en.Wedoany.com Reported - Intel's next-generation Nova Lake series processors will adopt a new socket and simultaneously introduce the Z970 and Z990 chipsets. The latest leaked information reveals that these two chipsets will use the same PCH (Platform Controller Hub), which is 22% smaller than the current Z890 platform, but with increased power consumption, reaching up to 14W under full load.
A low-resolution image of the Z990 PCH has been leaked. According to leaker Jaykhin, the package size is 25×24mm, with a die size of 11.15×6.5mm, resulting in a die area of 72.5mm² and a package area of 600mm². In comparison, the Z890 has a package area of 658mm² and a die area of 92.9mm², meaning the die area is reduced by 22%, and the overall package area is reduced by 8.8%.
The Z990 reaches a power consumption of 14W under full load, but the platform only hits this limit when running multiple PCIe 5.0 devices simultaneously. Under normal conditions, the Z990 PCH has a base power consumption of 7.9W, which is 1.9W higher than the Z890's 6W. The streamlined Z970 has a base power consumption of 6.4W. Both chipsets have a maximum operating temperature of 113°C, 5 degrees higher than the Z890's 108°C.
When only a single graphics card is installed on the motherboard, it connects directly to the CPU without passing through the chipset's downstream PCIe lanes. The same applies to a single PCIe 5.0 drive (the Z970 supports one, while the Z990 supports up to two PCIe 5.0 SSDs). However, adding more PCIe 5.0 devices will route them through the chipset, increasing power consumption to maintain signal integrity. The 14W figure assumes the chipset is fully occupied by Gen 5 devices, with base power consumption conditions as described above.
No official LGA 1954 motherboard products have been unveiled yet, but some early prototypes appeared at Computex, and the leaked PCH image may originate from that event. According to previous rumors, the top-tier Nova Lake model is expected to feature up to 52 cores, requiring such high-performance motherboards. The flagship NVL-S model, with dual compute units, will have a PL4 power consumption of 700W.
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