A very low-res image of what is purported to be the chipset of the Intel Z990 chipset has made its way online. Not only that, but it also comes with some details about its size, along with rumours about how much power it could pull when in use.
The leaks and rumours stem from two sources. The first is LC Tech Leaks, who actually posted the image of the Z990 PCH. The reason why the resolution is so low is that, as per their explanation, they were walking a thin line. From the sounds of it, they weren’t technically allowed to photograph the motherboard it was attached to.
While the motherboard vendor has yet to be confirmed, the overall consensus is that it is Gigabyte, and that the shot was likely taken at the brand’s booth during Computex 2026. Specifically, the brand was showing off the Aorus Z990 Pro. The board’s CPU socket was hidden, with Gigabyte unwilling to confirm the chipset. However, a quick flip, literally, of the board showed the “Z99PRO” code just behind the CPU backplate.
For context, the Z990 is the next generation chipset, designed to support Intel’s 16th Gen Nova Lake-S CPUs. The lineup will also be using a new LGA1954, replacing the current LGA1851 of Arrow Lake-S.
Another leakster and rumourmonger, Jaykihn suggests that the Z990 PCH package measures 25 x 24mm, while the exposed die measures 11.15 x 6.5mm, which works out to be 72.5 mm². Compared to the Z890 PCH, that’s around 8.8% smaller, while the dies is around 22% smaller.
Jaykihn also says that the Z990 chipset will be able to pull 14W, assuming of course, a full PCIe 5.0 configuration is attached. However, in a more typical configuration, it is believed that it should pull 7.9W on average, which again is higher than the Z890’s 6W consumption. This is likely due to the additional I/O configurations that the upcoming chipset ships out with.
Jaykihn also suggests that the Z970 chipset would run at 6.4W, making it much closer to the Z890.
