The actual 3D leak featuring INtel LGA-1851 socket
We have seen renders, drawings and schematics, but what we have definitely not seen is Intel’s next-gen desktop socket in 3D.
Today’s update doesn’t bring entirely new information. Igor’sLAB had previously uncovered Intel’s next-generation desktop CPU socket for Arrow Lake series. Although this new CPU generation isn’t scheduled for launch until mid-2024, the LGA-1851 socket was initially intended to accompany the Meteor Lake-S CPUs, a plan that has since been canceled.
Intel has now confirmed the specifications for the LGA-1851 socket, which have undergone slight adjustments since the last leak. Igor has also obtained access to both the Independent Loading Mechanism (ILM) and chipset 3D models, providing a unique 3D perspective on upcoming PC hardware, a rarity in the world of leaks (you can see the interactive 3D render in Igor’sLAB post).
Intel LGA-1851 ILM 3D model, Source: Igor’sLAB
The LGA-1851 socket represents Intel’s attempt to compete with AMD, primarily focusing on enhancing the platform’s support for PCIe 5.0 lanes. This is a notable improvement from the LGA-1700 series, which was limited to just 16 lanes. The next-gen platform will support 16+4 lanes (with four dedicated to SSD). On existing platforms, this limitation prevents users from utilizing GPUs and SSDs that use the Gen5 standard concurrently. However, it’s worth noting that currently, there are no Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD desktop GPUs with Gen5 support available on the market, making this limitation less of a concern.
The initial generation of Core Ultra desktop CPUs, codenamed Arrow Lake, is set to feature 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores. Subsequent platforms, such as Panther Lake, are expected to increase core counts, but for now, the LGA-1851 platform is heading in this direction. The new platform is also said to support DDR5 memory exclusively, dropping DDR4 technology support altogether.
Intel LGA-1851 drawings, Source: Igor’sLAB
According to various leaks, Intel’s 800 series chipsets will include seven SKUs: Z890, B860, H810, W880, and Q870, with Intel potentially dropping the H870 variant, streamlining its motherboard offerings to align more closely with AMD’s lineup.
Intel 800 series chipset 3D model, Source: Igor’sLAB
The good news for users is that the new socket should be compatible with most existing LGA-1700 coolers, as the package size remains unchanged, with only minor adjustments to the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) size. Such design was exposed with Meteor Lake-S engineering sample leak, the series has now been canceled.
Intel Meteor Lake-S LGA-1851 CPU, Source: @wnxod
| Intel Desktop Platforms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz.com | LGA-1851 | LGA-1700 | LGA-1200 |
| Launch | 2H 2024 | Q4 2021 – Q2 2024 | Q2 2020 – Q1 2020 |
| Z-Series Chipset | Z890 | Z790 / Z690 | Z590 / Z490 |
| DDR5 Memory Support | DDR5-5600/6400 | DDR5-5600* DDR5-4800** | – |
| DDR4 Memory Support | – | DDR4-3200 | DDR4-3200* DDR4-2933** |
| Intel Core Support | 1st Gen Core Ultra Arrow Lake-S 2nd Gen Core Ultra Panther Lake-S | 12th Gen Core Alder Lake-S 13th Gen Core Raptor Lake-S 14th Gen Core Raptor Lake-Refresh | 10th Gen Core Comet Lake-S 11th Gen Core Rocket Lake-S |
| CPU PCIe Gen5 | 16+4 | 16 | – |
| CPU PCIe Gen4 | 4 | 4 | 16+4* |
| CPU PCIe Gen3 | – | – | -* / 16** |
| Chipset PCIe Gen5 | – | – | – |
| Chipset PCIe Gen4 | 24 | 20* / 12** | – |
| Chipset PCIe Gen3 | TBC | 8* / 16** | 24 |
| DMI | TBC | x8 Gen4 | x8 Gen3* x4 Gen3** |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20G) | TBC | 5 | 3* |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10G) | TBC | 10 | 10* / 6** |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 (5G) | TBC | 10 | 10 |
| Ethernet | TBC | 1G+2.5G | 1G+2.5G |
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 7 | WiFi 6E / WiFi 7 | WiFi 6 |
| Notes | – | * Z790 ** Z690 | * Z590 ** Z490 |
Source: Igor’sLAB
