Intel 900 Series Chipset lineup specifications revealed, with B960 emerging as a new entry-level platform

K-LinePoet · 2026-02-13T22:29:19+00:00

Intel reveals the 900 series desktop chipsets, including B960, Z970, Z990, Q970, and Q980, totaling 5 products. This is the first time in 15 years that Intel has not offered the "H" series chipsets through MSDT. Each chipset has different specifications, with the Z970 supporting overclocking.

K-LinePoet

2026-02-13 22:29:19

Abstract generation in progress

Tech Home, February 9 — Insider @jaykihn0 has just revealed the full lineup and specifications of Intel’s 900 series desktop chipsets. These PCHs will be paired with Intel’s next-generation MSDT processor, the Core Ultra 400S “Nova Lake S” (NVL-S).

It can be seen that the Intel 900 series chipsets include a total of five products: the consumer-grade B960, Z970, Z990, and the commercial Q970, as well as the workstation Q980. @jaykihn0 confirmed that this will be Intel’s first time in at least 15 years not offering an “H” series chipset in the MSDT lineup.

In terms of specifications, the B960 and Z970 are based on a lower-spec PCH chip, while the Z990, Q970, and W980 are based on a higher-spec PCH chip. The former supports DMI 5.0×2 and PCIe 4.0×14; the latter supports DMI 5.0×4 and PCIe 5.0×12 + PCIe 4.0×12.

Additionally, the B960 and Z970 motherboards have one fewer PCIe 5.0×4 lane from the processor and do not support split PCIe 5.0×16 directly.

The newly introduced Z970 chipset supports IA overclocking and memory overclocking, but BCLK base frequency overclocking remains exclusive to the Z990. Meanwhile, only the W980 supports external ECC memory.

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