Noctua confirms that NH-U12A supports LGA 1851 platform

Intel’s forthcoming Arrow Lake is anticipated to debut in the fourth quarter of next year, with its desktop variant, Arrow Lake-S, adopting the LGA 1851 socket. Based on the current data available for the LGA 1851 socket, its cooling solutions are highly likely to be compatible with the LGA 1700 socket.

Noctua NH-U12A cooler, Source: Akiba PC Hotline

As reported by VideoCardz, the packaging of the Austrian cooler manufacturer Noctua’s NH-U12A reveals its compatibility with the LGA 1851 platform. However, the official website has not yet updated its compatibility list. It remains uncertain if other cooling solutions from Noctua or other manufacturers share this compatibility, which might be contingent upon the cooler’s installation mechanism. This lends credence to prior speculations that most coolers can function seamlessly on the new platform.

The LGA 1851 socket boasts 1851 contact points, marking an 8.9% increase from the currently utilized LGA 1700 socket. This surge is considerably smaller than the 41.7% leap from the LGA 1200 to the LGA 1700. According to the prevailing data for the LGA 1851 socket, the Z-height remains consistent, and the distance between the top of the circuit board and the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) is unchanged.

Noctua NH-U12A cooler, Source: Akiba PC Hotline

While the new socket introduces a greater number of pins, its physical specifications remain largely akin to the Alder Lake and Raptor Lake’s LGA 1700 socket, maintaining dimensions of 45 × 37.5 mm. Nonetheless, the maximum dynamic load has nearly doubled, escalating from 489.5 N to 923 N. This suggests enhanced resilience during transport, vibration, and impact. Furthermore, with the Z-height remaining static, existing fasteners might still be applicable.