LGA 1851 Revealed: New Socket, New Possibilities

Several days ago, at the Embedded World conference held in Nuremberg, Germany, Intel unveiled its Meteor Lake-PS series processors, supporting the LGA 1851 socket. Although these are products designed for the edge computing market, they utilize solutions previously abandoned on the client side, marking the debut of the LGA 1851 socket. By the end of this year, Intel will introduce the Arrow Lake-S, also known as the Core Ultra 200 series, transitioning the desktop platform to the LGA 1851 socket as well.

As reported by ComputerBase, the conference showcased the first motherboards employing the LGA 1851 socket, offering attendees an up-close view of the new socket for the first time. The dimensions of the LGA 1851 socket remain consistent with those of the Alder Lake and Raptor Lake’s LGA 1700 socket. However, they are not physically or functionally compatible with older processors, and Intel has introduced mechanisms to prevent the installation of older processors into the new socket.

Leaked information suggests that the Z-height of the LGA 1851 socket, the distance between the top of the circuit board and the top of the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS), remains unchanged compared to the LGA 1700 socket. Although the LGA 1851 socket increases the number of pins, its physical specifications are essentially the same as the LGA 1700 socket. However, the maximum dynamic load has nearly doubled, from 489.5 N to 923 N, implying enhanced safety during transportation, vibration, and shock, while the static pressure specifications remain unchanged. This suggests that, with the Z-height unchanged, existing mounting hardware may continue to be used.

Starting with the 12th generation Core desktop processors, the socket transitioned from LGA 1200 to LGA 1700, changing the dimensions from 37.5×37.5 mm to 45×37.5 mm, and altering the shape from square to rectangular. Additionally, the locking mechanism differed from previous versions. The LGA 1700 socket’s locking pressure is significantly greater than that of the LGA 1200 socket, subjecting the processor’s IHS to immense pressure. Prolonged use could potentially bend the processor, with more severe implications for heat dissipation. With the advent of the LGA 1851 socket, it remains to be seen whether these issues have been addressed.