bit_user :
I don't get all this outrage over Intel just continuing their 2-generation cadence of socket changes.
Perhaps what you're really upset about is that we're getting yet another 14 nm CPU - their 4th, if you count Broadwell?
BTW, do we know for sure there will be no additional PCIe lanes? It'd be nice for M.2 NVMe...
That's what I was going to point out. Looking at what is attached to the CPU direct vs chipset via DMI/PCIe x4 links:
Intel LGA1151 CPU: PCIe x 16 graphics, DDR4
AMD CPU: PCIe x 16 graphics, DDR4, AND PCIe x 4 (M.2 storage/SATA storage), 4x USB 3.1
Intel Z270: USB 3.1/3.0/2.0, PCIe x 24 for I/O, Gigabit Ethernet
AMD X370: USB 3.1/3.0/2.0, PCIe x 8 for I/O.
It may not seem like it, but there are some crucial differences - namely the addition of direct-to-cpu storage and USB connections. Intel does NOT offer that, thus ALL I/O has to go through the DMI.
It's very likely that Coffee Lake might well add some of those connections direct to the CPU, in fact, looking up some Coffee Lake block diagrams, there appear to be some connections labeled DP1.2 (DisplayPort 1.2) which can be routed to either M.2 storage and/or USB3.1. That would naturally have to be accounted for differently on the socket pinout, which of course is why they have to have a socket change from the current LGA 1151.
What IS going to be a problem is people thinking that any LGA 1151 processor is going to fit into the new LGA 1151 socket. You're going to get some confusion going on. As for this being a pure 'money play' by Intel, I don't think it is. From the looks of it, this is a necessity from the response to AMD. They can't have AMD offering something that they don't, especially when it could become very advantageous.
With a properly connected storage system, processing video could be much quicker on an AMD system as the M.2 storage as input and USB 3.1 as output could be much faster on AMD vs Intel because it bypasses the chipset and runs direct through the CPU. USB3.1 Drive -> CPU -> M.2 with each device having FULL bandwidth.
Meanwhile on Intel USB3.1 Drive -> Chipset -> DMI -> CPU -> DMI -> Chipset -> M.2 with the limit being the DMI interface which has to handle input and output.