Intel is about to drop its 13th generation Raptor Lake CPUs, as evident by the BIOS updates all LGA 1700 motherboard manufacturers have been rolling out lately. The aim of the BIOS update is to add support for Raptor Lake CPUs to existing 600 series motherboards. But you’re not going to be forced to use a 600-series motherboard. But what about the next generation of Intel 700 series motherboards?

Now read: Intel 13th generation Raptor Lake, what we know.

Recent leaks suggest that not only will the 13th generation of Intel processors be released in October, but an Intel Z790 motherboard will accompany them. But what do we know about the 700 series motherboard so far?

Intel 700 series motherboards

In essence, the Intel 700 series motherboards are the successor to the 600 series motherboards. When we say “series” we are referring to the family or collection of chipsets that are part of the 700 series lineup.

The 700 series chipsets will retain the same LGA 1700 socket as the 600 series, so if you want to upgrade your motherboard without upgrading your CPU for whatever reason, you’re in luck!

This socket retention suggests that the new motherboards will have the same technological limitations as the previous generation in terms of CPU connectivity, but we know for a fact that the 600 series motherboards are not used to their full potential. Intel built some future-proofing into its motherboards as it promised LGA 1700 will be in use for a few years.

LGA 1700

LGA 1700 or, Socket V, is an Intel-designed CPU socket based on the Land Grid Array architecture. This means the socket itself is full of contact pins but the CPU is equipped with “lands” that each corresponds to the pins in the CPU socket.

The reason it’s called LGA 1700 is that it has 1,700 contact pins within the socket, that’s 500 more than its predecessor. LGA 1200.

The number of contact pins isn’t the only thing that’s changed, however, as Socket V has physically gotten larger. The new socket dimensions measure 78 mm x 78 mm, instead of 75 mm x 75 mm.

The LGA 1700 socket is unique in the sense that it’s the only socket to currently support two memory standards simultaneously. The LGA 1700 socket supports both DDR4 3200 MT/s and DDR5 4800 MT/s as a base. (separate boards required).

Intel 700 series motherboard release date

17th October 2022.

The Intel 700 series motherboards are expected to release on the 17th of October.

As per the rumors leaked by Enthusiast Citizen, Intel plans to reveal its 13th generation CPUs on the 28th of September at its innovation event. Intel is also expected to disclose the SKUs and pricing of Raptor Lake.

Intel is also expected to confirm a release date for the flagship 700 series motherboard, the Z790. Which has been leaked as the 17th of September 2022.

Intel 700 series motherboard SKUs

We do have some information about the expected 700 series motherboard SKUs. and this information comes to us from a leak courtesy of Enthusiast Citizen once again.

Besides the information around Raptor Lake, we have some confirmation of 700 series SKUs from this post. The expected 700 series SKUs are:

Z790
H770
B760
B710

We also know from Enthusiast Citizens’ post, that the Z790 will be the first motherboard to be announced/released. The rest of the 700 series motherboard SKUs will follow suit later.

Intel 700 series motherboard price

Not much is known about the official price as of yet, but we can speculate based on historical data and what we know about 700 series motherboards so far.

We predict the launch price of each chipset to be in the following brackets:

Z790: $350-$500
H770: $280-$350
B760-$200-$280
B710: $140-$200

These prices are rough estimates based on historical data adjusted for inflation and the cost of new technology. These are just predictions and not to be taken as confirmation.

Intel 700 series motherboard specifications

Here we will discuss the specifications of each of the chipsets in the 700 series family. (based on what we already know).

The latest information comes from Intel’s own documentation. Intel’s PCH Datasheet lists some of its existing 600 series chipsets, including the Z690, H670, B660, and H610. With the W680 expected to join them later this year.

We observe in this listing, however, that Intel has added some previously absent information to its PCIe Gen 4 lane count and the number of USB 3.2 gen 2 ports.

Image courtesy of WccfTech.

Based on the PCIe Gen 4 lanes, we see that Intel is opting to lower the number of Gen 3 lanes in favor of the current standard, PCIe Gen 4. The flagship Z690 replacement, the Z790, will feature 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (12 currently), H670’s replacement, the H770, will feature 16 Gen 4 lanes (12 currently) while B660’s replacement, the B760, will feature 10 Gen 4 lanes (6 currently).

The overall number of PCIe lanes doesn’t change, you can‘t just invent PCIe lanes out of nowhere. It just seems that the 700 series motherboards are focusing on the faster, more modern standard. It’s likely that the lower-end B710 chipset will have its PCIe Gen 3 lanes unaffected, however.

The other main change is the number of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 slots that will be changed from four to five on the Z790 motherboards. It appears as though the other SKUs will keep their Gen 3.2 2×2 port counts for now.

Overall, these changes are nice, but they aren’t anything groundbreaking. It looks like the 700 series motherboards are more of a refresh than a straight-up upgrade.

Intel 700 series motherboards may be DDR5 only.

According to TechPowerUp, Intel is pushing to make DDR5 exclusive on the 700 series motherboards when they launch later this year. The company has reportedly been asking motherboard manufacturers to avoid developing DDR4 capable 700 series motherboards.

Don’t panic though, Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs do have inbuilt support for DDR4. The recent BIOS updates that motherboard manufacturers have been pushing out, make the current 600 series compatible with 13th gen Raptor Lake CPUs. So there is still a way to use Raptor Lake on DDR4 should you need to.

This news isn’t set in stone, however, and there’s already some community backlash occurring in light of the news. It isn’t too late for Intel to reconsider its decision.

Intel 700 series motherboard FAQs

Will 700 series motherboards be DDR5?

Intel is currently pushing motherboard manufacturers to not produce DDR4 compatible 700 series motherboards. As Intel wants the 700 series and 13th gen CPUs to be a DDr5 exclusive. However, 13th gen Raptor Lake CPUs will still be compatible with DDR4 on the 600 series motherboards.

Will Raptor Lake be compatible with 700 series motherboards?

Yes. In fact, the 700 series motherboards are designed specifically with Raptor Lake CPUs in mind. Upping the PCIe and USB performance to accommodate for the new CPUs and ultra-fast hardware.

Is Raptor Lake compatible with Z690?

Yes, Raptor lake CPUs are compatible with all current gen 600 series motherboards, thanks to a BIOS update rolled out last month.

Not only that, but Raptor Lake will version the DDR4 version of 600 series motherboards.

Will Raptor lake be compatible with B660?

Yes, all 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs will be compatible with all 600 series motherboards.

Final word

It looks like that’s about it for Intel 700 series information. We’ll keep you updated on the latest news as and when we get it. We greatly look forward to the opportunity to test and review these products and see how they stack up against AMD’s Zen 4 CPUs and AM5 motherboards. Both are said to release two weeks sooner than Raptor Lake and the Z790.

Will this be enough to keep Intel on top? We’ll have to wait and see.