Intel's upcoming "Nova Lake" desktop platform is drawing nearer, and today we have some intriguing details thanks to the Chinese electronics and motherboard maker Decenta. In leaked information about the motherboard SKU "M26-NVLS-ATX09," we see that it uses Intel's new LGA1954 socket and is listed with Q970 and B960 chipset options. The most notable difference between the two chipsets seems to be their expansion capabilities. Previously leaked specifications suggest that the Q970 provides a total of 44 PCIe lanes, including eight PCIe 5.0 lanes supplied by the chipset. In contrast, the B960 reportedly offers 34 lanes, with no additional PCIe 5.0 lanes from the chipset itself.

Both chipsets feature PCIe 4.0 connectivity, although the Q970 offers 12 chipset lanes compared to the B960's 14. Decenta's ATX motherboard supports four DDR5-6400 memory modules, with dual-channel operation and a maximum capacity of 256 GB. Its expansion layout includes PCIe 5.0 slots, two M.2 storage connectors, and a legacy PCI slot for older industrial hardware. For wireless connectivity, we see that Decanta's platform supports expansion through an M.2 E-Key socket that supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.x modules. VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort outputs allow up to three displays to operate simultaneously.

Intel's upcoming "Nova Lake" Core Ultra 400 series processors will introduce not only a new CPU platform and socket but also a new motherboard chipset segmentation, unlike anything we have seen from Team Blue. According to a well-known leaker, Jaykihn, the new Z970 chipset platform is set to take over much of the space currently reserved for B860 motherboards. Meanwhile, B960 is expected to be positioned lower in the lineup as a value-focused option, often used by Intel's OEM partners for all-in-one builds or mini-PCs. This makes the Z970 the primary choice for a large share of "Nova Lake" builders, not just enthusiasts. Intel's higher-end Z990 boards are still expected to target the most demanding systems, while Z970 seems to bridge the gap between premium and mainstream desktop segments, incorporating many features that the Zx70 chipsets typically reserved from the Bx60 chipset ranges over the past few years.

The most likely scenario is that the Z970 will offer overclocking and wider I/O selection, while the Z990 will focus on more diverse expansion capabilities. The third entry-level B960 boards are expected to be starter NVL platform designs without overclocking support, intended to get the platform up and running with minimal I/O and SSD expansion. One of the biggest attractions of the Z970 would be CPU overclocking support, a key advantage over the B960, which is anticipated to be the more affordable option but without the same tuning flexibility. While the two chipsets may share similar baseline I/O features, motherboard manufacturers are likely to differentiate them through board design, port count, storage support, and overall feature set.