Glossary

AGESA

AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture. This is the firmware code AMD supplies to motherboard makers, who build it into their BIOS. Version numbers such as 1.2.0.7 appear in BIOS release notes and show which processors a BIOS update adds. See AM4 for an example.

BGA

Ball grid array. The processor is soldered to the board with small balls of solder and cannot be removed or upgraded. Most thin laptops use it. See LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explained.

BIOS

The firmware that starts a motherboard, also called UEFI. A BIOS version has to know a processor before the board will run it, which is why a board can need an update before a newer processor works. See Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works.

BIOS flashback

A feature on some motherboards that updates the BIOS from a USB stick without a processor installed. It is the usual way to add support for a new processor on a board that is too old to start with it.

Boost clock

The highest speed a core can reach when power, temperature and the number of busy cores allow it. Spec sheets quote it as a maximum, and real clocks vary with the workload and the cooler.

Chipset

The set of controllers on a motherboard that connect storage, USB, networking and extra PCIe lanes. Boards are grouped into chipset series, such as the 600 series and 700 series for LGA 1700, and the series decides which processor generations a board supports.

Codename

The internal project name for a processor design, for example Raptor Lake, Arrow Lake, Raphael or Vermeer. Pages on this site group processors by codename because boards usually support whole codenames at once.

Cooler mounting holes

The four holes around a socket that hold the cooler's brackets. The spacing is set by the socket, for example 75 × 75 mm on LGA 1200 and 78 × 78 mm on LGA 1700. See CPU cooler compatibility by socket.

DDR4 and DDR5

Two generations of desktop memory. The modules use different slot notches, so they cannot be mixed. A motherboard has slots for one type only. LGA 1700 boards come in both kinds, AM4 boards use DDR4 and AM5 boards use DDR5.

E-core

Efficient-core. A smaller core used on Intel hybrid processors from the 12th Gen onward, built for background work and for adding throughput in highly parallel tasks. Each E-core runs one thread. See Intel Core i9-14900K.

EXPO

AMD's memory profile standard for DDR5. A kit with an EXPO profile stores settings for a faster speed, and the BIOS applies them with one switch. Intel boards use XMP for the same purpose.

Hyper-Threading

Intel's name for running two threads on one core. AMD calls the same idea simultaneous multithreading. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K dropped Hyper-Threading and runs one thread per core.

ILM

Independent loading mechanism. The metal frame and lever on an Intel LGA socket that holds the processor and presses it onto the contacts. On LGA 1700 some builders replaced it with an aftermarket contact frame.

K series

Intel's suffix for processors with an unlocked multiplier, such as the Intel Core i9-14900K. Changing the multiplier on a K-series chip needs a board with a Z-series chipset. Intel does not include a cooler with these processors.

LGA

Land grid array. The processor has flat contact pads and the pins are in the motherboard socket. Intel's desktop sockets since LGA 775 and AMD's AM5 use it. See LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explained.

Microcode

Low level processor firmware that can be updated. Updates arrive with a BIOS update or through the operating system. Intel's 2024 fixes for 13th and 14th Gen instability were microcode updates.

P-core

Performance-core. The larger, faster core type on Intel hybrid processors from the 12th Gen onward. Most P-cores run two threads. See Intel Core i5-12400F, which has six P-cores and no E-cores.

PCIe lanes

Data links that connect the graphics card, SSDs and other devices to the processor or chipset. A link is written as a width and a version, for example PCIe 5.0 x16. Each major PCIe version roughly doubles the speed of a lane.

PGA

Pin grid array. The pins are on the processor, and the socket is a grid of holes that receive them. AM4 and AM3+ use it. See LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explained.

Pin 1 marker

A small triangle or dot on one corner of the processor and a matching mark on the socket. Line them up to install the processor in the right orientation.

Processor base power

Intel's name for the sustained power rating of a processor, in watts. Intel lists it next to a higher figure called maximum turbo power, which the chip can reach during heavy loads. It replaces the single TDP figure in Intel's specifications.

SKU

A specific product variant. The Core i9-14900K and Core i9-14900KF are two SKUs of the same design, and each gets its own page in this database.

Socket

The connector on a motherboard that holds the processor and links it to the rest of the system. Its name, such as LGA 1700 or AM5, identifies which processors fit. See How to find your CPU socket type.

TDP

Thermal design power. A figure in watts that tells cooler makers how much heat a cooler should handle. It is not the same as the power a processor draws, and AMD processors can draw more than their TDP under load.

Unlocked multiplier

A multiplier that the user can change in the BIOS, which allows overclocking. Intel marks these chips with a K. Some high end processors have a locked multiplier, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

VRM

Voltage regulator module. The circuit on the motherboard that converts the power supply's voltage into the lower voltage the processor needs. A board with a weak VRM can limit what a high power processor is able to do.

XMP

Extreme Memory Profile. Intel's standard for storing faster memory settings on a module. Switching it on in the BIOS runs the kit at its rated speed. AMD's equivalent for DDR5 is EXPO.