Intel Leak Reveals Upcoming High-End Z390 Chipset

Intel has revealed the specifications of a new high-end motherboard chipset ahead of an expected launch in the summer.

The information was apparently published by accident, and was later taken offline.

The data confirms that the upcoming Z390 chipset will add high-end networking features that had been missing from its predecessor, the Z370.

Intel had confused buyers by adding the features to lower-end chipsets such as the H370, B360, and H310, which launched in April.

CPU wars

The new chipsets are for Intel’s 8th-generation Core CPUs, which launched in October along with the Z370.

Intel later launched lower-priced motherboard chipsets, but those units included features such as support for the next-generation USB 3.1 Gen.2 standard, which runs at speeds of up to 10 Gigabits per second. The Z370 didn’t offer those features.

The Z390 remedies the confusion, according to Intel’s data, which was reported earlier by Anandtech.

It supports up to six USB 3.1 connections and introduces a built-in wireless networking MAC for dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi links.

The cheaper chipsets only support up to four USB 3.1 ports.

Computex launch?

The Z390 also includes other features previously found in the Z370, such as support for overclocking with K-series chips, RAID and Optane memory.

Intel’s documentation didn’t say when it plans to launch the Z390, but an earlier leak indicated the introduction would be timed to coincide with the Computex trade show that takes place in the first week of June.

German distributor Bluechip, which leaked that information, also said AMD’s high-end X490 motherboards for second-generation Ryzen CPUs would launch in June, Anandtech reported.