CPU and motherboard – sockets, chipsets and what fits together

The socket is the first filter, not the last

The socket is the place on the motherboard where the processor goes. Each platform generation has its own socket with a different number of contacts, different dimensions and different wiring. You cannot physically fit a processor into the wrong socket, and if you try to force it, you will damage it.

On desktops today you will mainly come across four sockets:

Socket	Maker	Processors (per the maker)	Memory	Chipsets
AM4	AMD	Ryzen 1000 to 5000 (support depends on chipset and BIOS)	DDR4	A320, B350, X370, B450, X470, A520, B550, X570 and others
AM5	AMD	Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000	DDR5 only	A620, B650(E), X670(E), B840, B850, X870, X870E
LGA1700	Intel	12th, 13th and 14th generation Core	DDR5 or DDR4 – depending on the board	Intel 600 and 700 series (e.g. H610, B660, Z690, B760, Z790)
LGA1851	Intel	Core Ultra 200S (Series 2)	DDR5 only	Intel 800 series (H810, B860, Z890 and others)

On its AM5 platform page, AMD states that with 600- and 800-series chipsets, all AM5 boards are compatible with all AM5 processors. At the same time it warns that 600-series boards may need a BIOS update for Ryzen 8000 and 9000. That is exactly the situation that causes the most trouble in practice: a board from the first wave of sales, still on its original firmware, will not start with the new processor.

Why the same socket is not enough

AM4 shows this best. In its compatibility table, AMD states that, for example, the B550 chipset does not support Ryzen 1000 and 2000 processors, while the older X370 and B350 boards support Ryzen 5000 only after selected BIOS updates. Same socket, different outcome.

So the rule is simple: the board maker has the final say. Every board’s page has a CPU support list, with the minimum BIOS version for each processor. If your processor is not on it, do not count on it working.

The socket also decides the memory

Memory type is a property of the board, not just the processor. For the Core i9-14900K (LGA1700), Intel lists support for both DDR5 and DDR4, but any given board only has slots for one of these types. DDR4 and DDR5 modules have the notch in a different place, so they cannot be swapped.

AM5 and LGA1851 are simpler: both platforms use DDR5 only. According to Intel, the Core Ultra 9 285K supports “Up to DDR5 6400 MT/s”; according to AMD, the Ryzen 9 9950X takes DDR5 memory.

What the chipset does

The processor has its own PCIe lanes (for the graphics card and one NVMe drive) and a few USB ports. The chipset adds more: extra M.2 slots, SATA ports, USB. A more expensive chipset usually means more connectivity and overclocking support; a cheaper one, less.

An example from AMD’s table for AM5:

Chipset	Graphics (from the CPU)	CPU overclocking	DDR5 overclocking (EXPO)	USB4
X870E	PCIe 5.0	yes	yes	standard
X870	PCIe 5.0	yes	yes	standard
B850	PCIe 4.0	yes	yes	optional
B840	PCIe 4.0	no	yes	optional
A620	PCIe 4.0	no	yes	optional

Intel’s LGA1851 follows a similar split: Z890 allows CPU overclocking, B860 memory overclocking only, and H810 neither (according to an overview based on Intel ARK data).

How to go about choosing

1. Choose a processor based on what you do with the computer.
2. Look up its socket on the maker’s website.
3. Choose a chipset based on how many drives and USB ports you need, and which features.
4. For the specific board, check the CPU support list and the memory type.

If you are putting a build together, run it through our compatibility check. It checks the socket, memory type, board and case form factor, graphics card length and power supply connectors – and explains why at every step.

New sockets and processor generations arrive roughly once every few years. The tables on this page only cover platforms that AMD and Intel officially list as of the date of the last check.