Socket LGA1851 Motherboards Based on Intel's B860 Chipset

Set to launch in January 2025, Socket LGA1851 motherboards utilizing Intel's mid-range B860 chipset are starting to appear in stores. A recent find by Polish tech site PCEkspert showcases the ASUS ROG Strix B860-A Gaming WiFi motherboard. This board, like previous Strix-A models, features a white PCB with white or silver/chrome components, accented by black elements.

The Intel B860 chipset is expected to differ from the Z890 by lacking CPU overclocking support, while still allowing for memory overclocking. It also offers fewer downstream PCIe lanes and a narrower 4-lane DMI 4.0 chipset bus, in contrast to the Z890 and H870's 8 lanes. The packaging indicates that the board includes a 14-phase CPU VRM, an M.2 NVMe Gen 5 slot connected to the CPU without interfering with the x16 PEG, and at least three additional M.2 Gen 4 NVMe slots - two from the PCH and one from the CPU. Networking options consist of 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 7 wireless capabilities, while the onboard audio may feature a mid-range codec like the ALC1200 or ALC4080.