package for AIO and embedded systems. As a result, Meteor Lake would likely receive the same treatment as Tiger Lake did with the B-series chips.
The iBase MI1002 motherboard is labeled as an "industrial motherboard with Intel Meteor Lake PS," and the render shows the LGA1851 socket. Intel hasn't officially revealed Meteor Lake PS, but given the "PS" designation, these upcoming processors target the IoT market, similar to Alder Lake PS. Therefore, it's safe to assume that Intel is bringing the mobile Meteor Lake processors to the LGA1851 socket. The specification sheet for the MI1002 confirms the theory, as it explicitly refers to "14th Gen Intel Core Ultra Processors for 1-chip SoC socket." Although the motherboard has the LGA1851 socket, no chipset is present because Meteor Lake PS is the spitting image of the Meteor Lake chip and doesn't need a PCH.
The MI1002 sticks to a mini-ITX form factor, with two DDR5 SO-DIMM memory slots for up to 64GB. There's only one M.2 2280 for a single NVMe storage device. It operates at PCIe x4. The motherboard also has two regular SATA III ports. There are two other M.2 ports, but they're for wireless cards that feature CNVi or 5G/LTE. If wired connections are more your thing, the MI1002 provides two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, one powered by the Intel i226LM controller and the other by the i226V controller.
The display outputs consist of one HDMI port and one DisplayPort. The motherboard also offers two USB 3.2 Type-C ports for connecting monitors. With zero expansion options, you'll have to rely on Meteor Lake's Xe-LPG graphics engine. Besides the Type-C ports, the rear panel houses four USB 3.2 Type-A ports. If you need more connectivity, the MI1002 has a USB 2.0 header ready to provide four USB 2.0 ports. Billed as an industrial motherboard, the MI1002 also offers four serial ports: two are RS232/422/485-compliant, and the remaining are RS232-compliant.
Meteor Lake PS is a lineup for a niche market, whereas Arrow Lake targets high-performance desktops. Arrow Lake is slated to arrive later this year, potentially in the fourth quarter, to compete with AMD's forthcoming Zen 5 processors.
