Intel’s transition to LGA1700 will not only mark Intel’s changeover to a new socket for mainstream PCs (something the company does rather often), but also to all-new dimensions of its CPU socket, something that has not happened for over 15 years. The new dimensions will entail new mounting mechanisms, which essentially means new coolers, or at least coolers with new mounts. Noctua has already announced that it would offer new mounts for its cooling systems. 

LGA1700 will be the first major upgrade of Intel’s sockets for mainstream desktop CPUs since 2004. Back then, the company introduced its socket LGA775 that measured 37.5×37.5 mm, and while Intel’s sockets changed over the years, their dimensions and mounting mechanisms did not. Intel’s LGA1700 will retain the 37.5mm width, but will increase its length to 45mm. Furthermore, it will decrease its Z-height from 7.5 mm to 6.5 mm, according to a recent story from Igor’s Lab. The new dimensions will entail a new CPU mounting mechanism with a new cooler hole pattern. To that end, LGA15xx coolers will not work with Intel’s upcoming Alder Lake CPUs. 

Noctua (and almost certainly other leading cooler makers) are working on mounting kits that will enable existing CPU coolers to work with Intel’s upcoming Alder Lake LGA1700 processors. That said, new processors will likely deliver their best performance potential when used with coolers designed specifically for them, which includes dimensions.  

One of the interesting parts of the report is that Intel (and probably an unnamed partner) is working on a cooler featuring a Peltier element. Perhaps this will be an update to the existing Cooler Master ML360 Sub-Zero, which we tested a few months ago. 

Since Intel’s upcoming Alder Lake processors for desktops will be made using the company’s 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin process technology, with high-performance power-hungry CPUs in mind, it is not surprising that Intel is indeed working on an extreme CPU cooler for the chip.  

But of course, none of this information comes directly from Intel. So take the details with a grain or two of salt and silicon.