Intel Z399 Chipset Motherboards To Replace X299 Platform, Alleges Rumor – Maximum of 22 Cores on The LGA 2066 Socket

The latest rumors regarding Intel’s high-end desktop platform has emerged from Pcbuildersclub according to which the successor to the X299 chipset would be Z399. Intel’s current Skylake-X line of processors which are part of the Core-X family includes up to 18 core SKUs but those would see an update in the coming generation too.

Intel Z399 Platform To Succeed X299 – Will Support Skylake-X Chips With Up To 22 Cores

The rumor reports that the X299 successor would be known as Z399. The reason is that AMD is already using the X399 chipset naming scheme on their HEDT platform and reusing it would just cause lots of confusion. So instead of using X399, Intel can cleverly change the “X” with “Z”. This does cause some other sort of confusion as the “Z” series platforms are known to house Intel’s mainstream processor lineup whereas the Z399 chipsets would be aimed at the HEDT market.

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Maybe board partners would do some aggressive marketing and highlight the board packages with proper labels that this is a high-end platform and not something that the mainstream audience should consider. Intel is also planning to announce their Z390 chipset platform soon for the 9th Gen mainstream processor lineup which should launch in the coming weeks.

In addition to the Z399 and Z390 platforms, Intel is also reportedly working on their ultra high-end and premium platform based on the X599 chipset. The Z390 platform uses the LGA 1151 socket, the Z399 platform should use the LGA 2066 socket, and the X599 platform should use the LGA 3647 socket. The new socket is named one generation ahead, skipping the X499 name since that is a potential AMD next-gen platform which will be introduced with new Ryzen Threadripper CPUs.

Intel HEDT Processor Families:

Intel HEDT Family	Gulftown	Sandy Bridge-E	Ivy Bridge-E	Haswell-E	Broadwell-E	Skylake-X	Skylake-X	Skylake-X	Cascade Lake-X
Process Node	32nm	32nm	22nm	22nm	14nm	14nm+	14nm+	14nm+	14nm++
Flagship SKU	Core i7-980X	Core i7-3960X	Core i7-4960X	Core i7-5960X	Core i7-6950X	Core i9-7980XE	Core i9-9980XE	Xeon W-3175X	TBD
Max Cores/Threads	6/12	6/12	6/12	8/16	10/20	18/36	18/36	28/56	18/36?
Clock Speeds	3.33/3,60 GHz	3.30/3.90 GHz	3.60/4.00 GHz	3.00/3.50 GHz	3.00/3.50 GHz	2.60/4.20 GHz	3.00/4.50 GHz	3.10/4.30 GHz	TBD
Max Cache	12 MB L3	15 MB L3	15 MB L3	20 MB L3	25 MB L3	24.75 MB L3	24.75 MB L3	38.5 MB L3	24.75 MB L3?
Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU)	32 Gen2	40 Gen2	40 Gen3	40 Gen3	40 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3?
Chipset Compatiblity	X58 Chipset	X79 Chipset	X79 Chipset	X99 Chipset	X99 Chipset	X299	X299	C612E	X399?
Socket Compatiblity	LGA 1366	LGA 2011	LGA 2011	LGA 2011-3	LGA 2011-3	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 3647	LGA 2066?
Memory Compatiblity	DDR3-1066	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1866	DDR4-2133	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2800	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2933
Max TDP	130W	130W	130W	140W	140W	165W	165W	255W	165W?
Launch	Q1 2010	Q4 2011	Q3 2013	Q3 2014	Q2 2016	Q3 2017	Q4 2018	Q4 2018	2H 2019
Launch Price	$999 US	$999 US	$999 US	$1059 US	$1700 US	$1999 US	$1979 US	~$4000 US	TBD

The Intel Z399 chipset production is said to be in full swing but since it is a niche market, the overall chipset production won’t be much of an issue to the highly constrained Intel 14nm supply. It should be pointed that the Z390 platform would feature a maximum of 8 cores and 16 threads, the Z399 platform would feature a maximum of 22 cores and 44 threads while the X599 platform would be featuring support for CPUs with up to 28 cores and 56 threads. More information on these chips is expected in the coming weeks so stay tuned.