Intel's Coffee Lake CPUs not compatible with current motherboards

Here we go again with chatter that an upcoming processor launch from Intel will not work with current generation motherboards. In this case, ASRock stated on Twitter that Intel's 8th generation Core processors will not be supported on current generation 200-series motherboards that support Kaby Lake.

The surprise tweet came in response to a Twitter user inquiring about compatibility with ASRock's Z270 Supercarrier motherboard.

"No, Coffee Lake CPU is not compatible with 200 series motherboards," ASRock responded.

It looks like ASRock has since deleted its tweet, though TomsHardware claims to have confirmed with the company's representatives that Coffee Lake will indeed be incompatible on existing motherboards.

That's going to be a tough pill to swallow considering that Cannon Lake is on the horizon. While it might not matter much for new builds from the ground up, users looking to extend the life of their systems for another generation with a 6-core Coffee Lake chip may balk at having to purchase a new motherboard.

There is a chance that ASRock is misinformed. It's tough to tell, as Intel's policy is not to comment on future products, so there's no official clarification to be had. It's not looking good though—PCWorld claims to have heard the same thing from a "reliable source outside of Intel" and ASRock. That said, the source also said there is hope within the industry that Intel will change its mind before launch.

Should Intel hold firm on its presumed plans to require a new chipset, it risks driving users to AMD and giving Ryzen a spin.

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).