According to a report from ComputerBase, one of its community members named "_Nordlicht_" created a compatibility mod that enables LGA 1151 V2 (8th and 9th Gen) compatible CPUs to function on older LGA 1151 V1 (100 and 200-series) compatible motherboards. With this mod, the user was able to get a Core i9-9900K to run successfully on an ASRock Z170 Extreme6.
_Nordlicht_ used a combination of UEFI/BIOS modding software and tape to trick the CPU and motherboard into thinking they were compatible with each other. Despite the fact that both socket versions feature the exact same pin layout, some of the pins on the V2 variant perform different functions compared to their predecessors, requiring some of the CPU pins to be isolated from the socket.
For BIOS modding, Nordlicht used an app called the Coffee Time tool to modify the board's UEFI/BIOS with another board's firmware so that the 8th and 9th Gen chips would be detected by the board. Afterward, Nordlicht bridged two pins near the top of the CPU and blocked two more on the lower right area of the chip to complete the mod.
The mod proves that Intel could have potentially made its LGA 1151 socket one cohesive ecosystem similar to AMD's very successful AM4 motherboard platform. But Intel decided to split compatibility between its 6th and 7th Gen Core CPU platforms and 8th and 9th Gen Core CPU platforms.
If Intel did make one unified ecosystem for LGA 1151, it would have enabled four generations of Intel Core CPUs to work on 100-series chipset motherboards, substantially improving the upgrade path of Intel's early LGA 1151 boards. If someone bought a high-end Z170 motherboard at the launch he/she could have upgraded from a dual-core or quad-core Skylake chip to a substantially higher-performing 8-core Core i9-9900K down the road.
Sadly, this mod lacks much relevance now that Intel has moved well past the LGA 1151 platform, but if you have an old Z170 board lying around and a newer 8th or 9th Gen chip, this mod could breathe some extra life into your previously incompatible components.
