Intel’s current 10th generation Comet Lake-S processors have only been on the market for just a few months, as well as its new LGA1200 socket. Sadly, reports are now suggesting that the semiconductor maker already has to release a new LGA socket with its next-generation Alder Lake processors.
Confirmation of this new socket was seemingly confirmed by popular hardware leakster 188号 (@momomo_us), who posted a part of what appears to have come from an official Intel document. While just a cutout of the full page, the listing does show the words “LGA1700” at the bottom, suggesting Intel’s intentions of releasing its future 10nm CPUs with a completely new socket.
On a side note and just to point it out, Alder Lake-S is a direct reference to the desktop processors, while Alder Lake-P is still shrouded in mystery.
— 188号 (@momomo_us) June 26, 2020
The decision to introduce a new socket so early in the lifecycle of the new LGA1200 does beggar some questioning; on average, Intel motherboards and their corresponding sockets are usually recycled through two CPU generations. Before they’re put out to pasture.
Further, there’s word that Intel’s Alder Lake processors will be a “hybrid CPU”, combining powerful cores with more energy-efficient cores, much in the same way ARM currently employs a big.LITTLE microarchitecture with its own set of processors.
It’s also worth noting that the jump in the number of pins is by far the largest Intel has done for a CPU socket; as their nomenclature suggests, LGA1700 has 1700 pins, all built into a motherboard. That’s 500, or approximately 42% more pins than the current LGA1200. To that end, it would also be interesting to see if the new socket will support currently existing LGA115x coolers or if custom cooler partners will be forced to design something new and from scratch.
(Source: Tom’s Hardware, TPU)
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