A detailed leak has outlined Intel’s planned 900-series chipset lineup for its upcoming Nova Lake desktop processors. Shared by known tipster Jaykihn, the information points to five new platform controller hubs (PCH) expected to launch on a new socket later this year.
The upcoming 900-series chipsets will succeed the current 800-series, which supports Arrow Lake-S CPUs, and will introduce the LGA 1954 socket, replacing the LGA 1851. According to the leak, the five variants are the Z990, Z970, W980, Q970, and B960.
The Z990 and Z970 chipsets will both support CPU and memory overclocking, but with different capabilities. The Z990 is reported to allow both multiplier and base clock (BCLK) overclocking, while the Z970 is limited to multiplier adjustments. According to the leak, the Z990 will also offer extensive connectivity, including 48 PCIe lanes, dual USB4/Thunderbolt 4 ports, 12 PCIe 5.0 lanes, 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes, eight SATA 3.0 ports, and up to five USB 3.2 20 Gbps ports.
The Z970 chipset, positioned below the flagship model, is reported to exclude PCIe 5.0 lanes. Its listed specifications include 14 PCIe 4.0 lanes, four SATA ports, one USB4/Thunderbolt 4 port, and support for up to two USB 3.2 20 Gbps ports.
The W980 workstation chipset is reported to match the Z990 in terms of I/O, but without support for processor overclocking. Meanwhile, the Q970, which targets business and OEM systems, is expected to offer similar connectivity to the Z970, also without overclocking support.
The entry-level B960 completes the lineup. While it does not support CPU overclocking, it does retain memory overclocking, though with significantly less overall connectivity than the Z-series chipsets.
This leak aligns with the confirmed timeline from Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who stated plans to launch the Nova Lake family in the second half of 2026. These processors will be built on Intel’s advanced 18A manufacturing process, utilize the new LGA 1954 socket, feature up to 52 CPU cores, and integrate next-generation Xe3 graphics architecture.
According to additional reports, Intel plans to support the LGA 1954 socket across multiple CPU generations, a move comparable to AMD’s AM5 platform. After Nova Lake, the roadmap is said to include server and high-end desktop processors such as Diamond Rapids and Clearwater Forest in 2026, followed by Coral Rapids in 2028 or 2029, all using the 18A node.
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