Land grid array
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The land grid array (LGA) is a physical interface for microprocessors of the Intel Pentium 4 and AMD Opteron families. Unlike the pin grid array (PGA) interface found on most AMD and Intel processors, there are no pins on the chip; in place of the pins are pads of bare gold-plated copper that touch pins on the motherboard.
LGA processor sockets include Socket F (also called Socket 1207) from AMD ([1]) and the Prescott core Pentium 4 and Xeon chip systems with the new model number system from Intel.
The Intel desktop LGA socket is dubbed Socket 775 or Socket T while the server variant is dubbed Socket J or Socket 771. Intel supposedly decided to switch to an LGA socket because it provides a larger contact point, allowing, for example, higher clock frequencies. The LGA setup provides higher pin densities, allowing more power contacts and thus a more stable power supply to the chip. Motherboard vendors have complained that LGA packaging was introduced solely to move the burden of bent pin problems from Intel to the electronics vendors.
Similar to Intel, AMD decided to use an LGA socket because it allows higher pin densities. The required size of a 1207-pin PGA would simply be too large and would consume too much space on motherboards.
LGA is less expensive to produce than both PGA and the similar ball grid array (BGA) interfaces[dubious — see talk page].
Intel released its new LGA format processors in June, 2004 and recently displayed plans to transition its Xeon processors to LGAs. AMD released its Socket F LGA Opteron in 2nd quarter 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
- Dual in-line package (DIP)
- Pin grid array (PGA)
- Ball grid array (BGA)
![[1]](http://tweakers.net/ext/i.dsp/1131438107.jpg){kind=link}