Here's the first picture of GIGABYTE's next-generation flagship Socket LGA1200 motherboard based on Intel Z590 chipset, with out-of-the-box support for 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake" desktop processors, the Z590 AORUS Xtreme. Featuring the company's most premium component selection, the board pulls power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and two 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU using a massive 21-phase VRM. The only expansion slots on this board are three PCI-Express x16, from which at least two are wired to the CPU (Gen 4.0 x16 or Gen 4.0 x8/x8 with Rocket Lake, Gen 3.0 with Comet Lake); with the third slot being wired to the PCH. Underneath the cladding are three M.2 NVMe slots, from which one is Gen 4.0 x4, and wired to the CPU, while the others are wired to the PCH.

The GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS Xtreme reportedly one-ups the current generation with new connectivity that includes Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax over 6 GHz radio band), and Thunderbolt 4. The board also features 20 Gbps USB 3.2x2 ports, and wired networking options that include 10 GbE and 2.5 GbE. The board will also be among the first to feature the latest Realtek ALC4080 audio CODEC that replaces the ALC1220 as the company's most premium CODEC. The main stereo channel on the board will still be pulled by an ESS Sabre Reference DAC. We should learn more about this board around mid-January, when Intel is expected to allow its motherboard partners to announce their Intel 500-series chipset products.

BIOSTAR has started teasing a new motherboard lineup to accompany the launch of Intel's Z500 series chipsets, which will offer support for the company's upcoming 11th gen Rocket Lake-S CPUs. So far, BIOSTAR has confirmed that two motherboards are being built around this new series, in the form of the Z590 Valkyrie (ATX) and Z590I Valkyrie (Mini-ITX). The tease showcases the motherboard series' logo, based of Valkyries' wings in what appears to be a black and white color philosophy, which might extend to the motherboards themselves. This could mean that BIOSTAR is now offering a slightly more toned-down design compared to their usual RACING motherboard series.

In the run-up to its mid-January unveil of its 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" desktop processors and companion Intel 500-series chipsets, we get our first look at the three 500-series chipset models from Intel's stable for the DIY client market. This includes the top-tier Intel Z590, the mid-range B560, and the entry-level H510. Intel even made logos for the three chipsets, which could appear on the retail packaging and marketing materials of motherboards. While 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" processors are expected to be backwards-compatible with existing 400-series chipset Socket LGA1200 motherboards; there are major advantages to choosing a 500-series motherboard.

To begin with, motherboards based on the Z590 chipset feature a fatter 8-lane DMI 3.0 chipset bus between the processor and the PCH, which doubles the chipset bus bandwidth to 64 Gbps per direction. 500-series chipset motherboards also feature one CPU-attached M.2 NVMe slot, which works with "Rocket Lake-S," as the processor puts out 28 PCIe lanes. 16 of these go toward the PEG interface, 8 toward the chipset bus, and four toward this dedicated NVMe slot. In related news, Chinese tech publication MyDrivers reports that Intel is staring at a motherboard chipset shortage going into Q1-2021, with availability of the entry-mid 400-series chipsets such as the H410 and B460 being scarce. This could impact motherboard pricing.

Intel needs a platform refresh to battle the competition, mainly speaking to battle AMD and its Ryzen 5000 series processors. That is why the company is developing 500 series of chipsets covering the low-end (H510), mid-range (B560), and high-end markets (Z590) that pair with the upcoming Rocket Lake-S processor generation. Dubbed 11th generation of Core processors, the 11th generation of Intel Core CPUs are going to be built on Intel's refined 14 nm process. The CPUs are supposed to feature a Cypress Cove core, which is a backport of Golden Cove found in Ice Lake. The 500 series motherboards are the last in the DDR4 generation, launching in the timeframe when DDR5 is supposed to take over in the coming years.

Today, thanks to Weixin, a Chinese media outlet that posted a short story on the WeChat platform, we have information about the launch date of these new chipsets. According to the source, we are allegedly going to see these new chipsets on January 11th, the day that Intel CES 2021 event is supposed to happen. The platform will include a range of motherboards from Intel's partners and is supposed to bring support for the much-needed PCIe 4.0 protocol. The launch date should be taken with a grain of salt, of course, before taking it as a fact.

Intel will debut its 500-series desktop motherboard chipset series with its 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" desktop processors. A leaked alleged roadmap slide possibly from a presentation targeting an Intel ecosystem partner, reveals that the 500-series chipset will debut no sooner than March 2021, which could also mean "Rocket Lake-S" chips themselves could launch around that time, since Intel tends to launch new processor generations alongside new chipsets that are compatible out of the box. Even the 9th Generation "Coffee Lake Refresh" was accompanied by new Z390 and B365 chipsets. That said, Socket LGA1200 motherboards based on the existing 400-series chipset are expected to be compatible with "Rocket Lake-S," with BIOS updates. 500-series chipset motherboards might also support older 10th Gen Core "Comet Lake-S" processors.

The roadmap slide reveals that "Rocket Lake-S" could debut with strictly client-segment chipsets, such as the Z590 targeting overclockers, H570 targeting premium desktops, B560 targeting mid-range desktops, and H510 for entry-level desktops. Later in April, Intel could debut the Q570 chipset for commercial desktops, and W580 for workstations. What sets the 500-series chipset apart from the 400-series, appears to be a standardization of PCI-Express Gen 4, at least for the main PEG slot. Certain premium 400-series chipset motherboards already come with preparation for PCIe Gen 4 PEG. The "Rocket Lake-S" processor sees the first IPC increase by Intel on the desktop platform in five years, as the 14 nm chips are expected to feature new "Cypress Cove" CPU cores, which are a back-port of "Willow Cove" for the older 14 nm process. The chips could also feature a Gen12 Xe iGPU.