Intel's Z990 and Z970 chipsets for the next-generation LGA 1954 platform have entered the full development stage and will be used with the upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop processor and are planned to be unveiled with the 900 series motherboards during CES in 2027. These two chipsets will become the core of high-end and mainstream desktop platforms, focusing on stronger PCIe 5.0 expansion capabilities and richer I/O configurations.
The exposed package and die size information shows that the Z990 chipset package size is 25×24 mm (approximately 600 square millimeters), and the die area is 11.15×6.5 mm (approximately 72.5 square millimeters). In comparison, the existing Z890 chipset package is 28 × 23.5 mm (approximately 658 square millimeters), and the die is 11.15 × 8.33 mm (approximately 93 square millimeters). The overall package is reduced by approximately 8.8%, and the die area is reduced by approximately 22%. Sources said that the Z970 will share the same package and die design with the Z990, but will differentiate the product line by shielding some functions.
Although the die area has been significantly reduced, the Z990 has enhanced its PCH capabilities. The core reason is that its I/O strategy clearly "abandons Gen4 and focuses on Gen5." It is reported that while Z990 provides more PCIe 5.0 channels for M.2, it also reduces some PCIe 4.0 channels originally used for M.2. Therefore, at Computex 2026, manufacturers have demonstrated motherboard designs that fully support PCIe 5.0 slots and M.2 interfaces. However, the PCIe 4.0 lanes have not been completely removed, but have given way to more PCIe 5.0 configurations for enthusiast users.
In terms of power consumption and thermal design, Z990 and Z970 also have significant changes compared to Z890. Leaked documents show that the base power consumption of the Z970 chipset is 6.4W, the base power consumption of the Z990 is 7.9W, and the current base power consumption of the Z890 is 6W. The TjMax of the two new chipsets is 113°C, which is higher than the 108°C of the Z890. The whistleblower pointed out that in the extreme usage scenario of "full Gen5 residency" (that is, all PCIe 5.0 capabilities are fully occupied), the power consumption of the Z990 chipset can reach up to 14W, more than twice its basic power consumption. This is also one of the reasons why Intel has previously reported that Intel recommended in internal guidance that the Z990 be equipped with a more active heat dissipation design.
However, feedback from board card manufacturers believes that even with increased power consumption and temperature thresholds, Z990/Z970 is still not "hot enough to force the use of active cooling" in most actual usage scenarios. It is more likely that larger passive cooling modules will be used on high-end models to cope with peak power consumption. Considering that most users actually only use one discrete graphics card and two or so M.2 SSDs, the situations that can trigger the 14W "full load" state for a long time are relatively limited.
Z990 has also been adjusted in terms of key I/O architecture. According to sources, the Z990 has upgraded the DMI bus between the CPU and PCH to PCIe 5.0 x4, while the Z970 has upgraded it to PCIe 5.0 x2. The previous Z890 platform used a PCIe 4.0 x8 link. Although the configuration methods are different, this "higher generation but more streamlined channel count" solution can still maintain roughly the same bandwidth as the previous generation.
In terms of storage, the Z890 originally provided three PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes for M.2 through PCH, but in the 900 series, this structure has also changed. The leaked specification sheet shows that the Z990 will provide PCIe 5.0 x4 lanes for M.2, while the Z970 will retain a single PCIe 4.0 x4 lane and use it with more general PCIe 4.0/5.0 lanes on the PCH for flexible configuration. At the same time, the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) configuration remains consistent with the existing platform, but the entire 900 series will completely cancel native support for USB 2.0 and instead provide more expansion capabilities through an updated CVNi solution and optional CRF wireless module.
From the perspective of overall channel and interface allocation, the 900 series lineup exposed this time includes five chipsets: Z990, W980, Q970, Z970 and B960, covering different positionings from high-end desktops to commercial and mainstream markets. Among them, both Z990 and W980 provide 48 total PCIe lanes, with 12 PCIe 5.0 lanes and 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes on the PCH side, supporting up to 5 USB 3.2 20Gbps interfaces and 10 USB 3.2 10Gbps interfaces, and retaining 8 SATA 3.0 lanes. Q970 corresponds to more enterprise/commercial scenarios, providing 44 PCIe lanes and 8 PCIe 5.0 lanes, and supports ECC memory, but is not intended for overclocking users.
Z970 and B960, which are aimed at enthusiasts and mainstream players, have significantly reduced their PCH PCIe 5.0 support. Neither of them supports PCH side PCIe 5.0 lanes, retaining only 14 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 4 (Z970) or 4 (B960) SATA 3.0 lanes, and the number of USB 3.2 20Gbps and 10Gbps ports has been reduced. In terms of overclocking support, Z990 is positioned as a complete "player flagship" and supports core, BCLK and memory overclocking functions. Z970 supports memory overclocking but not BCLK overclocking. W980 and B960 are not designed for CPU overclocking.
It is worth noting that the Intel 900 series will still support up to four screen display outputs and provide up to two USB4/Thunderbolt 4 interfaces directly led from the CPU on high-end models. In addition, Thunderbolt 5 is also considered to play an important role on the 900 series platform, making it one of the first desktop platforms to support this new generation of high-speed I/O standards.
When paired with the Nova Lake-S processor, the Z990 is regarded as the "standard partner" that can fully unleash the performance of the highest-end 52-core processor, especially in terms of power supply and overclocking. Some motherboard manufacturers have demonstrated the Z990 motherboard design using three sets of 8-pin power supply interfaces to meet the power needs of high-core processors in full-core high-frequency operation scenarios. With 900 series motherboards and Nova Lake-S desktop processors expected to officially debut in early 2027, Z990 is expected to become the "default choice" for the next generation of high-end desktop platforms.