Socket type is the main characteristic of computer processors. It is for it that the motherboard is selected, which must have an appropriate socket for the processor.
A socket is a socket on the motherboard where the processor is installed. Different types of sockets differ in size, number and type of contacts, as well as in the type of mounts for CPU coolers (fans). All sockets can be divided into groups: Intel and AMD. These companies have different standards for the production of motherboards and processors, so the sockets of these manufacturers also have significant technical differences.
What Socket Marking Means
The socket marking indicates its main characteristics necessary in order to determine which motherboard a given processor is suitable for. For example, an Intel Pentium 4 processor has a socket type LGA 775. The last number indicates the number of pins, and the letters mean that this type of processor does not have contact pins - they are located in the motherboard socket. LGA (Land Grid Array) is a type of microcircuit with a matrix of pads instead of pins. Therefore, the absence of the LGA abbreviation in the processor labeling indicates that the processor has contact pins.
Features of the choice and differences of processors
If you want to assemble a computer yourself and choose a processor, you can easily determine by its marking which socket the motherboard should be with.
For example, the following Intel processors are intended for installation in an LGA 775 socket: Pentium D, Celeron D, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, Pentium EE, Celeron, Xeon 3000 and Core 2 Quad. Processors suitable for LGA 1156 socket: Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3. And the LGA 1366 socket is for the Core i7.
AMD manufactures Athlon processors for the following socket types: 462, 563, 754, 939. As you can see from the labeling, Athlon processors have pins.
Newer processor models usually do not fit on motherboards more than five years old. Therefore, when buying a new processor, you will most likely have to change the motherboard as well.
Intel sockets released after 2011 are labeled LGA 1155. 2013 and 2014 sockets are labeled LGA 1150. And sockets LGA 775, LGA 1366, and LGA 1156 are obsolete.
AMD Athlon processors are significantly cheaper than Intel processors of the same clock speed. However, Intel has the advantage of low power consumption and low heat dissipation. Due to this, the products of this company are more reliable and durable.
