Socket Geek

BGA 1168 socket: CPUs, chipsets and cooler fit

BGA 1168 is the Intel soldered package for Haswell-U and Broadwell-U, the 4th and 5th Gen Core U families for ultrabooks and thin laptops. It carries 1,168 contacts in a 40 × 24 mm footprint and solders directly to the board. Intel launched the first U parts in January 2015 at 15 W, with 28 W Iris parts following for graphics focused thin designs.

Quick facts

MakerIntel
Package typeBGA
Contacts1,168
Package size40 × 24 mm
IntroducedJune 2013
StatusLegacy
MemoryDDR3L-1333 and 1600 and LPDDR3-1333 and 1600, two channels, up to 16 GB
PCIe from the CPUPCIe 2.0, 12 lanes
Cooler mounting holesNot applicable (soldered)
ReplacesNone
Replaced byNone

Overview

The package exists for thin machines without sockets. Two Broadwell cores with up to four threads run 1.5 GHz to 3.1 GHz base with turbo to 3.4 GHz on top SKUs. Cache spans 2 MB on Celeron and Pentium through 3 MB on i3 and i5 to 4 MB on i7. Graphics scale from HD Graphics on value parts through HD 5500 and HD 6000 to Iris 6100 on 28 W SKUs. Memory stays DDR3L and LPDDR3 over two channels to 16 GB. PCIe arrives as 2.0 with 12 lanes for radios and storage.

Because the die solders to the board there is no board choice and no later swap. Laptop makers tune single fan paths for 15 W sustained with bursts to turbo, or larger pipes for 28 W Iris bodies. Buyers pick Celeron through i7 once, with SSD and sometimes memory as the only later changes.

Processor generations

CodenameMarketing nameYearsNotes
Haswell4th Gen Core U2013 to 2014Dual core SoC parts with HD Graphics 4200, HD Graphics 4400 and Iris Graphics 5100, launched in 2013 to 2014 for ultrabooks at 15 W and 28 W.
Broadwell-U5th Gen Core U2015Dual core SoC parts with HD Graphics, HD 5500, HD 6000 and Iris 6100, launched in January to March 2015 for ultrabooks at 15 W and 28 W.

Who BGA 1168 serves

BGA 1168 fits ultrabooks, thin laptops and NUC style mini PCs from early 2015 where battery and weight decide the design. The 15 W envelope with 7.5 W to 10 W idle points suits sealed thin bodies. The 28 W Iris SKUs suit thin creation laptops that need graphics without discrete heat.

Within the family the choice runs from Celeron 3205U for web kiosks through Pentium and i3 for office thin clients to i5-5200U as the volume ultrabook chip and i7-5500U and 5600U for premium thin work. The 28 W i3-5157U, i5-5257U, i5-5287U and i7-5557U trade battery for Iris 6100 graphics. Pick by threads and graphics rather than base clocks alone, since turbo covers bursts.

Memory and PCIe

Memory support covers DDR3L-1333 and 1600 with LPDDR3-1333 and 1600 over two channels to 16 GB and up to 25.6 GB/s. Soldered LPDDR3 dominates thin ultrabooks, while SODIMM DDR3L slots allow later expansion on thicker bodies. Matched pairs lift HD and Iris graphics in calls and playback. ECC is not offered.

PCIe 2.0 with 12 lanes in 4x1 and 2x4 splits serves Wi-Fi, SSDs and readers. Laptop wiring rarely needs more, since SATA SSDs saturate everyday loads and Gen2 caps NVMe. A 2.5 inch or M.2 SATA SSD is the practical upgrade where slots allow. Cooling design decides sustained turbo more than headline clocks.

CPUs on BGA 1168

42 processor pages in the database, newest first.

ProcessorCores / threadsBase / boostTDPLaunched
Intel Celeron 3205U2 / 21.5 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Celeron 3755U2 / 21.7 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i3-5005U2 / 42.0 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i3-5010U2 / 42.1 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i3-5015U2 / 42.1 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i3-5020U2 / 42.2 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i5-5250U2 / 41.6 / 2.7 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i5-5257U2 / 42.7 / 3.1 GHz28 WMar 2015
Intel Core i5-5287U2 / 42.9 / 3.3 GHz28 WMar 2015
Intel Core i5-5300U2 / 42.3 / 2.9 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i5-5350U2 / 41.8 / 2.9 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i7-5500U2 / 42.4 / 3.0 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i7-5550U2 / 42.0 / 3.0 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i7-5557U2 / 43.1 / 3.4 GHz28 WMar 2015
Intel Core i7-5600U2 / 42.6 / 3.2 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i7-5650U2 / 42.2 / 3.2 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Pentium 3805U2 / 21.9 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Pentium 3825U2 / 41.9 GHz15 WMar 2015
Intel Core i5-5200U2 / 42.2 / 2.7 GHz15 WFeb 2015
Intel Core i3-5157U2 / 42.5 GHz28 WJan 2015
Intel Core i5-4210U2 / 41.7 / 2.7 GHz15 WApr 2014
Intel Celeron 2961Y2 / 21.1 GHz11.5 WDec 2013
Intel Celeron 2955U2 / 21.4 GHz15 WSep 2013
Intel Celeron 2980U2 / 21.6 GHz15 WSep 2013
Intel Core i3-4005U2 / 41.7 GHz15 WSep 2013
Intel Core i3-4010U2 / 41.7 GHz15 WSep 2013
Intel Core i7-4600U2 / 42.1 / 3.3 GHz15 WSep 2013
Intel Pentium 3556U2 / 21.7 GHz15 WSep 2013
Intel Pentium 3560Y2 / 21.2 GHz11.5 WSep 2013
Intel Core i3-4010Y2 / 41.3 GHz11.5 WJun 2013
Intel Core i3-4100U2 / 41.8 GHz15 WJun 2013
Intel Core i3-4158U2 / 42.0 GHz28 WJun 2013
Intel Core i5-4200U2 / 41.6 / 2.6 GHz15 WJun 2013
Intel Core i5-4200Y2 / 41.4 / 1.9 GHz11.5 WJun 2013
Intel Core i5-4250U2 / 41.3 / 2.6 GHz15 WJun 2013
Intel Core i5-4258U2 / 42.4 / 2.9 GHz28 WJun 2013
Intel Core i5-4288U2 / 42.6 / 3.1 GHz28 WJun 2013
Intel Core i5-4350U2 / 41.4 / 2.9 GHz15 WJun 2013
Intel Core i7-4500U2 / 41.8 / 3.0 GHz15 WJun 2013
Intel Core i7-4550U2 / 41.5 / 3.0 GHz15 WJun 2013
Intel Core i7-4558U2 / 42.8 / 3.3 GHz28 WJun 2013
Intel Core i7-4650U2 / 41.7 / 3.3 GHz15 WJun 2013

Frequently asked questions

Can a BGA 1168 processor be replaced or upgraded?

No. The chip solders with 1,168 balls. A faster laptop means a new board or a new machine. Memory size on soldered boards also locks at purchase, so choose threads, graphics and RAM once.

What memory does BGA 1168 use?

DDR3L-1333 and 1600 plus LPDDR3-1333 and 1600 over two channels to 16 GB. Paired modules feed both cores and graphics, so dual channel fitting helps HD 5500, HD 6000 and Iris 6100 equally.

Does BGA 1168 support PCIe 3.0?

PCIe 2.0 with 12 lanes in splits of 4x1 and 2x4. Laptop boards wire lanes to Wi-Fi, SSDs and card readers. A SATA SSD matches most designs, since Gen2 lanes cap NVMe speeds.

What is the difference between BGA 1168 and BGA 1515?

BGA 1168 at 40 × 24 mm carries 15 W and 28 W Broadwell-U laptop parts with HD and Iris graphics from early 2015. BGA 1515 at 20 × 16.5 mm carries 4.5 W Core m tablets with HD 515 in smaller bodies.

Sources and verification

  1. Intel Core i5-5200U Processor specifications (Intel)
  2. Intel Core i7-5500U Processor specifications (Intel)
  3. Broadwell microarchitecture (Wikipedia)
  4. Intel Core i5-4210U specifications (Intel)
  5. Haswell microarchitecture (Wikipedia)

Facts last checked against these sources on . Page last edited on .