With every generation of new processors, Intel always releases a new series of chipsets to go with them. Just like Tick Tock and now PAO, the major processor refreshes also bring a new socket and usually a massive upgrade for the chipset as well. After many delays, Intel will be releasing Cannon Lake on 10nm and perhaps Coffee Lake on 14nm. With these new processors, Intel is shaking things up with some nice upgrades for their upcoming 300 series chipsets.
According to the report, the new 300 series chipsets are still on the LGA 1151 socket. As a mere process node upgrade, Intel isn’t pulling all the stops just yet. The key addition is support for USB 3.1 Gen 2. With up to 6 ports, users can now enjoy up to 10 Gbps, rivalling first generation Thunderbolt at last. The other major upgrade is the new integrated Intel Gigabit Wireless-AC WiFi adapter. As always, whether or not these chipset features will be utilised depends on the motherboard vendor.
By bundling a WiFi support into each chipset, this should make it a lot cheaper for motherboard partners to support WiFi on their products. With a lower cost of support, we may see more low-budget boards throw in wireless support which is nice. This is a particular boon for budget builders with small form factor devices as it means they might not be so limited in their options if they want native WiFi. As built-in wireless can be less buggy, this is welcome news.
