Source: Intel Z790 motherboard PCIe 5 M.2 SSD to be released in Q3

Intel is expected to release some of its 13th-generation Raptor Lake Core cpus and 700 series chipsets this fall, followed by a slew of new motherboards such as the Z790.

From previous leaks, Intel's Z790 motherboard will come with some new I/O specification upgrades that are more extensible than the existing 600 series.

Intel Z790 motherboards add support for PCIe Gen 5 M.2 SSDS, but as with AMD's AM5 platform, not all motherboards support, This means that PCIe 5's M.2 SSD is only supported in high-end products, while PCIe 5 will not be supported in mainstream products because it requires more PCB layers and driver interfaces and therefore costs more.

All AMD X670E motherboards support PCIe 5 M.2, he said, but the X670E design is only used in high-end products, while the rest of the products (X670 / B650) are a combination of PCIe/SSD solutions decided on by the manufacturer for Gen 5 and Gen 4.

Intel plans to release its first Z790 products in late July or August, which means the new platform will be released in the third quarter of 2022. Of course, this is more of an unveiling than a launch, similar to AMD's pre-launch of the 600 series, to raise curiosity and attract attention.

The new motherboard will reportedly begin validation in August and then go into mass production, which means Intel can expect to ship Raptor Lake generation 13 cpus in late October or November. After all, these partners need to be ready before Intel launches.

Of note, HWiNFO also recently added pre-support for the Asus Z790 motherboard, which is the next version.

Intel's existing 600 series motherboards will retain support for the 13th Generation of Raptor Lake cpus, and since the new processors use the same LGA socket layout as the Alder Lake series, the current Z690 motherboards will be sufficient. After all, the Z690 is compatible with both DDR4 and DDR5 specifications, making it more cost-effective for some users.

The main thing is that no vendor has released PCIe 5.0 SSDS yet, but AMD is working hard with Phison to bring PCIe 5.0 storage to the market in the near future, and AMD will bring new advantages with their smart access storage technology.

Intel also has a new AI M.2 module feature that will come with the Raptor LakeCPU, but details on this have yet to be revealed. So, in the end, if you're really interested in PCIe 5.0 SSDS, then the Z790 is your choice, otherwise, your current motherboard is more than adequate for Raptor Lake chips. In addition, some motherboard manufacturers have released BIOS for their motherboards to support upcoming chips.