There has reportedly been a leak of information on Intel’s upcoming Z890 chipset, which indicates minor I/O adjustments. The Meteor Lake Desktop family is still a subject of speculation, and it’s unclear if we will ever get to see them in action.
The most recent information was tweeted by leaf hobby (TLC), who provided information on the Intel Z890 PCH and Meteor Lake-S desktop Processors. This will raise the total number of PCIe lanes to 24 lanes, which is four more than the current Z790 PCH. The Intel Z890 PCH will provide a total of 4 more PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes, each of which would be devoted to one additional M.2 slot.
The Z890 motherboard will be the first to introduce Intel’s WiFi 7 technology, which is an intriguing statement. Currently available Z790 motherboards enable WiFi 6E, which may wind as being one of the key selling features. Also, compatibility for Microsoft’s Windows 12 OS is indicated, although that might just be a temporary placeholder. The most important issue is whether the Z890 PCH is designed for the current LGA 1700/1800 socket or the upcoming LGA 1851 socket.
We are aware that Intel is preparing its Raptor Lake-Refresh range for release later this year and that it releases a refreshed platform every year. It won’t make much sense to put the 800 series on the same socket as the 600 and 700 series platforms, which currently use the LGA 1700 / 1800 socket.
So, it is anticipated that the Z890 chipset would make its debut with the LGA 1851 socket’s next-generation CPU range. The design of the Intel LGA 1851 socket, which has previously leaked out, is quite identical to that of the LGA 1700/1800 socket with the exception of the additional contact pins.
The leaker also refers to a roadmap, which predicts the release of a new chipset in Q2 2024 and the introduction of the next Core Desktop family, Raptor Lake Refresh, in Q3 2023. Even though there have been several speculations suggesting that Meteor Lake-S has essentially been cancelled, nothing is certain at this time.