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A guide to motherboard sockets
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The motherboard
Before we get into motherboard sockets, we should briefly cover what the motherboard is.
When it comes to building your gaming PC, the GPU might be the heart, and the CPU might be the brains, but the motherboard is what connects it all together.
Without the motherboard, all your components wouldn’t be able to communicate with your processor. And while the motherboard may not get as much attention as the other components in your system, it really should, because the form factor of your motherboard will affect the size of your build, the connectors and ports affect what peripherals and storage you can use, your motherboard will largely determine your upgrade options in the future, and the chipset and CPU socket will determine what processor you can use.
What is a socket?
So what is a motherboard socket?
The socket is where the CPU is installed and connects to the motherboard, and there are two main types of socket, called ‘Land Grid Array (LGA)’ and ‘Pin Grid Array (PGA)’. If you want your processor and motherboard to be compatible, then you need to ensure that you choose a motherboard with the correct socket size.
If you’re considering an AMD CPU, then it’s good to know that AMD used the same AM4 socket from 2017-2023, introducing the AM5 socket for its new Ryzen 7000 Series. AMD has also stated that AM5 will be supported until at least 2027.For Intel, if you’re using the most recent 14th generation processors, you’ll need an LGA 1700 socket. For 10th or 11th generation, you need the LGA 1200 socket, and for older, 9th generation processors, you’ll need the LGA 1151 socket.
What are the different types of socket?
There are various different types of socket, including sockets that are specifically for workstation and server CPUs (LGA 4677 and sTR4), but when we’re considering gaming PCs, the different sockets that we need to know are:
| Ryzen 1000 | AM4 |
| Ryzen 2000 | AM4 |
| Ryzen 3000 | AM4 |
| Ryzen 5000 | AM4 |
| Ryzen 7000 | AM5 |
| Ryzen 9000 | AM5 |
| Core 9th Gen | LGA 1151v2 |
| Core 10th Gen | LGA 1200 |
| Core 11th Gen | LGA 1200 |
| Core 12th Gen | LGA 1700 |
| Core 13th Gen | LGA 1700 |
| Core 14th Gen | LGA 1700 |
It is worth noting that more recent sockets are not compatible with older sockets, and older sockets are not compatible with more recent sockets.
AMD and Intel sockets (How do I know which socket type my processor is?)
Now you know what a socket is and what the different types are, you might be wondering what the difference is between Intel and AMD sockets.
The biggest difference is that AM4 uses Pin Grid Array, whereas AM5 and Intel sockets use Land Grid Array. This is why the Intel sockets begin with ‘LGA’, and the number that follows is the number of pins.
Another difference is that AMD has designed the AM5 socket to use solely DDR5 system memory chips, whereas the AM4 socket uses solely DDR4 system memory chips (affecting whether you can use DDR4 or DDR5 RAM).
Intel, on the other hand, built its most recent sockets, LGA 1700, to support both DDR4 and DDR5.
Motherboards can’t use both memory system types at once however, which is why there are multiple versions of many Intel motherboards, giving you a choice of memory system.
Checking your motherboard socket
When it comes to checking what motherboard socket you have, the easiest way is to check the manufacturers specifications of your motherboard. If you’re unsure what motherboard you have, you can check in a number of ways:
- If you’re comfortable opening your case, you can physically check the model on the motherboard directly.
- Type ‘System Information’ in the search bar of your Windows PC. Take a look at the System Summary, and you’re looking for the ‘BaseBoard’ information (BaseBoard Manufacturer, BaseBoard Product and BaseBoard Version). This will give you all the info you need.
- You can also type ‘Command Prompt’ in the search bar and then enter the command:
“wmic baseboard get manufacturer, product, version”
4. Using a third-party tool: Something like CPU-Z is a free software which you can use to check the details of your system. Once you’ve downloaded and opened it, look for the ‘Mainboard’ tab and find your motherboard details in the fields under the motherboard section.
Another option to find out what socket you have is physically checking on the motherboard. A lot of motherboards will have labels that tell you what socket you have. This does mean opening up your case, and if you have a large cooler in place, it can sometimes be a little difficult to see the labels on your motherboard.
You could also use CPU-Z to check. Simply look under the CPU tab for the ‘Package’ field which will tell you the socket type for your current CPU.
Lastly, if you already have your CPU installed, you can always check the manufacturers specifications of the CPU to find out what socket you have.
Land Grid Array vs Pin Grid Array
Land Grid Array uses small contact plates to connect the CPU to the motherboard. The pins used to make contact, are located on the socket on the motherboard. When you place the CPU in the socket, the pins and contact points make contact, enabling the connection between CPU and motherboard.
The biggest advantage to LGA is that there are no pins to bend or break out of shape. If you’ve ever handled a Pin Grid Array CPU, you’ll no just how easy it can be to cause irreparable damage to your expensive processor!
On the other hand, Pin Grid Array uses lots of thin pins, which are on the CPU packaging itself, to connect by slotting into holes on the motherboard socket. PGA can be trickier to correctly seat than LGA, and can be quite easy to damage.
There is a third type of socket, called Ball Grid Array Sockets, where the CPU is soldered in place, meaning the processor cannot be easily replaced or upgraded. This is more usually found in laptops.
How to choose the right motherboard socket for you
When it comes to choosing the right motherboard socket, we would recommend choosing your CPU first. If you know whether you’re going for AMD or Intel, and what generation you are choosing, that’s really going to narrow your choices down, and from there, you can see various motherboard options and decide what you need in terms of additional features and connectivity.
It is also worth considering the future upgradeability of your system, as your socket type will determine what CPU upgrades are available to you, and whether you can use the latest DDR5 RAM.
Motherboard sockets are fairly straightforward, but an important aspect of building your system. Now you know exactly what you’re looking for, why not take a look at our wide range of motherboards and motherboard bundles to find the perfect component for your PC.
If you want to take any compatibility worries out of the equation, then why not take a look at our wide range of gaming pcs to suit all budgets and requirements. The base spec of all our systems has been designed by our in-house, pc building specialists, to optimise compatibility and performance and give you extraordinary gaming power, right out of the box.
And even if you choose to configure your own system, your safe in the knowledge that socket compatibility won’t be an issue, thanks to our smart configurator, ensuring each component you select works great with every other component in your build.
Got any questions about motherboard sockets, compatibility, or anything else PC related? Then get in touch with our expert team on 01706 214 233 or by emailing [email protected].