Rocket Lake Dicussion Thread

[SteelCrysis]

https://www.techpowerup.com/278246/intel...ocket-lake

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.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/vendor...-lake-lock

Motherboard vendors are reportedly releasing revised H410 and B460 motherboards with the H470 chipset to provide Rocket Lake support. This tactic allows them to circumvent Intel's new rules, which only allow support for Rocket Lake chips on Z490 and H470 motherboards while not allowing support on H410 and B460.

Intel's incoming 11th-Gen Rocket Lake processors continue to use the LGA1200 socket and are backwards compatible with some, but not all 400-series chipsets. Owners of Z490 and H470 motherboards can access Rocket Lake with a simple firmware upgrade provided by the vendor. Lamentably, H410 and B460 owners are out of luck, and it's not because Intel decided to maliciously lock out Rocket Lake support for the two budget chipsets.

The reason why H410 and B460 do not support Rocket Lake processors is that the chipsets are based on a different and older 22nm process node. To bypass the limitation, motherboard manufacturers would basically have to sneak in the H470 chipset into their H410 and B460 motherboards to provide Rocket Lake compatibility although they will continue to market the products as H410 and B460.
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Here's some other food for thought. With the 500-series chipset, Intel has increased the DMI link from the chipset to the processor from the previous x4 to a x8 connection. The wider DMI link improves the bandwidth available to devices that are connected to the chipset. The kicker is that the B560 and H510 chipsets retain the x4 connection. We're not saying that it will happen, but it's not unreasonable to think that motherboard vendors could potentialy enable the x8 connection for the B560 and H510 motherboards through a similar technique.

We know that sometimes product revisions don't always live up to what they pretend to be. However, we're all in favor if they're in the benefit of the consumer. In this case, the revised H410 and B460 motherboards provide a cost-effective upgrade path for users that want to jump on the Rocket Lake train, but don't want to spend too much on a 500-series motherboard.