Intel Nova Lake needs new motherboards: what to expect from Z990 and friends

[Slay90]

Anyone planning to upgrade to Intel's next desktop chips will need a new motherboard. Tom's Hardware has rounded up what to expect from the Nova Lake platform, which uses a new LGA 1954 socket, while the current LGA 1851 socket reaches the end of the line

The expected chipsets are Z990 and Z970 for enthusiasts, B960 for mainstream boards, and W980 and Q970 for workstations and business. The entry level H910 looks to have been dropped, and the Z970 reportedly uses the same silicon as the B960

The processor reportedly provides 36 PCIe 5.0 lanes, with 12 more from the Z990 chipset, which is enough for several fast Gen5 M.2 SSD slots. Thunderbolt 5 support comes through Intel's JHL9580 controller

Base memory support is reportedly DDR5-8000, and kits that fast currently cost at least $700, though older DDR5 will work at lower speeds. The chipset can draw up to 14 watts and may need active cooling, with mass production rumoured for the fourth quarter of 2026 and launch in early 2027

Lots of PCIe 5.0 lanes and Thunderbolt 5 make for an exciting platform, especially for people who use fast storage. Needing a new socket again will frustrate some Intel owners, given how long AMD supported AM4. Most of this is based on leaks, so details could still change

Will you upgrade to Nova Lake? And how important is socket longevity when choosing a platform?

Intel's next-gen Nova Lake needs new motherboards - what we expect from Nova Point and Z990, Z970, and B960 chipsetswww.tomshardware.com