Intel is on the verge of launching its 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processor family with six SKUs, and its top-tier Z370 Express chipset, early next month. Those looking for cheaper motherboards and don't intend on overclocking their processor, will have to wait until the first quarter of 2018, with the company confirming Q1-2018 as the launch window of three of its client-desktop chipsets for 8th generation Core processors, in a leaked Desktop outlook slide, scored by GamersNexus.

Among the new desktop chipsets launched will be the H370 Express, B360 Express, and the H310 Express. The H370 Express offers essentially the same platform connectivity as the Z370 Express, minus CPU overclocking and NVIDIA SLI certification. The B360 Express has a slimmer connectivity loadout, and lacks SLI support, but its predecessors have been generally preferred by gamers wanting to build single-GPU rigs with CPUs running at stock speeds, which is why major motherboard brands have built gamer-centric motherboards on B-series chipsets. The H310 chipset has the lightest connectivity, and is designed to power entry-level motherboards.

MSI has recently added a new member to their Vortex family of gaming solutions with the minuscule Vortex G25. Unlike its predecessor, the Vortex G65, the G25 has abandoned the cylinder shape in favor of a sleek console design. The specifications are nothing short of impressive for a system crammed into a 2.5-liter enclosure weighing in at just 2.5 kilograms. Based on Intel's latest Z370 platform, the Vortex G25 is powered by a 8th Generation Core i7-8700 processor with six cores, 12 threads, and a boost clock up to 4.3 GHz. MSI's Cooler Boost Titan solution, consisting of eight heatpipes and dual Whirlwind Blade fans, provides adequate cooling for the Coffee Lake processor and Pascal graphics card.

According to the manufacturer, the Vortex G25 was designed with focus on expandability. It's equipped with four DDR4 SO-DIMM slots to house DDR4 2400 MHz modules and support up to 64 GB of memory. In terms of storage, two PCIe 3.0 M.2 slots are available for creating high-speed RAID arrays with NVMe drives. Another 2.5" slot is present to provide additional storage if need be. Performing upgrades to the Vortex G25 is a walk in the park thanks to a rapid disassembly design that employs slotted screws.

The Intel Z370 chipset launch provides a thrilling end to an exciting year of technology breakthroughs for computer enthusiasts. As the CPU competition heats up, there's never been a better time to buy or upgrade, with an unprecedented range of power and performance options to choose from. ASRock understands that many users are looking to a new Z370 motherboard to provide extreme performance, maximum overclocking ability, and limitless expandability. ASRock promises to deliver all that, and more.

To support the increase of core count on the 8th Generation Intel Core Processors, ASRock has upgraded its CPU VRM design to provide more power phases than ever. More cores can demand more power when overclocking, and so, with up to twelve power phases, the ASRock power system is designed for maximum overclocking ability and stability. While the spotlight is focused on CPU and graphics performance, less glamorous subsystems are just as important. These new ASRock motherboards feature Hyper DDR4 design to provide outstanding memory overclocking ability - up to an insanely fast DDR4 4333 MHz

MSI launched two of its first socket LGA1151 motherboards based on Intel Z370 chipset, for 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" desktop processors, the Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC, and the Z370 GODLIKE Gaming ACK. The company may launch its other motherboards based on this chipset, closer to Intel's October 5th launch date for the platform. The Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC is an upper-performance segment product, which could be priced close to the $200-mark, while the Z370 GODLIKE Gaming could command a >$300 price.

Built in the ATX form-factor, the Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC covers all the features you'll possibly need for a fairly high-end gaming PC build. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU using a 10-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and two reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x8/x8 with both populated). The third x16 slot is electrical gen 3.0 x4, and wired to the Z370 PCH. Three x1 slots make for the rest of the expansion. Storage connectivity includes two 32 Gb/s M.2 slots, and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. One M.2 Shield heatspreader accessory is included.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, has unveiled the new GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS motherboards based on the Intel Z370 chipset. These supercharged motherboards are equipped with a server-grade digital power design which fully support 8th generation Intel Core processors. Performance tuned, the Z370 AORUS Motherboards are compatible with memory modules rated for 4133MHz. With unique features like an ESS Sabre DAC, Smart Fan 5 and RGB Fusion, there's no doubt why gamers turn to AORUS for the ultimate gaming motherboard.

"Following Intel's release of the Z370 chipset platform, GIGABYTE has designed a new, groundbreaking motherboard," said Vincent Liu, Senior Associate Vice President of GIGABYTE's Motherboard Business Unit. "GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS motherboards are designed for gamers who value powerful, yet highly durable motherboards. With our new digital power design, not only will Z370 AORUS motherboards unleash the power of the 8th generation Intel Core processors' they will easily fulfill gamers' demands."

While enthusiasts are preparing their wallets for the Intel Coffee Lake launch on October 5, Gigabyte is diligently filling retailers' shelves with their upcoming Z370 AORUS motherboards. With as many as six different models to choose from, consumers will surely find a motherboard that best suit their needs. The Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7, in particular, is bound to attract a lot of attention from the more hardcore crowd. Being the cream of the crop of Gigabyte's Z370 lineup means that this motherboard will bring many unique features to the table.

Intel today announced that its new family of 8th Gen Intel Core desktop processors will be available for purchase beginning Oct. 5, 2017. The new desktop processor family is built for gamers, content creators and overclockers who require premium performance. Ranging from Intel Core i3 to Intel Core i7, these processors deliver premium performance for what comes next, opening the door for a new level of faster, easier and more immersive experiences.

This new family introduces the first-ever 6-core Intel Core i5 desktop processor and first-ever 4-core Intel Core i3 desktop processor. The family offers a wide range of performance options for consumers with unlocked1 "K" processors that deliver maximum tuning flexibility at each brand level and up to 40 platform PCIe 3.0 lanes for system expandability on graphics, storage and I/O. These processors are supported with new Intel Z370 chipset-based motherboards.

Having hit a wall with fab process-assisted micro-architecture advancements, and facing an unexpectedly competitive AMD, there's only one direction left for Intel's product development over generations, core-counts. The company is on the verge of introducing 6-core/12-thread "Coffee Lake" processors to the mainstream-desktop (MSDT) platform in a few weeks from now; and if leaks by a popular BTO desktop-replacement/mobile-workstation manufacturer Eurocom is to be believed, the company could increase the core counts a second time in 2018, by introducing an 8-core/16-thread MSDT part.

A Eurocom representative, posting on NotebookReview forums, hinted at the possibility that the upcoming Intel Z390 Express chipset, which hits motherboards in 2018, could exclusively support 8-core/16-thread processors, which come out in the second half of 2018. The representative revealed this in context of the company skipping the Z370 Express chipset, as it lacks support for those upcoming 8-core/16-thread chips. In addition to support for new processors and possibly next-generation "Ice Lake" processors, the Z390 chipset adds several new features over the Z370, including a better onboard audio solution, integrated WLAN, and SDIO controller.

After we've had a slight, unofficial teaser for MSI's awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, wallet fear-mongering highest end MSI Z370 GODLIKE Gaming, now is the time for some information on the rest of MSI's Z370 motherboard lineup. There's even some tentative pricing information here, so you can start planning your budgetary constraints on a jump to Intel's newste platform, which brings some caffeine to their Lake code names, and an added two extra cores and four extra threads to their top-end, mainstream desktop Core i7-8700 parts.

The MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon will come in two variants (AC and non-AC), whose basic difference is the inclusion of (you guesed it) a Wi-Fi expansion card. It features three Pcie x16 ports (two of them reinforced), two M.2 connectors and 1x Gigabit Ethernet. The MSI Z370 Gaming 5, on the other hand, will add to this a slight change in aesthetics and connectors placement, as well as the addition of a post error code LED. Next up is the MSI Z370M GAMING PRO AC, which stands as an interesting offer considering it's the only mATX motherboard in this lineup leak. It also features a Wi-Fi AC module, though there are some cuts on PCIe and M.2 connectors, due to the size constraints.

As Intel's 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors inch closer to their 5th October launch, those with early access to the retail chips are putting them through their paces. One such test landed on Geekbench database. A top-end Core i7-8700K six-core chip running on an EVGA-made, Z370 chipset-based motherboard (model code: 121-KS-E375).

Running at its standard (out of the box) clock speeds, the Core i7-8700K scored 5,773 points in the single-threaded bench, which is higher than the 4,900-ish scores one can expect from the Ryzen 7 1800X. In the multi-threaded test, it scored 24,260 points, which is lower than the 28,000-ish points typical machines with Ryzen 7 1800X score, due to the two extra cores it packs compared to the i7-8700K.

Here are some of the first pictures of GIGABYTE's Aorus branded Z370 series motherboards. The lineup begins with the Aorus Z370 Gaming 3 and Aorus Z370 Gaming K3. These two boards are nearly identical to each other, and differ with only their onboard gigabit Ethernet controller, with the Gaming K3 featuring the latest Killer E2500 controller, while the Gaming 3 features Intel i219-V. Both boards feature just the one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot wired to the CPU, with the second slot being electrical x4 and wired to the PCH. GIGABYTE has been traditionally generous with its onboard audio solutions, and these boards are no exception. You get a Realtek ALC1220 (120 dBA SNR) CODEC strapped to a single headphones amp circuit, ground-layer isolation, and audio-grade capacitors.

Moving slightly up the ladder is the Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming, pictured below. You get a similar CPU VRM implementation to the Gaming K3, but with two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 with both populated) wired to the CPU, for multi-GPU setups. You also get a stylish I/O shroud. Positioned above the Ultra Gaming, is the Aorus Z370 Gaming 5. This board features a stronger CPU VRM, three M.2 slots as opposed to two on the Ultra Gaming, a higher grade onboard audio with a high-grade OPAMP, more USB 3.1 ports, 802.11 ac + Bluetooth WLAN; and a full-length I/O shroud. Leading the pack (for now) is the Aorus Z370 Gaming 7. Positioned further above the Gaming 5, this board features the highest-grade onboard audio solution from GIGABYTE, with an ESS Sabre AMP; M.2 SSD heatsinks, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces (Intel + Killer), and reinforcement braces around even more slots. These boards are expected to launch on the 5th of October, 2017.

It turns out that Z370 Express won't be the highest-end desktop motherboard chipset for Intel's 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" mainstream-desktop processors, with the company planning a higher Z390 Express chipset for the second half of 2018, according to a leaked company roadmap on 300-series chipset roll-out. Intel is launching its first Core "Coffee Lake" processors this October, along with the Z370 Express chipset. The mid-range B360 Express, H370 Express; and entry-level H310 Express chipsets could launch in Q1-2018, which is also the time when Intel launches the Q370 and Q360 chipsets for corporate desktops.

Intel could launch the first wave of 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" desktop processors in the retail channel, on the 5th of October, 2017. It's also becoming ominous that with increasing core counts across the lineup, Intel is also raising prices by anywhere between 12.5 to 25 percent. For example, the Core i7-8700K, which logically succeeds the $339 Core i7-7700K, could be priced upwards of $400. The i5-8600K, which succeeds the $249 i5-7600K, could be priced a little over $300. One can expect similar price-hikes across the board for other Core i5 six-core and Core i3 quad-core SKUs.

The first wave of 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" desktop processor launches could be limited to certain overclocker-specific Core i7 and Core i5 SKUs. It is also launching just one compatible motherboard chipset option with this first wave, the Z370 Express, which supports CPU overclocking. Among the SKUs to look out for, are the top-dog Core i7-8700K six-core processor with HyperThreading enabling 12 threads, 12 MB of L3 cache; and the Core i5-8600K, which is also a six-core part but lacks HyperThreading, and comes with 9 MB of L3 cache.

Here's the first picture of MSI's flagship socket LGA1151(v2) motherboard for 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors, the Z370 GODLIKE Gaming. The board features the latest design theme by MSI for its top-tier Enthusiast Gaming series. It will be the company's most feature-rich motherboard for the platform. Drawing power from a 6-pin PCIe power connector, besides 8-pin EPS and 24-pin ATX; the board conditions it using an 18-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to reinforced DRAM and PCI-Express slots.

The Z370 GODLIKE Gaming from MSI appears to feature a plethora of onboard overclocking controls, and top-grade connectivity, which could include Killer DoubleShot Pro networking, a staggering five M.2 slots (two of which come from a riser), the company's highest-grade next-generation onboard audio solution, a large number of USB 3.1 gen 2 ports, metallic I/O shroud elements, besides the chipset and VRM heatsinks. The board lights up like a Christmas tree with RGB LEDs all over, and features several RGB LED headers. The Z370 GODLIKE Gaming could be among the first wave of socket LGA1151(v2) motherboards by the company, which could launch a littler later in Q3-2017.

Here are some of the first pictures of upcoming motherboards by ASRock based on Intel Z370 Express chipset, which are designed for 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors. Among the boards pictured, are the Z370 Killer SLI/ac, the Z370 Extreme4, the Z370 Pro4, the Z370 Taichi, the Z370M Pro4, and the Z370M-ITX/ac.

The Z370 Taichi appears to be leading the pack, with the most connectivity options, the strongest CPU VRM, etc. The Z370 Extreme4 is similar in connectivity options to the Z370 Taichi, although it's based on a different PCB. The Z370 Killer SLI/ac and Z370 Pro4 make up the entry-level of the segment. The Z370M Pro4 and the Z370M-ITX/ac, make up the micro-ATX and mini-ITX options, respectively. There still seems to be room for higher segment motherboard in ASRock's lineup. Intel is expected to launch the 8th generation Core processor desktop lineup a little later in Q3-2017.

[Pictures removed at request of ASRock]

Intel is rushing in its 8th generation Core mainstream-desktop (MSDT) processor lineup, codenamed "Coffee Lake," later within Q3-2017. The first four of these will be six-core SKUs, which while built in the "LGA1151" package, the same ones as the 7th generation "Kaby Lake" and 6th generation "Skylake," will not be compatible with motherboards based on the older 100-series and 200-series chipsets, for reasons unknown. Upcoming motherboards based on the 300-series chipset, could support not just 8th generation "Coffee Lake" processors, but also older LGA1151 processors. The chipset lineup consists of the Z370 Express, which features support for CPU overclocking and 2-way multi-GPU; and the mid-range B360 Express chipset, which could launch either in late-2017 or early-2018, alongside the first Core i3 "Coffee Lake" chips. The first wave of motherboards to go with "Coffee Lake" processors will hence be Z370-based. VideoCardz compiled a partial, but growing list of motherboards which could make up the first wave.

Intel seems to be addressing key platform limitations with its 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" mainstream desktop platform. The first Core i7 and Core i5 "Coffee Lake" processors will launch later this year, alongside motherboards based on the Intel Z370 Express chipset. Leaked company slides detailing this chipset make an interesting revelation, that the chipset itself puts out 24 PCI-Express gen 3.0 lanes, that's not counting the 16 lanes the processor puts out for up to two PEG (PCI-Express Graphics) slots.

The PCI-Express lane budget of "Coffee Lake" platform is a huge step-up from the 8-12 general purpose lanes put out by previous-generation Intel chipsets, and will enable motherboard designers to cram their products with multiple M.2 and U.2 storage options, besides bandwidth-heavy onboard devices such as additional USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt controllers. The chipset itself integrates a multitude of bandwidth-hungry connectivity options. It integrates a 10-port USB 3.1 controller, from which six ports run at 10 Gbps, and four at 5 Gbps.

With AMD Ryzen 5 six-core and Ryzen 7 eight-core chips having blunt the edge of the $329 Core i7-7700K, the upper-end of Intel's mainstream desktop processor line-up has lost competitiveness to Intel's bean-counters. The company is readying a new mainstream-desktop platform, which in all likelihood, heralds a new socket, and the new Z370 Express chipset.

Intel plans to launch this platform by August-September (before Q4 sets in), and it has one big difference - a new six-core part, based on the 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" silicon. Built on a refined 14 nm process, the 6-core "Coffee Lake" chip could feature its TDP rating around the 95W mark for the "K" (multiplier unlocked) part. Quad-core parts could also be carved out of this silicon, with their TDP rated at 65W for the non-K (multiplier-locked) parts. AMD Ryzen 7 1700 eight-core chip with unlocked multipler is rated at 65W. Intel will follow up on its first-wave of "Coffee Lake" chips with additional quad-core and dual-core parts in Q1-2018, besides other 300-series chipsets (likely the H370 and B350).

According to DigiTimes, sources among Taiwan-based PC vendors have indicated that Intel's upcoming Basin Falls platform, which includes Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors on a new X299 chipset, will be unveiled at Computex 2017 (May 30th, June 3rd), in Taipei - two months earlier than expected. This move comes accompanied by an accelerated launch of the Coffee Lake microarchitecture, which still uses the 14 nm process, to August 2017 from an initial January 2018 launch. If true, this is big in a number of ways - that Intel would bring forward a product launch 4 months has some interesting implications - or at least, confirmations.

Remember that Coffee Lake is supposed to carry an increased number of cores in its mainstream designs. And we all know how Intel's line-up has almost been torn apart by Ryzen's aggressive core and thread-count, with AMD offering more cores and threads than Intel at virtually all price-points. And even if an argument is made regarding Intel's better gaming performance, that's one scenario out of many. Future proofing, professional work, multimedia, all of these assert AMD's dominance in a pure price-performance ratio. I, for one, would gladly give up some FPS in some games and accept an increased number of cores than go the other way around (especially with AMD's platform support and the number of patches that have increased game performance on Ryzen CPUs.)