What is the CPU socket and what are the differences between them?

The socket of a CPU is actually a physical component of a motherboard that allows the connection between the CPU and the different components such as the hardware and the graphics card and the different data, sound and image input and output ports of the board. base. The socket is also known as "plinth» in Spanish, but the name of «socket» is much more widely used. It is incorrect to say that a CPU has a socket, and the correct thing is that a CPU is made for a specific socket.

Using a socket on an open motherboard allows the CPU to be changed to fit different budgets or needs. Generally, a new type of socket is released to be compatible for one or several generations of CPUs that will have a series of common compatibilities such as RAM or PCIe formats.

CPU socket types

There are three types of socket to make connections from a CPU to the motherboard. The following three socket systems have mainly been used for the connection between the CPU and the motherboard:

• LGA: Acronym for «Land Grid Array'('Earth Grid MatrixLGA CPUs do not have pins that connect to the socket. The socket itself has the connecting pins, which are arranged in a grid pattern. LGA is primarily used in desktop and high-performance system CPUs, as it allows for better heat dissipation from the CPU. As of today, both Intel and AMD have adopted LGA for their desktop and server CPUs.
• PGA: Acronym for «Pin Grid Array» («Pin Grid Array» in English). These CPUs have pins that connect to the motherboard. This connection system has been abandoned by Intel, with the 4th Generation Intel Core Haswell CPUs for laptops being the last to use a PGA connection. AMD took longer to abandon PGA, with AM5 being the first consumer-focused socket not to use PGA.
• BGA: Acronym for «Ball Grid Array'('Ball Grid Array» in English). In this socket, solder balls on the CPU are the contact between the processor and the motherboard. BGA is used in laptops, and is not commonly seen in desktop computers because it does not allow for CPU upgrades. There are some models that use them, but they are usually from OEM manufacturers and low-performance computers.

If you want to know more about CPUs, we have a text about history of CPUs.

List of LGA Sockets for Intel Xeon CPUs:

• LGA771: First LGA type socket for some Intel Xeon CPU models for servers.
• LGA1366: For desktop Intel X58 chipsets, and Intel 3400, 3420, 3450, 5500, 5520 and 7500 Xeon
• LGA1567: Designed for Nehalem architecture processors for servers, and Intel Xeon 7500 and 6500 series.
• LGA3647: It appeared in 2016 to be used with Intel Xeon processors for servers in the Knights Landing, Knights Mill, Skylake-SP, Cascade Lake-SP/AP and Cascade Lake-W families.
• LGA4189: It is used by Intel Xeon CPUs of the Cooper Lake and Ice Lake generations.
• LGA4677: The Intel Xeon CPUs of the Sapphire Rapids generation of 2023 debuted this socket.
• LGA7529: It is not available yet. It is expected to be used with Sierra Forest generation Intel Xeons in 2024.

Intel Core LGA Socket

• LGA775: Intel's first LGA-type socket, which debuted for Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron, Pentium and Core 2 Duo models.
• LGA1150: Used by 4th and 5th generation Intel Core desktop processors.
• LGA1151: Used by 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th generation Intel Core processors.
• LGA1155: Used in second and third generation Intel Core desktop CPUs.

• LGA1156: It is used by Nehalem and Westmere architecture CPUs, including several Intel Core, Celeron, Pentium and Xeon models.
• LGA1200: It was first used with 10th generation Intel Core desktop CPUs, and was also used in 11th generation Rocket Lake.
• LGA1700: Used by the 12th to 14th generations of Intel Core. These are the Alder Lake and Raptor Lake generations.
• LGA1851: Future Socket used by 15th and 16th Generation Intel Core Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake CPUs.
• LGA2011: Used by 3rd and 4th generation Intel Core X-range CPUs.
• LGA2011-3: Used by high-end 5th and 6th generation Intel Core CPUs.
• LGA2066: Used in high-end 7th, 9th and 10th generation Intel Core CPUs.

If you want to know more about Intel CPUs, we have an extensive text about them. Intel Core CPU

Intel BGA Sockets

Intel BGA sockets are typically used for laptops with custom-designed chipsets and motherboards. This is why the same generation of Intel Core has several different models of BGA sockets, which vary according to fame,

• BGA1364: Socket used by 4th generation Intel Core laptop CPUs for high-end laptops.
• BGA1168: Used on laptops with mid-range and low-end 4th and 5th generation Intel Core CPUs.
• BGA1023: Present in systems using Intel Celeron and Pentium CPUs.
• BGA1170: Used by 5th generation Intel Core laptop CPUs.
• BGA1264: It was used in non-embedded models of the Intel Core N generation, for low-power laptops based on the Intel Core Alder Lake architecture.
• BGA1234: Present in some low-end 5th generation Intel Core laptop CPUs.
• BGA1284: Used with 6th Generation Intel Core SKylake laptop processors.
• BGA1296: Socket used for some seventh generation Kaby Lake family processors.
• BGA1356: It can be found in 6th, 7th, and 8th generation Intel Core laptop CPUs.
• BGA1377: There are CPU models for range laptops and the 10th generation of Intel Core.
• BGA1440: Present in CPUs for mid- and high-range laptops of the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th generations of Intel Core.

• BGA1449: Socket for mid-range and low-end CPUs of the 11th generation of Intel Core for laptops.
• BGA1515: Socket for low-end laptops that use 6th, 7th and 8th generation Intel Core CPUs.
• BGA1526: Socket for G range CPUs for 10th generation Intel Core laptops.
• BGA1528: This socket has been used in laptops of all 8th and 10th generation Intel Core CPU ranges.
• BGA1598: Socket for G-range CPUs of the 11th generation Intel Core laptop CPUs.
• BGA1744: Several CPUs from the 12th and 13th generations have it, from all ranges.
• BGA1781: Present in a few Intel Core models for 12th generation laptops.
• BGA1787: Socket used in CPUs of the i5 and i7 ranges of the 11th generation Intel Core for laptops.
• BGA1792: Used in two high-end 13th generation Intel Core laptop CPU models.
• BGA1964: This socket is used by the high-end i5, i7 and i9 range CPUs of the 12th and 13th generations of Intel Core for laptops.
• BGA2270: It is only found in i5 and i7 range models of the 8th generation Intel Core for laptops.

Intel PGA Sockets

• PGA370: Intel's first PGA-type socket, designed to complement and eventually replace the Slot 1 socket.
• PGA423: Also known as Socket 423, it was used by the first generation of Intel Pentium 4 CPUs. It lasted a very short time on the market because they could not exceed frequencies of 2 GHz.
• PGA478: Used for Northwood architecture CPUs. The latest PGA connector used by Intel for desktop systems.
• PGA946: Socket used by 4th Generation Intel Core Haswell CPUs for laptops.
• PGA988: Used by Intel Core 3rd generation X-range CPUs for i7-3920XM and i7-3940XM laptops.

Other Intel sockets

• Dual in-line package: «Double Row Package» in English. Also known by the acronym DIP. It was used for the first integrated circuits. There was no single size, so, like LGA, PGA and BGA, they indicated in their name the number of connectors they used.
• Socket 1: The first socket used by Intel with a commercial name, originally called OverDrive. It was used in the i486SX, i486, DX2 and i486 OverDrive processors. It had a 169-pin connector.
• Socket 2: 238-pin socket, which had support for the same processors as Socket 1 in addition to the 63 and 68 MHz Pentium OverDrive.
• Socket 3: 237-pin socket with support for the same processors as Socket 2, AMD's Am486 and Am5x86 CPUs, and Cyrix 5×86.
• Socket 4: Socket designed for the first P5 Pentium.
• Socket 5: Designed for the second generation of P5 Pentium processors. It has 320 connection pins distributed in a staggered manner, which allowed the pins to be closer together.
• Socket 6: Modified version of Socket 3, used in a small number of motherboards due to its short lifespan.

• Socket 7: It supports the same processors as Socket 5, along with processors from other manufacturers. It has an extra pin and is designed to provide dual-split rail voltage, but its support depended on the motherboard having it.
• Socket 8: Only used with the Pentium Pro and Pentium II Overdrive. The last Intel socket under the consecutively numbered "Socket" name, in favor of the Slot 1 socket.
• Slot 1: Used by some models of Intel Pentium Pro, Celeron, Pentium II and Pentium III CPUs. Allowed dual processor configurations. Intel abandoned it to return to traditional sockets with the Socket 370, known as PGA370.

AMD Sockets

Sockets for AMD CPUs for Consumers

• Slot A: Used by early AMD Athlon models. It is in the form of a port with 242 connectors placed in line.
• Socket A: Also known as Socket 462, released by the Athlon Thunderbird, and used by the Duron and Semprom series. It was replaced by Socket 754 and Socket 939, but was retained for the Geode NX.
• Socket 754: Socket designed for AMD64 processors for the consumer market.
• Socket 939: Second socket designed for AMD64 series processors.
• Socket 940: Designed for AMD Opteron 64-bit server processors, and also used by AMD Athlon 64 FX for consumers.
• FM1: Designed for AMD's first A Series APUs and Athlon II processors derived from Llano APUs.
• FM2: Used by Trinity and Richland APUs, and Athlon X2 and X4 processors.
• FM2+: Designed for Kaveri and Godavari APUs. It allowed CPUs to be used for the normal FM2 socket.
• FT1: Used by the Desna, Ontario, Zacate and Hondo APUs.
• AM1: Originally known as Socket FS1b, it was designed for budget-range desktop SoCs. It was compatible with the Sempron 2650 and 3850 APUs; and Athlon 5150, 5350 and 5370.
• AM2: Originally known as Socket M2, it was designed for desktop systems to replace Socket 939.
• AM2+: Direct successor to the AM2, and as an intermediate step before the AM3.
• AM3: Launched in 2009 along with AMD Phenom II processors. The only difference it had compared to AM2+ was the compatibility with DDR3 SDRAM memory.
• AM3+: Socket AM3 modified to be compatible with AMD CPUs with Bulldozer microarchitecture. It is compatible with processors for the AM3 socket.

• AM4: Socket designed for CPUs with Zen and Excavator architecture. It debuted in 2016 and AMD promised to support it until at least 2020.
• AM5: Socket designed for Ryzen 7000 CPUs released in 2022. It is the socket used by current AMD consumer CPUs, with the intention of supporting it until at least 2026. It is the first socket for desktop systems to use AMD's LGA contacts.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPU Sockets

• TR4: Known as Socket SP3r2, it used LGA contacts and debuted with the first high-performance desktop Threadripper CPU models. It is identical to the SP3 and sTRX4 sockets, but electrically incompatible.

• sTRX4: Used by AMD Ryzen Threadripper with Zen 2 architecture.
• sWRX8: Designed for AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000 and 5000 workstations.

AMD CPU Sockets for Servers

• Socket F: Socket designed for 2006 Opteron CPUs.
• Socket F+: Used for server CPUs starting from the 10nm K45 series. It allowed backward compatibility with CPUs for the normal Socket F, with the addition of allowing HyperTransport 3.0 at speeds of 2,60 GHz.
• C32: Socket for AMD Opteron 4000 server CPUs.
• G34: Used by AMD Opteron 6000 multi-chip server CPUs.
• SP3: Used by AMD Epyc CPUs with Zen, Zen 2 and Zen 3 architectures.
• SP4: Used only in embedded systems.
• SP5: Socket for Epyc CPUs with Zen 4 architecture.
• SP6: Used by Epyc Siena CPUs based on the Zen 4c architecture.

AMD CPU Sockets for Laptops

• Socket 563: microPGA socket for low-power Athlon XP-M CPUs. It could be found in some low-power desktop models.
• S1: Released in 2006, it was used for Turion 64, Athlon 64 Mobile, Phenom II and Sempron CPUs. There were several versions of the S1, which made some CPUs electrically incompatible even if they fit.
• FS1: Compatible with AMD Llano, Trinity and Richland APUs.
• FT1: Also known as BGA413, it was used by the Desna, Ontario, Zacate and Hondo APUs.
• FP2: Also known as μBGA-827, it was used for 2012 notebook CPUs, as well as Trinity and Richland APUs.
• FP3: Also known as μBGA906, it was released in 2014 for mobile CPUs and APUs.
• FT3: Also known as BGA769, it was used by Kabini, Temash, Beema and Mullins APUs.

What happens if I try to fit a CPU into a socket that doesn't belong?

If you try to fit a CPU into a socket other than the one it was originally designed for, it may not work and you may end up damaging the connectors on the CPU and socket. There are some CPU socket models that are compatible with CPUs for some older sockets. But currently no sockets are made that are backward compatible.

And as a general rule, CPUs from a certain major brand, such as Intel or AMD, do not fit into the other brand's sockets. Thus, an AMD CPU will not fit in an Intel socket, and a CPU will not fit in an AMD socket.