Socket type in motherboard: CPU Socket — GIGABYTE Global

What Is a CPU Socket? A Basic Definition

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

CPU socket (Image credit: Mastermilmar/Shutterstock)

A CPU socket uses a series of pins to connect a CPU’s processor to the PC’s motherboard. If a CPU is connected via a CPU socket, it is not soldered and can therefore be replaced. CPU sockets are more common with desktop gaming PCs than they are on laptops.

When buying a motherboard, finding the best motherboard isn’t just about making sure it has the features you want. Step one is making sure the motherboard has the right CPU socket (and a supported chipset) for your CPU model.

Even if you have the best CPU, it won’t work with just any CPU socket. Intel has different socket types for its mainstream CPUs versus its high-end desktop (HEDT) ones, as does AMD.

Below we break down the consumer CPU sockets for current and prior generation Intel and AMD desktop CPUs.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

CPU Brand	CPU Socket Name	CPU	Compatible Chipsets	Market
Intel	LGA 2066	10th Gen Core	X299	HEDT
Intel	LGA 1700	12th Gen Core	Z690, H670, B660, H610	Mainstream
Intel	LGA 1200	11th Gen Core, 10th Gen Core	Z490, h570, B460, h510	Mainstream
Intel	LGA 1151	9th Gen Core, 8th Gen Core	Z390, Z370, Z370, Q370, h470, B365, B360, h410	Mainstream
AMD	sTRX4	Ryzen Threadripper 3000	TRX40	HEDT
AMD	TR4	Ryzen Threadripper 2000 and 1000	X399	HEDT
AMD	AM4	Ryzen 5000, 3000, 2000 and 1000	X570, X470, X370, B550, B450, B350, B450, A320, X300, A300	Mainstream

Intel users can also figure out which CPU socket their chip uses with Intel’s directions on this page and use Intel’s Product Compatibility Tool to see which motherboard fits your CPU.

This article is part of the Tom’s Hardware Glossary .

Everything you need to know about PC motherboards, sockets and chipsets

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Motherboard

We’ve seen generations of hardware come out from Intel and AMD. This makes it important to ensure you’re matching up compatible processors and motherboards with the chipset best suited to your needs. But what is a chipset and why are sockets different?

Sockets

A socket is the array of pins and the securing mechanism that hold a processor in place and connect the motherboard to the available processing power. There are different sockets depending on what generation CPU is supported. If a situation should occur where the CPU and socket aren’t compatible, the best case scenario is that the component won’t physically be able to connect with the socket, while the worst case may be irreparable damage to either system part.

Luckily, it’s easy to figure out and check whether or not a CPU you’re looking at will work with a specific motherboard. Usually, it’s recommended to choose the CPU first, which provides you with the socket it requires, making buying a motherboard that little bit simpler. For example, a new Ryzen 5 3600X will require an AM4 motherboard, while an Intel Core i5-9600K will need one with LGA 1151.

Which motherboard is best for you?

Source: ASUS (Image credit: Source: ASUS)

Choosing the right motherboard for your PC can be a little tricky, but if you’re starting with this component as the foundation for your next build, we’ve rounded up a handful of our favorites that will create a high-performing platform.

Best motherboard for your PC

Depending on the configuration of pins, certain sockets may support multiple processor generations. An example would be the current LGA 1151 socket for Intel, which supports sixth-, seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-gen CPUs. The socket cannot be swapped out and will require a full motherboard replacement should you need to take advantage of another interface.

But just because the socket matches your CPU, it doesn’t mean the motherboard will be compatible with it. This is where the chipset comes into play. An Intel Core i5 7600K and 9600K both support LGA 1151, but the former works with the Z170 chipset while the latter works with the Z370 chipset.

We’ll look at a few socket examples for Intel and AMD to show how multiple generations of CPUs can be supported by the latest from both companies.

Chipsets

Intel Socket

In the most basic sense, a chipset is a group of electronic components on the motherboard that manages data between the processor, RAM, storage and other connected hardware. Multiple chipsets are available per socket, allowing you to choose between budget and performance, with the more expensive motherboards sporting more capable components.

Intel

The latest generation of consumer desktop processors from Intel run on LGA 1151. Those with «Skylake» processors may be able to flash their motherboards with a new BIOS update (if available — check with the motherboard manufacturer) and insert a «Kaby Lake» CPU, but this trick will not work with the new «Coffee Lake. «

See below for a chart of the recent sockets that you’ll find available online when building a new PC. The number used by Intel in its naming scheme denotes just how many connections are on the socket itself.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Socket	Chipsets	Processors
LGA 2066	X299	Kaby Lake-X Skylake-X Skylake-W Cascade Lake-X Cascade Lake-W
LGA 1151	B360, Q370, h410, h470, and Z370	Coffee Lake
LGA 1151	h210, B150, Q150, h270, Q170, Z170 B250, Q250, h370, Q270, and Z270	Kaby Lake Skylake
LGA 1150	H81, B85, Q85, Q87, H87, Z87, H97, and Z97	Broadwell Haswell

AMD

A different naming scheme is used by AMD with AM4 used for Ryzen processors. AM3+was used for «Bulldozer» and «Piledriver» FX series of CPUs. AM sockets are used for mainstream and enthusiast CPU solutions, while the FM series is deployed for APUs. TR4 is solely used for Threadripper CPUs.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Socket	Chipsets	Processors
sTRX4	TRX40	Threadripper 3
TR4	X399	Threadripper 1-2
AM4	X570	Ryzen 2-3
AM4	B350, X370, B450, and X470	Ryzen 1-3
AM4	A300, B300, X300, A320, B350, and X370	Ryzen 1-2
AM3+	970, 980G, 990X, and 990FX	Piledriver Bulldozer
FM2+	A58, A68H, A78, and A88X	Steamroller Excavator

Getting it right

CPU (Image credit: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central)

Here are some helpful tips for CPU installation and sockets:

Most motherboard and CPU store listings state supported sockets.
Never push down on a CPU when inserting into a socket.
Use any markers on the CPU and socket to better orient and align the component.
Most sockets have an accompanying arm that can be used to raise and lower the bracket to secure a CPU.
CPU coolers can come with multiple brackets to support more than one socket.
Be sure to remove and clean old heat paste before applying it anew.
Check how many PCIe slots a motherboard has before purchasing (for GPUs, for example).
Never throw away the plastic CPU socket cover. You’ll need this if you RMA the motherboard.

Get the best of Windows Central in your inbox, every day!

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He’s been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

Windows Central Newsletter

Thank you for signing up to Windows Central. You will receive a verification email shortly.

There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Windows Central is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site .

How to find out the socket of the motherboard and the processor for example, if the CPU is designed for socket LGA 1151, you should not try to install it in your existing motherboard with LGA 1150 or LGA 1155. The most common options today, in addition to those already listed, are LGA 2011-v3, SocketAM3+, SocketAM4, SocketFM2+.

In some cases, you may need to find out which socket is on the motherboard or processor socket — this is exactly what will be discussed in the instructions below. Note: To be honest, I can hardly imagine what these cases are, but I often notice a question on one popular Q&A service, and therefore I decided to prepare the current article. See also: How to find out the BIOS version of the motherboard, How to find out the model of the motherboard, How to find out how many cores a processor has.

How to find out the socket of the motherboard and processor on a working computer

The first possibility is that you are going to upgrade your computer and are looking for a new processor, for which you need to know the socket of the motherboard in order to select a CPU with the appropriate socket.

Usually, this is quite easy to do if Windows is running on the computer, and it is possible to use both the built-in system tools and third-party programs.

To use the Windows tools to determine the connector type (socket), do the following:

Press the Win+R keys on your computer keyboard and type msinfo32 (then press Enter).
The hardware information window opens. Pay attention to the items «Model» (the model of the motherboard is usually indicated here, but sometimes there is no value), and (or) «Processor».
Open Google and enter either the processor model (i7-4770 in my example) or the motherboard model in the search box.
The very first search results will lead you to the official pages of information about the processor or motherboard. For the processor, on the Intel website, in the Chassis Specifications section, you will see the supported sockets (for AMD processors, the official website is not always the first in the results, but among the available data, for example, on cpu-world.com, you will immediately see the processor socket).
For a motherboard, the socket will be listed as one of the main parameters on the manufacturer’s website.

If you use third-party programs, you can determine the socket without additional search on the Internet. For example, a simple program, the free Speccy program, shows this information.

Note: Speccy does not always display information about the motherboard socket, but if you select the «Central Processing Unit» item, then there will be information about the socket. More: Free programs to find out the characteristics of your computer.

How to determine the socket on an unconnected motherboard or processor

The second possible task is to find out the type of socket or socket on a computer that is not working or on an unconnected processor or motherboard.

This is usually also very easy to do:

If this is a motherboard, then almost always the socket information is indicated on it itself or on the processor socket (see photo below).
If this is a processor, then by the processor model (which is almost always on the label) using an Internet search, as in the previous method, it is easy to determine the supported socket.

That’s all, I think, it will be possible to figure it out. If your case goes beyond the standard — ask questions in the comments with a detailed description of the situation, I will try to help.

remontka.pro in Telegram | Subscription methods

Support the author and the site

How to find out the motherboard socket through a computer — 4 methods

What is a socket? Why does the mother need it? The guide tells about it. It also contains several methods that will help you find out what kind of socket is placed on the board.

Read also: What is a motherboard in a computer and what does it affect: 5 explanatory sections The port is usually located in the center or closer to the top of the board.

Recommendation : For music lovers, a variant with support for multi-channel sound is suitable, for example, MPG Z390 supports 7.1 format.

Need to know:

1. The connector for the user-selected motherboard and CPU must be identical, otherwise it will not work to put the latter on the board. For this reason, you need to pay attention to the parameters of the components and the manufacturer.

2. Most of the connectors are no longer relevant, although they are still on sale. Outdated models are suitable for simple assemblies, but if you need a productive computer, you need to choose a modern option. There is nothing complicated here: AMD has AM3 + and AM4, like the X470 GAMING PLUS, and Intel has 1151, like the STRIX Z390-E, and 1151V2.

Topic: Processor and motherboard compatibility — how to choose components: a guide in 3 sections .

View in documents

Every motherboard comes with an instruction manual containing all the necessary information about the product. In it or on the box you can see which socket is on the motherboard. In addition, you can find out this information in the specifications on the manufacturer’s website or in the store where the device was purchased.

Tip : If you need a modern gaming board, the B360-PRO_GAMING is a great choice. It has four slots for RAM, two for high-speed M.2 SSDs and support for multiple video adapters.

Visual inspection of the motherboard

On most motherboards, the socket type is listed next to the socket. This method is simple and especially effective when you need to determine the compatibility of components at the stage of selecting components.

Definition by processor model

You can do the opposite. By looking at the technical parameters of the CPU, you can find out which socket it is compatible with.

You can go to the manufacturer’s website or to an online store that has such a product and get acquainted with the characteristics of the CPU of interest. As in the case of the board, the information is also indicated on the box or in the complete documentation.

Useful: How to find out the motherboard chipset — 3 ways

Software tools

Determining the type of connector through a computer does not mean taking it apart. There are many utilities with which you can see what kind of socket is on the motherboard. Below are the three most convenient options.

Everest

The software was created to check and adjust the hardware and software of the assembly in order to optimize the system. Presented as: a paid version with a sampler, which you can use for free for a month.

Interesting : there are models in which two «stones» are installed. They are for servers. For example, WS C621E SAGE is equipped with two sockets and twelve slots for RAM.

In the extended version, the software provides the user with a detailed report on the system, which can take more than a hundred pages. Here you can not only find out what kind of components are in the computer, what are their characteristics. It also integrates a number of auxiliary modules for conducting tests and assessing the state and performance. In the free trial version, the report is not as detailed.