Intel Z390 chipset: Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.1 Gen 2

Intel's new Z390 chipset rocks integrated Wireless AC and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, USB 3.1 Gen 2 joins the fray.

@anthony256

Published May 13, 2018 11:51 PM CDT
Updated Nov 3, 2020 12:51 PM CST

32 seconds read time

Intel is very close to the launch of its new Z390 chipset that has been rumored since last year, and will succeed the current Z370 chipset while keeping most of its features and expanding on some.

Intel Z390 chipset: Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.1 Gen 2 | TweakTown.com

Intel is building Wireless-AC 802.11 AC and Bluetooth 5.0 into their new Z390 chipset, while also adding in 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports. Motherboard manufacturers might offer this connectivity on their Z370-based motherboards, but they rely on third-party controllers which increase the BOM of a motherboard.

Intel has rolled these features into the Z390 chipset, which is a win-win for Intel and motherboard partners. Until now, the Z370 featured integrated USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Thunderbolt 3 (Alpine Ridge) connectivity, while Z390 adds the integrated Wireless-AC and BT 5.0 controllers, as well as an integrated SDXC 3.0 controller and updated Thunderbolt 3.0 (Titan Ridge) with DP 1.4 connectivity.

Anthony Garreffa

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering and has recently taken a keen interest in artificial intelligence (AI) hardware.