A recent report suggested Intel would use a 2551-pin socket for desktop Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake, but a new rumour now says otherwise. Instead, this 2551-pin socket will reportedly be adopted by laptops, and desktop chips are to utilise a new LGA1851 socket.
The rumour comes from Benchlife, which also detailed the rumoured LGA1851 socket. Contrary to older reports, the new socket won't be bigger than the LGA1700/1800 sockets used by Alder Lake and Raptor Lake chips. It will have the same size (45×37.5mm), meaning users might be able to use an LGA1700/1800-compatible cooler on a Meteor Lake or Arrow Lake chip.
Image credit: Benchlife
Although they have the same size, the distance between the IHS and the motherboard will increase by 0.1mm over the Alder Lake/Raptor Lake chips, likely due to how they're packed (Foveros?). Moreover, the chip's hotspot might also be in a different location, as the new chips are shown to have a CPU die and SoC die. Assuming the hotspot location changes, cooler manufacturers might be forced to make some revisions.
Another interesting bit from this report regards motherboard compatibility. Despite having the same size as the LGA1700/1800 sockets, Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake chips won't be compatible with older motherboards.
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KitGuru says: We're still around a year away from Meteor Lake, so these are very early rumours. With that in mind, take current information with a pinch of salt.