[Hardware] Next year, it will cost you 10% more to change motherboards

[FNX Magokiler]

With each passing day, it becomes more and more difficult to think about acquiring a computer to play. Graphics cards are not the only component that has risen in price, there are others that have become more expensive and those that are yet to come. New information suggests that Intel B760 motherboards will be 10% more expensive than the B660.

The COVID pandemic generated a rise in the prices of computers and their components due to the high demand. We have left behind that bad time, but the components and computers have become more expensive. It seems that we are going towards an elitist and highly exclusive market.

More expensive mid-range motherboards
According to the latest information, Intel motherboards for Raptor Lake processors will become 10% more expensive. Specifically, it is said that motherboards with B760 chipset will be about 10% more expensive than those based on the B660 chipset. The reason would be none other than to differentiate both generations of motherboards, since both support Raptor Lake processors.

There are no substantial differences between the two motherboard models, beyond some changes in the PCIe lines. Motherboards with the B760 chipset will have only four PCIe Gen3 lanes, compared to the current eight offered by the B660. On the other hand, it goes from six lanes to ten PCIe 4.0 lanes with the new boards.

Note that motherboards with "B-Series" chipset are aimed at the mid-range, making the hardware more accessible.

 

 

That Intel raises the price of these components does not really make much sense when there are no relevant changes. The increase in PCIe 4.0 lanes is not a substantial improvement that justifies the price.

Note that some B660 motherboards natively by BIOS already support Raptor Lake processors. This makes it meaningless to buy a B760 motherboard, being more expensive and contributing little or nothing. Something that in turn creates a problem for motherboard manufacturers, who will have to see how to release these new products.

Possibly the feeding phases will be modified, expanding or improving them slightly. You can also choose to expand connectivity, although it is not very interesting either. The most normal thing is that we simply see cosmetic changes in the motherboards.

Market burned by launching refried food year after year
The hardware market is oversized and very poorly managed. The obsession of launching new components every year has become absurd and we have real aberrations. The clearest case is the NVIDIA RTX 40, more expensive than the previous generation and with excessive consumption. They have shoehorned in different types of cores, without thinking of anything else.

It really doesn't make sense to change components every year, or even every two years. The only good thing about consoles is closed hardware that theoretically allows games to be better optimized. It would be nice to slow down the release of components and for the developers to really do their job and optimize the games.

It has become an illogical and surreal market that is turning many users away. It seems that computers want to be relegated to work and/or study systems and that only a few "privileged" acquire systems to play and the rest opt for consoles. At least, that's the feeling it gives.

 

https://hardzone.es/noticias/componentes/precio-placa-base-intel-b760/