Intel's next-generation 400-series chipset motherboards from Gigabyte have been leaked & listed through their EEC certification (Videocardz via TUM_APISAK). The Intel 400-series chipset will offer support for 10th Generation Comet Lake-S processors which is scheduled to arrive early next year.
Intel 400-Series Chipset Based Motherboards Including Z490 Series From Gigabyte Leak Out - Designed For 10th Gen Comet Lake-S CPUs
There are a total of 35 motherboards that have been listed which are based on 400-series chipsets. The chipsets themselves include Z490 (flagship mainstream), H470, B460 & H410. Gigabyte/AORUS may have even more motherboards at launch but these are the ones we know so far. The boards that have been listed include:
| H410 | B460 | H470 | Z490 |
|---|---|---|---|
| H410 D3 | B460 HD3 | H470 HD3 | Z490 AORUS ELITE |
| H410M A | B460M AORUS PRO | H470M D3H | Z490 D |
| H410M D2VX SI | B460M D2V | H470M DS3H | Z490 GAMING X |
| H410M DS2 | B460M D2VX SI | Q470M D3H | Z490 UD |
| H410M DS2V | B460M D3H | Z490 WHITE | |
| H410M H | B460M D3P | Z490M | |
| H410M HD3 | B460M D3V, | Z490M DS3H | |
| H410M S2 | B460M DS3H | Z490M GAMING X | |
| H410M S2H | B460M GAMING HD | ||
| H410M S2P | B460M HD3 | ||
| H410M S2V | B460M POWER | ||
| H410N |
This pretty much confirms that we are getting 400-series motherboards with Intel's Comet Lake-S processors in early 2020. There are a lot of high-end options missing in the Z490 lineup which may be due to the fact that these are Gigabyte specific motherboards and not the AORUS series boards that carter towards the high-end gaming and enthusiast market.
Comet Lake-S 10th Gen CPUs and 400-Series Platform - Here's What We Know So Far
The Intel Comet Lake-S lineup would be branded as their 10th Generation CPU family. Featuring the 14nm++ process node and architecture that has been upgraded since Skylake, the new CPU lineup aims to offer better clock speeds and more cores to enthusiasts. While 8th Gen brought us 6 cores on the mainstream platform and 9th Gen brought to us 8 cores, 10th Gen will bring us 10 cores and 20 threads.
The platform would be able to support enthusiast 125W CPUs, 65W mainstream CPUs, and 35W low power CPUs. The socket will be different and mentioned to be LGA 1200. These are 49 more pins than the existing LGA 1151 socket so we can say goodbye to compatibility on current boards. Some key features of the 10th Generation line are listed below:
- Excellent Multi-Thread Performance
- Up To 10 processor cores and 20 threads
- Enhanced core and memory overclocking
- Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Media and display capabilities:
- Rec.2020 & HDR Support
- HEVC 10-bit HW decode/encode
- VP9 10-bit HW decode
- Premium UHD / 4K Content Support
- Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s)
Support for integrated Intel Wireless-AX:
- Gigabit Wi-Fi 802-11ax (160MHz) & Bluetooth 5
- Support for next-generation Intel Optane memory
Other Features:
- Support for Thunderbolt 3 technology
- Support for Intel Smart Sound Technology with quad-core audio DSP
- Support for Modern Standby
Intel Desktop CPU Generations Comparison:
| Intel Sandy Bridge | Intel Ivy Bridge | Intel Haswell | Intel Broadwell | Intel Skylake | Intel Kaby Lake | Intel Coffee Lake | Intel Coffee Lake Refresh | Intel Comet Lake | Intel Rocket Lake | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor Architecture | Sandy Bridge | Ivy Bridge | Haswell | Broadwell | Skylake | Kaby Lake | Coffee Lake | Coffee Lake | Comet Lake | Rocket Lake |
| Processor Process | 32nm | 22nm | 22nm | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm+ | 14nm++ | 14nm++ | 14nm++ | 14nm++ |
| Processors Cores (Max) | 4/8 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 6/12 | 8/16 | 10/20 | 10/20? |
| Platform Chipset | 6-Series | 7-Series | 8-Series | 9-Series | 100-Series | 200-Series | 300-Series | 300-Series | 400-Series | 400-Series? |
| Platform Socket | LGA 1155 | LGA 1155 | LGA 1150 | LGA 1150 | LGA 1151 | LGA 1151 | LGA 1151 | LGA 1151 | LGA 1200 | TBD |
| Memory Support | DDR3 | DDR3 | DDR3 | DDR3 | DDR4/DDR3L | DDR4/DDR3L | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| TDPs | 35-95W | 35-77W | 35-84W | 65W | 35-91W | 35-91W | 35-95W | 35-95W | 35-127W | TBD |
| Platform | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA | Desktop LGA |
| Launch | 2011 | 2012 | 2013-2014 | 2015 | 2015 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 |
One big change to the platform will be the number of available PCIe lanes. Intel isn’t pushing the move to PCIe Gen 4 yet like AMD, but they are planning to offer more PCIe lanes compared to AMD’s Ryzen 3000 / X570 platform. The platform details mention up to 46 I/O lanes, 30 of which will be provided by the chipset. That means that the CPUs will still feature 16 PCIe lanes, but the PCH will boast a higher number.
There will be 24 PCIe 3.0 lanes while the rest will be powering different I/O channels. There is also support for Intel’s Optane memory on the LGA 1200 platform, so that is something to look forward too. The platform block diagram is also provided which seems to suggest that DDR4-2666 (native) compatibility will be retained. Expect to hear more details by Intel on their 10th Gen desktop lineup later this year with a formal announcement planned around CES 2020.
