In line with a report by ITHome, Intel’s upcoming B760 chipset motherboards will obtain a value hike after they launch early subsequent yr. Costs will reportedly improve 10% over Intel’s earlier era B660 platform. This may characterize a ten% greater cost-to-entry for Intel’s newest mainstream CPU platform, and probably end in some competitors inside Intel’s personal partitions between B760 and B660 – each of which help Intel’s newest Raptor Lake CPUs.
Sadly, particulars on B760 stay minimal for the reason that launch of Raptor Lake. However what we do know is that B760’s function set will stay largely the identical as B660, with the one modifications that we all know of consisting of PCIe Gen 4 and PCIe Gen 3 reconfigurations. This may embody a PCie Gen 3 degradation from eight to 4 lanes, however a PCIe Gen4 improve from 6 to 10 lanes.
Consequently, B760’s could also be extra of a sidegrade than an improve for many customers. B760 will have the ability to function extra PCIe Gen 4 enabled gadgets, however it is going to be restricted to the identical quantity of connectivity as B660 if there aren’t any PCIe Gen 4 gadgets put in.
This may occasionally make B760’s greater value tougher to justify for potential consumers. B760’s Gen 4 capabilities on the chipset will hardly ever ever be wanted for system’s Intel’s B collection platform targets, together with low-cost gaming machines, and low-cost workstations. Machines equivalent to these want little greater than sufficient PCIe lanes for the graphics card, and sufficient USB ports for a keyboard, mouse and headset – and people PCIe lanes the GPU requires come from the CPU anyhow.
On the brilliant aspect, the B760, will probably have its Raptor Lake help baked in with BIOS’s already prepped from the manufacturing unit to help Intel’s newest CPU lineup. However it will solely work if most B660 motherboards do not have already got Raptor Lake supported BIOS updates from the manufacturing unit.
One other potential benefit for B760 shall be any potential function upgrades motherboard manufactures make to those boards themselves, over their very own B660 counterparts. This might take the type of superior energy supply setups, higher built-in audio gear or higher rear I/O. In any case, it will be optimum for motherboard producers to make their B760 boards stand out over their older B660 variations, in order to not cannibalize their very own gross sales.
B760’s value hike will not be wanting good it doesn’t matter what potential benefits B760 can provide. With B660 being able to housing Raptor Lake CPUs, B760 shall be at all times be competing with B660 ultimately or type.