Intel 11th-generation processors launch window may have just leaked from MSI

Now that CES 2021 is right around the corner, we were expecting to see Intel unveil its 11th-generation Rocket Lake-S processors for desktop. However, the latest leak – this time from MSI – is pointing to a later-than-expected launch. 

A customer support forum post was spotted by @harukaze5719 on Twitter, sourced from the Danawa forums. It's important to note that this is based on a machine translation on an unofficial forum, so take this all with a grain of salt. 

400 series will support 11th Gen*Machine Translate pic.twitter.com/SSEm7tvfcYJanuary 3, 2021

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It seems like this comment is meant to confirm that 400-series motherboards are supposed to support Intel's upcoming desktop processors, which isn't really news. However, an additional comment says that Intel's 11th-generation processors will be launched at the end of March.

However, as spotted by PC Gamer, a reply to this Twitter thread shows that the comment has been edited to clarify that this timeline is based on "international rumors." Sure. 

Either way, it seems like we're starting to get closer to the launch of Intel's 11th-generation processors, even if they're not shown at CES 2021 like we initially thought. 

We've reached out to Intel for comment and will update this article if and when we hear anything. 

March 2021 makes a lot of sense, though

Intel Comet Lake-S processors appeared in May 2020, which means that a March 2021 launch would be a little under a year, which is a little shorter than most Intel CPU generations last. 

In a lot of ways, Comet Lake seemed like more of a stopgap generation, seemingly meant to just get some new chips on the market. After all, Coffee Lake Refresh, headed by the Core i9-9900K, launched all the way back in October 2018. That puts around 17 months between the 9900K and 10900K launching, a long time to wait for a new processor. 

It's likely that Intel wants a shorter generation this time around, especially now that the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has claimed the single-core crown. Team Blue's desktop processors also don't support PCIe Gen 4, which is becoming more important as faster SSDs make their way to market – something that Rocket Lake-S will support. 

This is all speculation, though. We won't know when Intel is going to launch its processors until it tells us. Here's to hoping we at least get a glimpse at what Intel's upcoming silicon can do at CES 2021. 

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