Intel Continues Ticking Backwards With New B365 Chipset

In September Intel released the H310C chipset, which was a downgrade of the existing 14nm H310 chipset back to the 22nm process node. As Intel continues its 14nm struggles, the Santa Clara chipmaker has launched the new B365 chipset. It's basically the B360 chipset purportedly produced under the 22nm manufacturing process and the Kaby Lake Platform Controller Hub (PCH).

The latest B365 chipset measures 23 x 24mm. While Intel produces the H310C chipsets on its own 22nm process node, it's unknown whether Intel will also manufacture the B365 chipset or outsource it to a third-party foundry like TSMC. One thing's for sure, though. Unlike the other Intel 300-series chipsets that are based on the Coffee Lake PCH, the B365 chipset employs the Kaby Lake PCH instead. As a result, there are a few differences that separate the B365 chipset from the previous B360 chipset.

In terms of changes and improvements, the B365 chipset supports up to 20 PCIe lanes, whereas the B360 chipset maxes out at 12 PCIe lanes. The B365 chipset also brings two more USB ports and support for RAID configurations to the table. Nevertheless, the B360 chipset does have the upperhand in other departments. The B360 chipset comes with support for integrated wireless networking and USB 3.1, unlike the B365 chipset.

Since both chipsets are on the lower end of the spectrum, we expect that the upcoming B365 motherboards should perform equally as existing B360 motherboards already on the market or have such a small performance difference that the average user wouldn't notice. The party that could benefit the most out of the B365 launch is Intel, as it should allow the company to free up resources for 14nm production.