How to find the motherboard socket:

When assembling or upgrading a computer, each user should know how to recognize the socket of the motherboard, because without this information, he simply can not find the right processor, RAM and even a graphics card, because it should be selected for the processor. Some do not even know why some processor comes to the motherboard, and some - no. To do this, you need a socket - the place where the processor is attached to the motherboard of the computer. The numbering of the socket by numbers is indicated.

How do I find out the socket of the motherboard?

There are different ways to find out this information. Let's start with the simplest and most obvious. For this we will need some tools and programs: a Phillips screwdriver, instruction manual for the motherboard and processor, Aida64 or Everest.

The easiest way to find out the motherboard's socket is using the instructions. If the box you have saved (and it should be preserved, otherwise without it there will be no warranty service), then take it and in the technical characteristics look for the word socket. Opposite this word will be the required designation. Also, there can be indicated a line of processors that is suitable for this socket. However, if there is no instruction, then there are other options.

We look at the socket inside the case

Take the screwdriver and remove the housing cover. There, you will immediately see the motherboard on which the name will be written. Go to the official website of the manufacturer, find a fee with the same name on its website and see technical specifications. The socket will be specified as one of the first characteristics.

It's hard to imagine that there will be no name on the motherboard, but even so, there is still a way to find out which socket is on the motherboard. But for this you have to unscrew four extra bolts. So, let's say you took off the case cover, but you did not find the name on the board. Often manufacturers specify a socket near a place of fastening of the processor. Therefore, use a screwdriver to unscrew the bolts that hold the fan and cooling radiator. The processor itself should not be touched - let it stand on its own. A socket will be specified next to it. Write it to yourself on paper and put back the radiator with the fan.

How to find out the motherboard socket via Aida64?

There are different versions of the program Aida64, including paid and free. We will use the simplest free version, which can be downloaded from the official site. But you can also find a free and full (cracked) version on the torrent, although for our purpose even a free program with truncated functionality will do.

Let's say you downloaded the Aida64 program and installed it. Run it and select the "Motherboard" section on the left side of the menu. There will open a new branch. In it, click on "System Board" again, and the program will show all the information about the motherboard. In front of the line "Number of slots for the CPU", the value "1" will be indicated, and a socket will be specified next. For example, there may be a value of "1 LGA1155", where the digit indicates one available socket, and "LGA1155" is the socket itself.

We use Everest

Instead of Aida64, you can use the Everest program. But how to find the motherboard socket through Everest? The procedure will be approximately the same, because the Everest program differs little from Aida64, even the interface is identical. If you can not find and install Aida64 for any reason, then you can use Everest. Here the procedure will not differ. Run the program and select the "Motherboard" - "Motherboard" section in the menu on the left. In the block "Physical information about the system" there will be a line "Number of slots for the CPU", opposite which the socket of the motherboard is always indicated.

Even simpler is the Cpu-z program. It is also freely distributed on the Web. Download it, run it and select the package graph, there will be specified a socket. Any of the proposed programs will accurately determine this characteristic.

Now you know how to find the motherboard socket and you will be able to select the correct CPU in place of the old one. Of course, it would be nice to write tips on choosing a processor, but this is the topic of a separate article.

What happens if you ignore the socket?

A socket is a connector on the motherboard, where the processor will be connected. Before selecting it and installing it in the socket, it's important to make sure that the socket itself is coming to the motherboard. If you give a simple analogy, then immediately comes to mind an ordinary socket and plug: they are perfect for each other. And if you try to insert an european plug into a Soviet outlet, they will not fit each other. This perfectly describes the situation with the sockets of the motherboard and processor.

In general, sockets were not created in order to complicate the process of building a computer. They make it possible to update the system by removing the old ones and installing newer and more powerful chips with the same socket. Imagine what would have happened if the processor had been simply soldered to the motherboard (by the way, in some laptops that way). We would have to change the motherboard completely to replace the chip and vice versa.

Therefore, when choosing a processor (or motherboard), the name of the socket plays one of the most significant roles. Many users do not know what a motherboard socket is, and do not attach importance to this. The picture below shows what happens if you try to "cram" the processor into the socket of the motherboard, which does not match the CPU socket.

As you can see in the photo, the CPU connectors are bent and it is difficult to say whether they can be restored now. In theory, of course, you can, but there is no guarantee that after that it will work correctly, no. Therefore, it is not recommended to try to connect the processor to the motherboard independently, not being sure of 100% compatibility between them. Otherwise, you just mess up the processor chip and, less likely, the motherboard.

If you have a laptop

The described methods are suitable for stationary computers, but how to find out the socket of the laptop motherboard? In some laptops it's very hard to get to the guts, so the way to "unscrew the lid and look at the motherboard model" does not always work. It is more appropriate to use the programs discussed above.

But if you want to upgrade the system, you should make sure that there is such an opportunity. After all, in some models, the processors are soldered to the motherboards, which saves valuable space inside the notebook case, but excludes the possibility of chip replacement. You can learn this only at specialized forums. Manufacturers of such subtleties in the characteristics do not indicate.