Intel Z690 ‘Alder Lake’ Motherboards Expected in Q4 2021, Z790 ‘Raptor Lake’ In Q3 2022, AMD AM5 ‘Ryzen’ Motherboards In Q2 2022

Hassan Mujtaba
Intel Z690 'Alder Lake' Motherboards Expected in Q4 2021, Z790 'Raptor Lake' In Q3 2022, AMD AM5 'Ryzen' Motherboards In Q2 2022

Expected launch dates of next-generation Intel and AMD platforms have been reported by Uniko's Hardware's editor. Based on the information, Intel and AMD are definitely getting things ready for their next-generation Core and Ryzen series CPUs.

Rumored Release Dates For Next-Gen AMD & Intel Platforms Have Been Revealed - Z690 For Alder Lake Later This Year, Z790 For Raptor Lake & AM5 For Next-Gen Ryzen in 2022

Intel users will be getting a taste of the next-generation platform within this year while AMD users will have to wait for a bit till next year. Each platform will get a range of chipsets aimed at high-end, mainstream, and budget consumers. The rumor reports that the Intel 600-series chipset platform will consist of Z690, B660, and H610 SKUs.

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Intel 600-Series Platform For 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs

The Intel 600-series platform will comprise Z690, B660, and H610 SKUs. There's no mention of the workstation chipset but that may come later on. As for the launch, the Z690 flagship SKU will be the first to hit the market and is aiming for Q4 2021. That is also when we can start expecting to see the DDR5 memory in retail outlets. The Intel 600-series platform will also be compliant with PCIe 5.0 as we reported here.

Moving forward, Intel plans to expand its 600-series platform with mainstream & entry-level SKUs such as B660 and H610. These chipsets are aiming for a launch around Q1 2022 so we can expect an announcement around CES 2022. All motherboards will feature the LGA 1700 socket to support 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs but it looks like the Z690 motherboards are the only ones that might get DDR5 support while the entry-level options might stick with DDR4, at least for the first generation.

Intel 700-Series Platform For 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs

Moving over to Intel's 700-series platform, it is reported that the first motherboards are expected to be introduced around Q3 2022. That's a full three quarters after 600-series and also a similar to-shelve launch plan as the 500-series platform. While 700-series platforms will retain most features of the 600-series platform, they are expected to offer increased I/O. I personally believe the biggest change will be bringing DDR5 to more mainstream options and better PCIe 5.0 support though that remains to be seen.

What could be interesting is that Intel could introduce the Z790 motherboards even before the CPU (Raptor Lake) launch. They already did so with their Z590 where the Rocket Lake chips weren't even available months later so there's nothing stopping them from doing it twice. The platform will also retain the LGA 1700 socket compatibility for Alder Lake & Raptor Lake CPUs.

AMD AM5 Series Platform For 5th Generation Ryzen CPUs

And finally, we have AMD's side of things. The company is expected to introduce its AM5 platform in Q2 2022 which is slightly earlier than what the rumors have been stating. AMD did confirm that they are launching a new Ryzen family prior to Zen 4 CPUs in early 2022. Their Zen 3 chips with the 3D V-Cache technology are expected to go into production later this year so we can expect a launch by the end of Q1 or early Q2 2022. It would make sense to release an intermediate solution on AM5 before a proper next-gen launch.

But if Zen 3 V-cache isn't coming to AM5 and still being released for the AM4 platform then that would suggest the Zen 4 is pushed ahead and the former would be on shelves for a few months before getting replaced. Again, it makes sense to release 3D V-Cache chips on AM5. AMD already showcased its Ryzen 9 5900X/5950X prototype chips with 3D V-Cache and they feature the same packaging as the existing AM4 CPUs whereas AM5 is expected to use an LGA floor.

So it looks like if Zen 3 with V-Cache is coming to AM5, then they would look a lot different than what they did at AMD's Computex 2021 keynote. Other details for the AM5 platform also include DDR5 memory support but no PCIe 5.0 compatibility, at least on the first-gen boards. The boards will also feature LGA 1718 socket and support for chips with up to 170W TDPs. More on that here.

News Source: Videocardz

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