Intel: Socket 771 on the horizon

Intel's new server socket for servers is already stumbling in front of the door.

Intel Xeon server processors will soon get a new bed instead of the current 603/604 socket. The new Socket 771 can't deny that it was inspired by the LGA (Land Grid Array) -775, which supports desktop processors: from now on, the processor won't have the same legs as its desktop counterpart, we can talk about special contacts here.

The manufacturing cost of the LGA socket is notoriously higher than that of its counterparts with traditional legs, but it is a double-edged sword as the manufacturing cost of processors with the new enclosure will be reduced by the same proportion.

A related piece of news about the competition house: AMD is also planning to encapsulate Opteron processors in an LGA system, and it is likely that the Socket 1207 will support them.