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Many potential buyers don’t understand the fact that Intel uses a new socket for the new Comet Lake processors. A technical assessment of how this was necessary is currently difficult. Roman Hartung aka der8auer was able to make at least some direct external comparisons between a Coffee Lake S processor and a Comet Lake S processor.
At first glance, the back shows no such big differences. The older FCLGA-1151 v2 socket, as a full name, offers 49 fewer pins than the new FCLGA-1200. Most notable now are the displaced noses in the pack that have slipped from above and below. So you should have trouble pretty quickly if you want to insert LGA1200 processor into LGA1151 socket. The reverse also applies, of course, and should already prevent bigger accidents.
However, the external dimensions of the package are identical and the contact pads and their space do not differ. Therefore, Intel had to find space and made the center area with the numerous SMD resistors a bit narrower and shorter to accommodate an additional row of contact pads to the left and below the center. This corresponds to an additional 49 pins.
The additional 49 pins are not yet to be fully utilized in Coffee Lake S processors. Probably a lot due to PCI Express lanes and here with Comet Lake-S, just like Coffee Lake-S Refresh, only 16 lanes come directly from the processor. However, with Rocket Lake-S, the number would need to increase to 20 in order to connect an M.2 SSD and a PCI Express slot directly through the processor.
These four additional PCI Express lanes require additional Intel 16+ pins. For the current 16 lanes, 66 pins are already required for data transfer from PCI Express lanes. There are also ground pins, so you can expect four lanes of around 24 to 30 pins.
The remaining 20 pins would be available to improve current and voltage supply. For the FCLGA-1151 v2, Intel has already reduced the number of reserved pins from 46 to 25, increased the number of ground pins from 377 to 391 pins, and supplied the processor with 146 pins instead of 128 VDC. This trend is likely to continue for the LGA1200. The Core i9-10900K offers a short-life power limit (PL2) of 250 W, which is significantly more than the Coffee Lake S processors.
Whether or not the switch to the LGA1200 is necessary remains a controversial issue. Higher power consumption plays a role here, the future range of PCI Express lanes is another. However, it is still not certain whether the new LGA1200 motherboards with the Z490 chipset will also support the new Rocket Lake S processors.
We are currently working on the technical documentation for the new Comet Lake S processors. There should also be corresponding indications of a possibly improved current and voltage supply.
