Intel is reportedly giving finishing touches to the Core i9-10900KS Special Edition desktop processor. The SKU was leaked to the web in an "eligible products list" as part of a "Crysis Remastered" game bundle campaign. This would be the third in a string of special edition processor models from Intel, after the Core i7-8086K, and the Core i9-9900KS. The i9-10900KS could be a 10-core/20-thread processor based on the "Comet Lake-S" silicon, but with higher clock-speeds than the i9-10900K, possibly even a high all-core boost frequency. The timing of this launch is curious, as we're just 6-7 weeks from market availability of the 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" launch.

In related news, Intel is refreshing the bottom end of its 10th Gen Core "Comet Lake" lineup with the company's latest corporate identity and packaging. This is probably being done to cater to entry-level 400-series chipsets such as the H410 and B460, which will not support "Rocket Lake" processors. A Malaysian tech publication posted a picture of a refreshed Core i3-10105F 4-core/8-thread processor retail package. In all likelihood, the refreshed 10th Gen chips are speed-bumps.

Earlier this week, Intel shook the DIY PC market, particularly the vast mainstream segment, by revealing that its mid-tier B460 and entry-level H410 desktop motherboard chipsets will not be compatible with 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" processors, and that only its top-tier Z490 and H470, will. We have an explanation into what's going on, after consulting with people in the know, thanks to our friends at Hardware Zone Israel, who spoke with sources within Intel. It turns out, that some batches of B460 and H410 PCH dies are re-badged from older generations of PCH, and built on the 22 nm silicon fabrication process; whereas the Z490 and H470 are based on a newer generation that's built on 14 nm. This is similar to Intel's move to carve out the B365 chipset from the older H170.

In addition to being limited to an older version of Intel ME (Management Engine), the H460 and H410 PCH lack the ability to communicate with "Rocket Lake-S" processors over side-band, using PMSYNC/PMDN signals, a design change Intel introduced with the "Tiger Lake" and "Rocket Lake" microarchitectures. The chipsets faced no such limitation with "Comet Lake-S." Intel's decision to re-badge older 22 nm-class PCH silicon as B460 and H410 may have been dictated by the company's 14 nm node volume constraints. HotHardware reports that some motherboard vendors, such as GIGABYTE, found a clever (albeit expensive) way around this limitation, by creating "V2" revisions of their existing B460 and H410 motherboards, which actually use the 14 nm H470 chipset.

In a controversial move that baffles our technical understanding of how processor+chipset (platforms) work, Intel has decided to restrict the mid-tier B460 and entry-level H410 desktop motherboard chipsets from supporting 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" processors. A BIOS Updates Support page for Intel 400-series chipsets on the company website mentions "Motherboards based on Intel B460 or H410 chipsets are not compatible with upcoming 11th Gen Intel Core processors."

The company states that only the top Intel Z490 and next-best H470 chipsets support "Rocket Lake-S" from the 400-series, and such motherboards require a BIOS update from the motherboard manufacturer or pre-built OEM. We're having a hard time figuring out why the B460 or H410 have been excluded. With the H410, an argument can be made on insufficient CPU VRM capabilities of most motherboards; but the same can't be made for the B460, with several motherboard manufacturers having developed premium DIY motherboards with capable VRM solutions (eg: the ROG B460-F Gaming, or B460 AORUS Elite). Those looking to save some dough on mid-tier motherboards to use with "Rocket Lake" should now wait for Intel to launch the B560 chipset.

Intel has apparently begun shipment of its discrete Iris Xe LP-based DG1 graphics card to OEMs and system integrators, which means we will soon see these graphics cards hitting the market - in a manner of speaking. The quantities aren't yet known, but considering Intel's intentions of only shipping it to OEMs, volume shouldn't be quite significant. It remains to be seen whether DG1-toting systems will even be available to the general public, or if these will be sold primarily to business customers. However, considering that the discrete DG1 only offers entry-level performance due to its 80 EUs (less than even the 96 available through integrated graphics on Intel Tiger Lake CPUs), hopes placed on this particular graphics card as somewhat remedying the current industry ailment of undersupply won't materialize.

One interesting tidbit, however, is that system integrators will have to use specific hardware on the systems they build that carry Intel's DG1, as the blue giant has specified that these graphics cards will only work pending specific firmware updates that enable them to function on certain chipset and processor products. Namely, and according to Intel speaking to Legit Reviews, "The Iris Xe discrete add-in card will be paired with 9th gen (Coffee Lake-S) and 10th gen (Comet Lake-S) Intel Core desktop processors and Intel B460, H410, B365, and H310C chipset-based motherboards and sold as part of pre-built systems. These motherboards require a special BIOS that supports Intel Iris Xe, so the cards won't be compatible with other systems."

Following the release of the MEG Trident X gaming desktop, MSI proudly announced the release of the MPG Trident AS and MPG Trident A gaming desktops. The MPG Trident AS and MPG Trident A are the most fitting gaming desktops for your home. Coming in merely 10 liters in volume, they can easily fit in any corner of your home without taking up too much space like traditional gaming desktops. Maximizing your games while minimizing used up space. Both models are equipped with the 10th Gen. Intel Core i7 processor with B460 chipset platform and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics cards with the utmost computing power to bring you unparalleled gaming experience.

MSI today rolled out the MAG B460 Torpedo, a Socket LGA1200 motherboard based on the Intel B460 chipset. This marks the debut of the new "Torpedo" brand extension that's part of the MSI Arsenal Gaming (MAG) product family, positioned a notch below the MAG Tomahawk. MSI has been giving the Tomahawk extension value additions over the past few generations, pushing its typical pricing up, along with features such as dual Ethernet, rear I/O shroud, etc. The MAG B460 Torpedo keeps things simple within the ATX form-factor. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and uses a 13-phase VRM to power the CPU. The VRM heatsinks appear slightly smaller than the ones on the MAG B460 Tomahawk. The tiny heatsink over the PCH is hard to miss, too.

Expansion slots on the MSI MAG B460 Torpedo include one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 reinforced slot wired to the CPU, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical x4) slot wired to the B460 PCH, and two other PCIe x1 slots. Storage connectivity includes two M.2 NVMe slots, both PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring, one of which includes a heatsink; and six SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking features one 2.5 GbE interface driven by a Realtek 8125B controller. The onboard audio solution uses a Realtek ALC1200 codec with audio grade capacitors, 8-channel jacks, and headphones amp. As part of the CoreBoost feature set, you get to eke out more performance from your non-K 10th Gen Core processors by relaxing power limits. MSI is pricing the MAG B460 Torpedo at USD $109.99, about $30 cheaper than the Tomahawk.

GALAX announced plans to launch its motherboard product line in the North American market. The company will dip its toes in the market with entry-level and mid-range products, targeting both Intel Socket LGA1200 and AMD Socket AM4. For both sockets, GALAX appears to be using entry/mainstream chipsets. The LGA1200 product line consists of models based on the Intel H410 and B460 chipsets, while the AM4 line is based on the B550 chipset as AMD is yet to launch its entry-level A520 chipset. From the looks of it, GALAX's boards are pretty basic, and possibly all sub-$100 segment. The company didn't reveal specifics such as launch dates or pricing.

ASRock has recently announced two new Intel 400 Series Thin Mini-ITX form factor motherboards the B460TM-ITX and H410TM-ITX. The two motherboards both support the latest Intel 10th Generation LGA 1200 65 W 10 core processors and are nearly identical apart from the RAID support on the B460TM-ITX. The motherboards both sport a 4 phase power delivery system and support Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0. The motherboards feature dual HDMI with one external and one internal connector.

The motherboards each feature dual DDR4 S0-DIMM slots with support for up to 64 GB DDR4 2933 MHz memory and include an NVMe M.2 Socket along with x2 SATA3.0 connectors for storage. The rear I/O includes x1 19 V DC connector, x1 Serial COM Port, x1 HDMI, X4 USB 3.2 Gen1, x1 Gigabit LAN Port, and x1 HD Audio Jacks. The motherboards measure just 170 mm x 170 mm and are fully compliant with All-in-One PC, mini ITX, and some of Thin Mini ITX chassis. Pricing or availability has not been announced by ASRock.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards, all-in-one gaming and multimedia solutions and high-performance storage, introduces its line-up of Intel B460 mid-tier motherboards featuring an impressive a 10-phase power design to get the best performance out of the 10th generation Intel Core processors without the premium cost.

The COLORFUL Intel B460 Series motherboards feature the latest technologies including support for 32 GB memory modules for up to 128 GB memory supported, ultra-fast M.2 PCIe with Intel Optane Memory support. The motherboards are also equipped with high-performance multi-channel High Definition Audio, Gigabit LAN, and stunning RGB lighting powered by iGame Dynamik Light. The motherboards also offer a fully functional BIOS with Simple Mode that's suitable for novices and Advanced Mode for tweaking and overclocking.

ASUS introduced the ROG Strix B460-H Gaming motherboard, expanding its ROG Strix family of motherboards based on Intel's mid-range B460 chipset for 10th generation Core "Comet Lake" processors in the LGA1200 package. The board joins Strix-F and Micro-ATX Strix-G SKUs based on this chipset. The Strix-H covers all platform essentials, but tops them with Intel Ethernet and a premium SupremeFX onboard audio solution. The Strix-H uses a simple 8-phase CPU VRM that pulls power from a single 8-pin EPS connector. The board offers a rear I/O shroud that has the latest generation ROG Strix design language, and a single-color (red) ROG illuminated logo. It also comes with an integrated rear I/O shield.

The LGA1200 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 128 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2933 memory (the maximum memory clock for the B460 platform is 2933 MHz); and a metal-reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The board offers two M.2 NVMe slots, both with PCIe gen 3.0 x4 wiring; and an M.2 E-key slot for WLAN cards. Other storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gbps ports. The board's sole networking interface is a 1 GbE connection driven by an Intel i219-V controller. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS with its Intel 400-series chipset motherboards is introducing APE, or ASUS Performance Enhancement, a feature rivaling ASRock Base Frequency Boost (BFB). What it essentially does is override PL1 (power level 1) for 65 W-rated on non-K Core processors, allowing the processor to sustain higher clock speeds after the Turbo Boost algorithm has exhausted Tau (a timing variable that allows the processor to stay within elevated boost states, before having to fall back to base frequency). Several of ASUS's Intel B460 chipset motherboards feature APE with maximum PL1 override values set at 125 W for most of the motherboard models listed in the slide below, except for the top ROG Strix B460-F Gaming, which allows you to dial the value all the way up to 210 W.

ASUS is introducing this feature through BIOS updates for boards that don't have it. The slide details the minimum BIOS version for each of the board that debuts APE. ASRock, on the other hand, introduced BFB for not just its entire Intel 400-series motherboard lineup, but also most of its Z390 and B365 lineups. To be fair to ASUS, this feature is more relevant to chipsets such as the B460, H470, and B365, since Z490 already features options that let you play with power limits. Intel gives motherboard vendors the freedom to set power limits and Tau value, but non-K processors would still be limited by their nameplate base- and boost frequencies, so raising PL1 beyond a point has no impact.

MSI, the world-leading motherboard manufacturer, proudly announces Intel B460 series motherboards. Since the current Intel 10th Gen processor has doubled the efficiency of the thread, it is an excellent match with the B460 series chipset on the mainstream i5 / i7 processor, this time MSI launched 4 models of MAG series at a time, including MAG B460 TOMAHAWK in ATX size and three mATX size models including MAG B460M MORTAR, MAG B460M MORTAR WIFI, and MAG B460M BAZOOKA. This completes an enriching amount of choices for mainstream gamers.

MAG B460 TOMAHAWK is equipped with MSI Extended Heatsink Design, which is well-prepared for the potential rise in temperature. Turbo M.2 with M.2 shield Frozr allows for maximum performance without throttling condition. Adopted ASMedia 3241 controller chip brings up to 20 Gbps transfer speed with Type-C connector. 2.5G Gigabit LAN with the LAN manager offers faster networking experiences. 12+1+1 Duet Rail Power System gives more stability for entry-level gamers.

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces the new RACING B460GTA and the RACING B460GTQ motherboards designed to run the new Intel 10th Gen Processors.

Stylishly designed in BIOSTAR's signature RACING colors the RACING B460GTA and the RACING B460GTQ motherboards are built for both commercial and casual use. Due to the higher power demand of the latest 10th generation Intel processors, the 400 series motherboards from BIOSTAR have been designed with significant attention towards power efficiency and cooling. Features like Super Hyper PWM that has DCR current sensing architecture offers excellent precision in delivering stable power with 100% fixed voltage to ensure critical components of the motherboards are protected with the maximum performance and reliability.

ASRock today launched a trio of socket LGA1200 motherboards part of its Steel Legend family. These include the H470 Steel Legend, the B460 Steel Legend, the and Micro-ATX B460M Steel Legend. All three boards offer ASRock's BFB (base frequency boost) technology that improves performance of non-K processors by letting them sustain boost frequencies better. The H470 Steel Legend leads the pack with a 11-phase CPU VRM that draws power from a combination of 8-pin and 4-pin EPS connectors; enlarged VRM heatsinks, two M.2-22110 slots with heatsinks and PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring; an M.2 E-key slot for WLAN cards, and connectivity that includes a premium Realtek ALC1200-based onboard audio solution, 2.5 GbE wired networking powered by a Realtek-made controller, and a couple of USB 3.2 gen 2 ports, including a type-C port.

The B460 Steel Legend uses a different PCB design from its H470-based sibling. A simpler 9-phase VRM powers the CPU, pulling power from a single 8-pin EPS connector. You still get two M.2 slots with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring and heatsinks; and an M.2 E-key slot for WLAN cards. Connectivity is similar to the H470-based board, too, with a 2.5 GbE wired networking interface, and a premium onboard audio solution based on the ALC1200. Lastly, there's the B460M Steel Legend, which maximizes the Micro-ATX form-factor PCB area. The CPU VRM solution is carried over from its ATX sibling (9-phase, single 8-pin EPS). ASRock managed to squeeze in two M.2 slots (one of them with a heatsink, both with gen 3.0 x4 wiring), and preparation for WLAN. Much like the other two, you get an ALC1200-based premium onboard audio solution, and a 2.5 GbE networking interface. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Here are the first pictures of an assortment of five premium AMD B550 chipset motherboards by five different manufacturers. With PCI-Express gen 4.0 (where it matters), CPU+memory overclocking, and multi-GPU being enabled for the B550, and more importantly, the chipset not needing any fan-heatsink, the B550 could be an important chipset for AMD in the battle to come against the 10th generation Core processor and Intel B460 chipset.

We begin with the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi, the company's most premium B550 offering, picking up the mantle from the immensely successful B450-based predecessor. The MSI board offers a single PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slot, that's reinforced, one M.2 PCIe gen 4.0 x4 slot, a second M.2 slot that's gen 3.0 x4; and a number of x1 slots. The board uses a 14-phase CPU VRM to support CPU overclocking. Connectivity includes 802.11ax WLAN, 1 GbE wired networking, a premium ALC1220-based AudioBoost solution, and heatsinks over both M.2 slots. As a Carbon, it features plenty of RGB LED embellishments.

MSI updated its pre-built gaming desktop product stack with the introduction of two models that are powered by 10th generation Intel Core "Comet Lake-S" desktop processors. The Codex R 10th features a more conventional ATX mid-tower design, and comes in two variants. The top variant (model: CODEXR10SC002) is powered by an Intel Core i7-10700F processor, 16 GB of memory, and GeForce RTX 2060 graphics, The value variant (CODEXR10SC003) comes with a Core i5-10400F processor, 8 GB of RAM, and GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics. Both are based on an Intel B460 chipset motherboard, and offer a 512 GB SSD. A Clutch GM11 mouse and Vigor GK30 keyboard come included with both.

Next up, is the MEG Trident X, a high-end compact gaming desktop that brings the coveted MEG brand to the segment. Inside its 5.1" x 15.06" x 15.6" chassis is high-end hardware that comes in three variants. The top "TridentX862" variant packs a Core i9-10900K processor, 64 GB of DDR4 memory, GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics, and a combination of 1 TB NVMe SSD and 1 TB HDD. The middle variant, "TridentX863," is powered by a Core i7-10700F processor, 32 GB of memory, GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics, and 1 TB NVMe SSD. The most affordable "TridentX864" variant uses the same i7-10700F processor and 32 GB of memory, but paired with RTX 2070 Super graphics. All three use a Z490 chipset Mini-ITX motherboard. Clutch GM11 and Vigor GK30 come included with all three variants. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Historically, Intel has separated its processors and chipsets that accompany them to overclockable and non-overclockable ones. That means that only the "K" CPUs can be overclocked. With the latest generation, only some parts of the lineup are K CPUs, like the Core i9-10900K, i7-10700K, i5-10600K, etc. Those processors could only be overclocked one put in motherboards based on "Z" chipset, like Z390 and Z490. However, it seems like ASRock has developed a new technology that will overclock non-K CPUs on non-Z motherboards, which is quite impressive.

Called the Base Frequency Boost (BFB) technology, it will allow for overclocking the non-K processors on chipsets like B460 and H470. How will that work you might wonder? Well, ASRock will take the TDP of the CPUs and make it run in the PL1 mode, which increases the processor TDP form 65 W and turns it into a 125 W TDP beast. This will, of course, be user selective and case dependent, meaning that if your cooling system can not handle that much heat coming out from the overclocked processors, it is unlikely that they will reach the peak clocks ASRock can target. You can check out the slide below:

Intel today launched its 10th generation Core desktop processor family and its companion Intel 400-series chipsets. Based on the 14 nm++ silicon fabrication process and built in the new LGA1200 package, the processors are based on the "Comet Lake" microarchitecture. The core design of "Comet Lake" and its IPC are identical to those of "Skylake," however Intel brought significant enhancements to the processor's clock-speed boosting algorithm, increased core- or thread counts across the board, and introduced new features that could interest enthusiasts and overclockers. The uncore component remains largely unchanged from the previous-generation, with support for DDR4 memory and PCI-Express gen 3.0. Use of these processors requires a new socket LGA1200 motherboard, they won't work on older LGA1151 motherboards. You can install any LGA115x-compatible cooler on LGA1200, provided it meets the thermal requirements of the processor you're using.

At the heart of the 10th generation Core processor family is a new 10-core monolithic processor die, which retains the same basic structure as the previous-generation 8-core "Coffee Lake Refresh" die, and 4-core "Skylake." The cores are arranged in two rows, sandwiched by the processor's uncore and iGPU blocks. A ring-bus interconnect binds the various components. The cache hierarchy is unchanged from previous generations as well, with 32 KB each of L1I and L1D caches; 256 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The iGPU is the same Gen 9.5 based UHD 630 graphics. As we mentioned earlier, much of Intel's innovation for the 10th generation is with the processor's microcode (boosting algorithms).

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces the all new 400 series motherboards range that run the latest 10th generation processors from Intel. The BIOSTAR's flagship motherboard range, the RACING Z490 series has 3 new models introduced to the market, the RACING Z490GTA EVO, RACING Z490GTA and the RACING Z490GTN.

The RACING Series is BIOSTAR's top of the line premium flagship motherboards in the 400 series family with its sleek, sporty design and high-end build quality equipped with some of the latest tech.

Here are some of the first pictures of an Intel B460 chipset motherboard, the B460M iCraft by Chinese company MAXSUN, which is mostly available around the Greater China region. What caught our eye are the board's various features geared toward CPU overclocking, including buttons on the rear I/O that apparently give you CPU overclocking (cycling through presets). This makes us wonder if Intel is giving the B460 some form of CPU overclocking capability, even if not to the level of the Z490. Intel's rival AMD, has been offering full CPU overclocking capability on its middle-of-the-market B350, B450, and possibly its upcoming B550 motherboards, which, coupled with AMD enabling unlocked multiplier across its Ryzen desktop processor family, brings tremendous value to the table. The MAXSUN B460M iCraft is equipped with elaborate shrouds over the PCH and VRM heatsinks. It also offers two reinforced PCI-Express x16 slots, from which the top one is gen 3.0 x16, and the bottom one likely gen 3.0 x4. We also find two M.2 NVMe slots, both with heatsinks.

Hong Kong-based tech publication HKEPC posted a performance review of a few 10th generation Core "Comet Lake-S" desktop processor engineering samples they scored. These include the Core i7-10700 (8-core/16-thread), the i5-10600K (6-core/12-thread), the i5-10500, and the i5-10400. The four chips were paired with a Dell-sourced OEM motherboard based on Intel's B460 chipset, 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4-4133 memory, and an RX 5700 XT graphics card to make the test bench. This bench was compared to several Intel 9th generation Core and AMD 3rd generation Ryzen processors.

Among the purely CPU-oriented benchmarks, the i7-10700 was found to be trading blows with the Ryzen 7 3700X. It's important to note here, that the i7-10700 is a locked chip, possibly with 65 W rated TDP. Its 4.60 GHz boost frequency is lesser than that of the unlocked, 95 W i9-9900K, which ends up topping most of the performance charts where it's compared to the 3700X. Still the comparison between i7-10700 and 3700X can't be dismissed, since the new Intel chip could launch at roughly the same price as the 3700X (if you go by i7-9700 vs. i7-9700K launch price trends).

Intel is inching closer to the launch of its socket LGA1200 mainstream desktop platform based on its 400-series chipset and 14 nm "Comet Lake-S" silicon. The platform provides a forward upgrade path to the company's 10 nm "Ice Lake-S" processors when they come out. "Comet Lake-S" is a derivative of the "Skylake" microarchitecture that's been scaled up to 10 CPU cores, and HyperThreading enabled across the board, with clock speeds pushed to the limits of the 14 nm silicon fabrication process. The TDP of some of these parts is reportedly set as high as 125 W. GIGABYTE is ready with dozens of motherboards for these processors, based on one of five chipsets - Z490, H470, Q470, B460, and H410.

The Intel Z490 Express will be the top-end chipset geared toward gamers and enthusiasts wanting to overclock their processors. The H470 will be a slight step down, and possibly lack multi-GPU and CPU overclocking support. The Q470 is its twin with certain enterprise-relevant features. The B460 is the mid-range chipset, targeting a spectrum of users including gamers who don't overclock their CPU. The H410 will be the entry-level chipset for everyone else. What's interesting about GIGABYTE's list of motherboards filed for regulatory clearance from the Eurasian Economic Commission, is that is looks partial. There are far too few AORUS-branded products.