Intel 800-Series Chipsets: Z890 Launches First, Followed by W880, Q870, B860, and H810
Thanks to a leak by @jaykihn0, we now have detailed insights into the new 800-series chipset family from Intel. This family comprises five distinct SKUs: Z890, W880, Q870, B860, and H810. Notably absent from this lineup is the H870. The specifications provided apply primarily to the Arrow Lake-S “Core Ultra 200” desktop CPUs, although variations may occur with the Non-K and Xeon mainstream families. These chipsets will be used in the upcoming LGA 1851 socket motherboards.
Intel Z890 Chipset: High-End Overclocking Champion
The Intel Z890 chipset is set to debut in October alongside the Arrow Lake-S lineup, offering support for high-end motherboards. The chipset features 60 HSIO lanes, with 26 coming from the CPU and 34 from the PCH. Previous reports indicated that Intel’s Arrow Lake-S CPUs provide 24 PCIe lanes (x16 Gen5, x4 Gen5, and x4 Gen4).
The Z890 chipset will support up to 48 PCIe lanes, 2 USB4/TB4 ports, 8 DMI (Gen4) lanes, 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes, 8 SATA III lanes (6 Gbps), 14 USB2 ports, 5 USB 3.2 (20G) ports, 10 USB 3.2 (10G) ports, and 10 USB 3.2 (5G) ports. It is the only chipset that supports CPU IA, BCLK, and memory overclocking. In contrast, the W880 chipset is similar but only supports memory overclocking (XMP).
Other Chipsets: W880, Q870, B860, and H810
The W880 chipset includes ECC DRAM support. Both the Q870 and H810 chipsets offer fewer lanes and I/O capabilities, with no overclocking support. The B860 chipset supports memory overclocking but features a lower number of lanes and I/O. Here’s a detailed comparison:
| CHIPSET NAME | Z890 | W880 | Q870 | B860 | H810 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total HSIO Lanes (CPU+PCH) | 60 (26+34) | 60 (26+34) | 56 (26+30) | 45 (21+24) | 33 (17+16) |
| Total PCIe Lanes | 48 | 48 | 44 | 34 | 24 |
| CPU TB4/USB4 Ports | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| DMI Gen4 Lanes | 24 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 8 |
| SATA III (6 Gbps) Lanes | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| USB2 Ports | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
| USB3.2 (20G) Ports | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| USB3.2 (10G) Ports | 10 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| USB3.2 (5G) Ports | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| IA & BCLK OC | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Memory OC | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| CPU PCIe 5.0 Lanes | 1×16 + 1×4, 2×8 + 1×4, 1×8 + 3×4 | 1×16 + 1×4, 2×8 + 1×4, 1×8 + 3×4 | 1×16 + 1×4, 2×8 + 1×4, 1×8 + 3×4 | 1×16 + 1×4 | 1×16 |
| CPU PCIe 4.0 Lanes | 1×4 | 1×4 | 1×4 | 0 | 0 |
| Memory Channels/DPC | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/1 |
| ECC | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Simultaneous Displays | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| PCIE RAID 0/1/5/10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Intel vPro | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
The B860 and H810 chipsets see a significant reduction in PCIe lanes, with B860 supporting 45 HSIO lanes and H810 supporting 33. The B860 chipset can handle one PCIe 5.0 x16 graphics card and one PCIe Gen 5.0 x4 M.2 SSD, while H810 supports one PCIe 5.0 x16 graphics card through CPU lanes. The B860 features 14 PCIe 4.0 lanes, and the H810 has only 8.
Intel’s Strategy Compared to AMD
The lack of CPU overclocking support on mainstream motherboards could be a drawback for Intel, as competitors have offered overclocking support on mainstream products since the AM4 generation. Intel’s motherboard partners had previously provided BCLK OC support via BIOS updates, but Intel mandated the removal of such support, citing warranty concerns for Non-K CPUs. In contrast, AMD continues to offer overclocking support on its “B” series motherboards and non-X CPUs, making them appealing to mainstream consumers.
Arrow Lake-S Desktop CPUs and Future Prospects
The Intel Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs will feature the new LGA 1851 socket on 800-series motherboards, boasting the following:
- LGA 1851 Socket Longevity: Planned until 2026
- DDR5 Only Compatibility: No DDR4 support
- Starts with 800-Series Motherboards
- Support for DDR5-6400 Memory (Native JEDEC)
- Increased PCIe Gen 5.0 Lanes: Through CPU & PCH
- Arrow Lake-S First Desktop Family Supported
- Arrow Lake-S CPUs: 3 MB L2 Cache per P-Core
- Integrated Alchemist iGPUs
- Integrated LLC “Adamantine” for GPU Tile
- CPU Configurations: 8+16, 8+0, 6+8 SKUs
- Launching in 2H 2024
Intel Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs will launch alongside the initial 800-series motherboards, starting with the Z890 series in October. Stay tuned for more details on what each manufacturer offers for their respective Z890 motherboards. Check out our Computex coverage:
By Andrej Kovacevic
Updated on 4th July 2024