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Intel could be replacing LGA1700 in 2023! Intel is notorious for changing CPU sockets every other generation, so as you can imagine, it came as a delightful surprise when rumors arose stating Intel will be using the same LGA 1700 socket for the next three years.
Those rumors were too good to be true, as according to Moore’s Law is Dead, Intel is planning on ditching LGA 1700 with the launch of Meteor Lake in the fourth quarter of 2023.
This replacement will come just two years after the launch of LGA 1700, not the entire three years we were expecting 1700 to be relevant.
Onwards and upwards though, LGA 2551 is the new socket said to be replacing LGA 1700 in 2023.
LGA 2551 is so named because of the 2551 pins connecting the CPU and motherboard via the socket, you may notice that 2551 is a significantly larger number than 1700. What’s Intel doing with all these new pins?
Why all the new pins?
Our best guess without knowing too much on the subject yet is that Intel will be gearing up to support PCIe Gen 6, and all of the latest storage technologies announced along with AM5 motherboards at Computex 2022.
Along with Gen 6, PCIe gen 5 will be supported across all PCIe and M.2 slots, making for greater and much faster connectivity. All of these new pins are to make sure Intel stays ahead of the curve and doesn’t get caught with its pants down.
With AMD hot on Intel’s heels in terms of sales and market shares, Intel cannot afford to be blindsided and left without enough bandwidth and spare connectivity to support new features. This is why Intel could be replacing LGA1700 in 2023.
How will all these pins affect socket size?
Despite all the new pins, the size of the socket wouldn’t be too much larger than the LGA 1700 socket. According to MLID on YouTube, the socket dimensions are 38 X 46 mm, which measures just 0.5 mm wider and 1 mm taller than the 1700 pin socket configuration.
The main focus here seems to be on pin density rather than size, as 2551 indicates the new socket will have 50% more pins whilst retaining (more or less) the same size.
Additionally, MLID adds assurances to the other leaks we’ve seen in recent months stating that the expected launch date of Meteor Lake will be in the fourth quarter of 2023, rather than 2024 as we all first thought.
Here is some future information about Intel’s plans for the near future.
As you can see MLID has been busy keeping up with the latest news and info around Intel and its LGA 2551 socket. The infamous leaker color-keyed the information displayed above so we have a good grasp on how certain Moore’s Law is on the information being correct.
