Guides

Short explanations of how sockets, chipsets and coolers fit together.

• How to find your CPU socket typeFour reliable ways to find the socket of your processor and motherboard on Windows and Linux, or by looking at the hardware.
• LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explainedWhat the three processor package types mean, which sockets use each one, and how to handle them without bending anything.
• Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU worksA matching socket is only the first check. Learn how chipsets, BIOS versions, memory type and power delivery decide whether a processor will run.
• CPU cooler compatibility by socketMounting hole spacing for Intel and AMD sockets, which coolers carry over between sockets, and what else to check before reusing a cooler.