Intel 700 series chipset specifications exposed: increase the number of PCIe 4.0 lanes
Intel will launch the 13th generation Core series processors this year, also known as Raptor Lake, to replace the current Alder Lake. According to Intel’s submission to the SATA-IO organization, Alder Lake uses the same LGA 1700 socket as Raptor Lake and can support the same chipset, which means existing 600-series chipsets are also compatible. However, Intel will still provide 700 series chipsets for the new generation of processors, and the specifications will be changed.
According to TechPowerup, Intel seems to have forgotten to delete the specifications for the 700-series chipset in its datasheet. From the official documentation, there are three 700 series chipsets, namely Z790, H770, and B760, while the low-end/entry-level market corresponding to H610 has not been updated. Compared to the 600-series chipsets, the changes to the 700-series chipsets are also relatively small.
One of the biggest changes to the 700-series chipset is the increase in the number of PCIe 4.0 lanes. The PCIe 4.0 lanes of the Z790 chipset have increased from 12 to 20 of the Z690 chipset, while the number of PCIe 3.0 lanes has been halved from 16 to 8. The PCIe 4.0 lanes of the H770 chipset have been increased from 12 to 16 of the H670 chipset, while the number of PCIe 3.0 lanes has been reduced from 12 to 8. The PCIe 4.0 lanes of the B760 chipset have been increased from 6 to 10 in the B660 chipset, while the number of PCIe 3.0 lanes has been halved from 8 to 4. The number of channels mentioned here refers to the maximum value, because HSIO is very flexible, and the specific implementation depends on the motherboard manufacturer.
Additionally, Intel will add an additional USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) channel to the Z790 chipset. Of the 38 HSIO channels in the current Z690 chipset, 10 are dedicated channels used by USB 3.2. In fact, Biostar submitted the relevant documents for the Z790 and B760 motherboards to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in January this year.
