AM5 socket switches to LGA design, features 1718 pins

Some very interesting information surfaced online last night. According to insider ExecutableFix, AMD's upcoming AM5 platform won't just increase the socket's pin count from 1331 to 1718; it will also change the connector's fundamental design from PGA to LGA.

This is a pretty significant shift because if these rumors prove true, AMD desktop processors will "lose their pins" for the first time in their history.

Currently, AMD uses its familiar PGA (Pin Grid Array) design. This means the contact pins are on the CPU itself, and the motherboard features a corresponding socket with holes for them. LGA (Land Grid Array), on the other hand, is essentially a mirrored contact arrangement: the processor's pins move to the motherboard socket and become spring-loaded, while the CPU itself has only flat contact pads.

The shift to LGA isn't entirely new for AMD, as its server processors have used this form factor for quite some time. However, this will be a first for the "red giant" in desktop platforms.

Beyond detailing the AM5 socket's design, ExecutableFix also revealed that the new platform will bring DDR5 memory support, 600-series chipsets, and will, surprisingly, retain the PCI-e 4.0 interface. This last point is quite a strange decision from AMD. Recent information about Intel's competing Alder Lake-S platform indicates that the "blue giant" has implemented PCI-e 5.0 support. It's currently unclear how the "reds" plan to counter their rival's lead in adopting this advanced interface, but it's quite possible that AM5 will feature third-party chips with PCI-e 5.0 support.

There's currently no information regarding the announcement, let alone the release, of the AM5 platform. However, persistent rumors suggest that boards and processors with the new socket won't arrive before the second half of 2022.