The generations follow each other and ... sometimes look very similar in the ranges of the American manufacturer.
Launched in October 2021, the Z690 chipset was the top of the line from Intel to develop a complete platform based on Alder Lake processors (the Core 12xxx). It was quickly completed by the B660 chipset, which had the advantage of allowing the design of significantly cheaper motherboards, from January 2022. A few weeks later, the H610 chipset was introduced by Intel in order to offer extremely accessible solutions, but obviously limited in terms of functionality.
The site Videocardz tells us that Intel will finally put an end to the production of Z690 and B660 chipsets very soon, according to information from MyDrivers. Intel has not yet confirmed this, but it is not a very surprising information. Indeed, since the launch - last October - of its 13th generation processors (Raptor Lake), Intel has been distributing a new high-end chipset, the Z790. Better still, since last January, it has also been distributing a mid-range chipset to accompany its platforms, the B760.
igor's Lab
This pair of chipsets is actually very close to the Z690/B660 duo. For example, the Z790 is of course compatible with Raptor Lake processors, but also without any problem with Alder Lake. What's more, its design makes it virtually identical to the Z690, so much so that some experts call it a purely "accessory" modification. The term is a bit strong, but it is true that the changes will not affect everyone. For example, the number of PCI Express 4.0 lines is increased from 12 to 20, while the number of PCIe 3.0 lines is reduced by the same amount (from 16 to 8). The other main change concerns USB, with the addition of a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) port that allows up to 5 on the motherboard.
The main purpose of stopping production of the Z690/B660 is to replace them with the Z790/B760 and, in so doing, to simplify the range. It should be noted that Intel has nothing to offer in the entry-level range yet, so the H610 chipset is not affected by this announcement.
