Intel LGA-1851 blueprints suggest new socket will need new cooler mounting kits

The LGA-1851 socket, as the name implies, has a different pin arrangement than the previous LGA-1700 socket used by Alder and Raptor Lake processors. However, recently leaked blueprints suggest that the two sockets are sized equally, meaning that CPU coolers for 12th and 13th Gen Core CPUs should be able to cool the upcoming Arrow Lake-S chips.

Igor'sLAB has revealed a variety of technical details for Intel's future LGA-1851 socket, including everything from the pinout to mechanical features. Although the new socket has more pins, the physical dimension is the same as the LGA-1700 sockets, therefore, existing coolers should be compatible with the LGA-1851 socket. The mounting pressure, however, has almost doubled from 489.5 N to 923 N, indicating that a new mounting kit may be required.

Image credit: Igor'sLAB

The blueprints also tell us that Intel will add four PCIe 5.0 lanes for a CPU-connected NVMe SSD while maintaining the four PCIe 4.0 lanes for a second CPU-connected NVMe SSD that Raptor Lake offers. At the moment, it's unclear if Intel will offer these capabilities on all chipsets or, similarly to AMD, limit them to the Z890 motherboards.

This new socket is designed for Intel's Arrow Lake-S processors, which aren't due to launch until next year. As such, we'll likely have to wait at least a year before seeing the LGA-1851's debut.

KitGuru says: If you have an LGA-1700 compatible CPU cooler, it seems that you'll be able to keep using it for a few more years. However, you may need to use a new cooler mounting kit.

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