Rumor: Intel will only come with Alder Lake K and KF CPUs and Z690 chipset in 2021

Intel may only release K and KF models of its upcoming Alder Lake processors this year, along with a Z690 motherboard chipset. Lower-ranking Alder Lake CPUs and motherboard chipsets would be announced at CES 2022.

According to sources from the usually well-informed Igor’s LAB, Intel is currently rushing to release its first Alder Lake-S desktop chips between October 25 and November 19. That’s around the Intel Innovation event, which is scheduled for October 27. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger already reported that the company will be announcing new products during that event.

Intel would focus on overclockable CPUs in the K-series, and overclockable KF chips without an integrated GPU. The chipmaker would also only introduce its Z690 motherboard chipset this year, which is aimed at enthusiasts. The rest of Intel’s Alder Lake lineup would be announced at CES in January 2022, according to Igor’sLAB. Motherboards with lower-ranking H670, B660 and B610 chipsets are also expected at CES.

Intel’s Alder Lake lineup is produced on the Intel 7 node. That’s the company’s former 10nm Enhanced Superfin process; Intel recently rebranded its nodes to provide a “clearer picture” compared to competing chip products. The Alder Lake CPUs use a big.Little configuration, which combines several “powerful” hyperthreading cores with some more frugal cores for background tasks.

Alder Lake is made on the Intel 7 process