The Intel H670, B660, and H610 chipsets are expected to be released in January 2022. However, momo mo us, a hardware leaker, gave us a sneak glance at the specifications for the trio of unreleased chipsets.
H670, B660, and H610 motherboards will be available in DDR5 or DDR4 memory configurations, identical to the flagship Z690 models. However, if you intend to overclock your processor, the more expensive Z690 approach is your only alternative. Memory overclocking, on the other hand, is distributed over the Z690, H670, and B660 chipsets. Unfortunately, the H610 chipset lacks this functionality, thus buyers are limited to Alder Lake’s default memory speed.
Meanwhile, all four chipsets have PCIe 5.0 functionality, which comes from the Alder Lake processor. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that not all Intel 600-series motherboard makers will have PCIe 5.0 functionality. One or two PCIe 5.0 expansion slots can be found on Z690 and H670 motherboards. A single slot has a 1×16 arrangement, whereas twin slots have a 2×8 configuration. On the other hand, the B660 and H610 motherboards only include one PCIe 5.0 expansion slot. Alder Lake includes four PCIe 4.0 lanes for M.2 storage, except the H610 chipset.
On Alder Lake, Intel doubled the DMI connection’s throughput. Previously, Intel processors had an x8 DMI 3.0 pipeline (7.88 GBps) to the chipset, whereas Alder Lake has an x8 DMI 4.0 pipeline (15.66 GBps). This is accurate, according to momo mo, for the Z690 and H670 chipsets. The B660 and H610 chipsets can only support an x4 DMI 4.0 connection. The number of connectivity choices on B660 and H610 motherboards is limited by a narrower DMI interface.
H670, B660, and H310 Specifications
| Z690 | H670 | B660 | H610 | |
| Memory | DDR5 / DDR4 | DDR5 / DDR4 | DDR5 / DDR4 | DDR5 / DDR4 |
| CPU OC | Y | N | N | N |
| MEM OC | Y | Y | Y | N |
| CPU PCIe 5.0 | 1×16 / 2×8 | 1×16 / 2×8 | 1×16 | 1×16 |
| CPU PCIe 4.0 | 1×4 | 1×4 | 1×4 | – |
| DMI 4.0 Lanes | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| PCIe 4.0 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| PCIe 3.0 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| USB 3 (20G) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| USB 3 (10G) | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| USB 3 (5G) | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| USB 2.0 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
| SATA 3.0 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
The Z690 has 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes for high-speed IO (HSIO). The H670 has a 12+12 layout, while the B660 has a 6+8 arrangement. The H610, on the other hand, only has eight PCIe 3.0 lanes. Motherboard manufacturers are free to experiment with different connecting solutions.
The Z690 chipset has the most ports, with four USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (20 Gbps) connectors, ten USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports, ten USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports, and 14 USB 2.0 ports. Logic dictates that the remaining chipsets will have fewer USB ports. The H610 will be the only chipset without USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C connectors.
The Z690 has 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes for high-speed IO (HSIO). The H670 has a 12+12 configuration, whilst the B660 has a 6+8 configuration. The H610, on the other hand, only has eight PCIe 3.0 lanes. Motherboard manufacturers are free to experiment with different connecting solutions.
The Z690 chipset has the maximum ports, with up to four USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (20 Gbps) connectors, ten USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports, ten USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports, and fourteen USB 2.0 ports. Logic dictates that the remaining chipsets will have fewer USB ports. The H610 is the only chipset that does not include USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C connectors.
Traditional storage possibilities varied between chipsets as well. The Z690 and H670 have up to eight SATA III ports, while the B660 and H610 only have four. Four SATA III ports should be adequate for typical users unless you have a lot of secondary storage drives or plan to install a RAID array.
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