What we do when we want to get a top performing CPU for us? Exactly nothing more rather than buying the top notch Components for the CPU and assembling it together. Most of the time our main focus on getting the main GPU so that we don’t have any problem while playing games.

This process may seem good but it’s not exactly right when we go for future proofing our CPU. All the components that are from top brands and highest quality may not work well with other components. So, you must do a god research and then plan for buying components for your CPU.

Most of the gamers like me have to deal with the problem when choosing the right Motherboard sockets and chipset. I have seen most of the people asking questions like what is Socket and chipset?

To make it simpler, what is the difference between LGA 1150 and LGA1151 socket? Once you get to know the differences you can easily make up your CPU the best performing one and if you don’t then you would probably end up with a CPU which doesn’t even fit with your motherboard.

So, let’s start with the process of identifying the right PC components and avoid problems.

Why do sockets matter for our CPU?

The main component of the CPU is the motherboard which controls all the operations and the components. So, when we buy a motherboard for our CPU that should be upgradable so that we don’t have to change the motherboard when we need to upgrade any of the components.

Here, comes the use of sockets. The technology is changing at a much greater speed than we think and with every new evolution we can see the change in the connection types. Once the socket gets changed then there is no option for us left to upgrade our CPU.

Most of us have a habit of checking the clock speed and number of cores but we don’t bother about the sockets which tells us about the generation of the CPU and the components with whom they are compatible with.

LGA stands for land grid array and unlike old sockets which used holes these sockets use tiny receptors. These receptors are connected as individual connections to motherboard.

LGA 1150 CPU Socket Compatibility

The biggest mistake we make while buying a socket for our PC is not going through its compatibility. You can go to an electronic shop and ask them for the best socket and purchase it but the problem starts when you start assembling all the components.

LGA 1150 CPU (H3 socket) socket is the successor of the LGA 1155 (H2) socket. The name 1150 is given to this because they have 1150 pins that connects processor to the motherboard. This socket is compatible with all the Intel chipsets as well can be used with other processors like Haswell and Broadwell.

Either you go with HDMI, VGA, or DVI connections, you will find it compatible. These are also called as Lynx point sockets and is compatible with DDR3 RAM.

LGA 1151 CPU Socket Compatibility

LGA 1151 is an upgraded version of LGA 1150 and therefore, it is the latest in the market. When it was first introduced, Intel’s Skylake and Kaby Lake CPU both were supported. But with the latest version or you can say the 2^nd generation of LGA 1151 only supports coffee lake CPU.

H110, B150, Q150, H170, Q170, and Z170 are the chipsets that works well with this Socket.

The cooling fans are the same so if you are upgrading the motherboard then you can use your old fan. The other connections include DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI port. However, the heatsink attachment have 4 square points with 75mm lateral length.

LGA 1150 vs LGA 1151

Comparing both the LGA 1150 and LGA 1151 is a must to understand which one is best for future upgrades.

Without a doubt, LGA 1151 is the best one to buy if you want keep your system upgrading in future for longer time. However, if you pick LGA 1150 then probably you won’t be able to upgrade your system with H3 socket next year.

So, if you are planning to get the best gaming computer for you then go for the latest LGA 1151 socket so that you can keep upgrading you CPU.

As far as USB ports are concerned, all the ports in LGA 1151 have H4 3.0 socket whereas in LGA 1150 some are USB 3.0 and others are 2.0 which is already outdated.

LGA1151 also have a Video Display port for connecting it with a monitor whereas the other one has a VGA connection which is not supported by the latest gaming monitors.

The RAM that is supported by LA 1150 id DDR3 whereas in LGA 1151 you can use both the RAM’s DDR3 and DDR4. While there are latest models in LGA 1151 which only supports DDR4 RAM. But, at the same time you won’t be able to use both the types of RAM even when it is supported by the motherboard.

According to Intel, you can use the DDR3 RAM for lower voltage and therefore, in case the voltage increase your whole CPU can get damaged. At the same time, Gigabyte and ASUS have rated their motherboards compatible with higher voltage so that even when your computer gets a higher voltage it won’t damage your motherboard.

So, LGA 1151 does certainly have better compatibility and is more future oriented.

Downsides of LGA 1151

However, we have already said that LGA 1151 is better and future oriented but it too has one flaw. The old models of the LGA 1151 motherboards allowed overclocking with H3 socket but the newer models don’t allow it. However, in the 1^st generation of motherboards overclocking was limited to some of the models like Z270 chipsets but Kaby Lake models did not.

The 2^nd generation of motherboards only allowed overclocking with Z370 and Z390 chipsets. Therefore, choose better components for your CPU as you know that you can’t overclock.

Wrapping it Up

The motherboard is really an essential and integral part of a CPU and therefore, it is better to choose one that give you better performance and connects with other peripherals well.

LGA 1151 is certainly a better model than LG 1150 and you should always go with a motherboard which can be upgraded for longer time.

However, if you already have LGA 1150 then enjoy it till it stops supporting the latest upgraded peripherals or sell it out and grab the new one for you.