Haswell to be last series of interchangeable processors?
 

This is probably well over a year down the road, but there are rumors that Haswell's successor, Broadwell, will not be using LGA sockets: [url]http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Haswell-Broadwell-LGA-BGA-Atom,19314.html[/url]

If this is true, it probably wouldn't affect most PC buyers. However, it'll undoubtedly make things more difficult for enthusiasts. What does everyone think?

Yich.

Maybe an opening for AMD but without INTEL most mobo manufactures are gone outside OEM builds.

Sad days

[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylake_(microarchitecture)"]Skylake[/URL] [U]will be[/U] a socketed CPU. Reference [URL="http://semiaccurate.com/2012/11/26/intel-kills-off-the-desktop-pcs-go-with-it/"]here[/URL], 2nd paragraph from the end. That may be the end though...

That would be a really bad marketing decision. We work for industrial area, and still have strange customers sometime who wanna change the CPU by themselves, to "try the best". I imagine the "home market", i.e. people at home, if they are so crazy like I am, they will want to be able to pick their own processors, up to the budget. Manufacturers also won't like to have (imagine Asus mainboards, already hundreds of choices) each mainboard in many versions, with dedicated CPUs (that would be like 20 different choices for Asus Maximus V Extreme only, for example). It would be a freaking mess, unless they all will be very powerful and very cheap (read: all to have the same incredible computer power and the same cheap price, in which case the differentiation won't mater). Somehow I believe they will become more and more powerful, and cheaper and cheaper, this is the goal, isn't it?

OTOH, there is nothing wrong with BGA package, there are already "piggy-back" sockets for them (right now 10 times more expensive then the CPUs, they are dedicated to development, programming internal flashes, whatever). You have a limited number of insertions, like 5, 10, maximum, same as for FFC cables, which you can do before destroying the balls, but who cares? How many of you changed the CPU more then 5 times in your computer's life? So, let them produce BGA packages only, the market will find a way to produce cheap sockets for BGA package... :razz:

[QUOTE=LaurV;320315]So, let them produce BGA packages only, the market will find a way to produce cheap sockets for BGA package... :razz:[/QUOTE]That's something which occurred to me.

Back in the day I had a 25MHz 80386 machine which I upgraded twice, the first time by putting in the 387 FPU. The second time I purchased an EverGreen 486 processor which had been soldered onto a small circuit board, itself containing the pins suitable for plugging into the 386 socket.

The conclusion should be obvious.

Paul

From what I've heard, the "high-end" chips will still use LGA. If the rumors are indeed true, then I wouldn't be surprised if it's a ploy to get enthusiasts to switch to the more expensive "Extreme Edition" or Xeon chips.

[QUOTE=ixfd64;320332]From what I've heard, the "high-end" chips will still use LGA. If the rumors are indeed true, then I wouldn't be surprised if it's a ploy to get enthusiasts to switch to the more expensive "Extreme Edition" or Xeon chips.[/QUOTE]

Dammit AMD, get your act together!

Gah, indeed! I just hope this is only a rumor... but :(

Hopefully it will be something like i7 upwards that is LGA.

Don't throw stones at me, I'm kinda aok with this. Hear me out.

How often does one upgrade a socketed CPU?

I've owned several systems over the years, it's very rare I've upgraded the CPU and kept everything else as-is.

I don't think it spells doom to the mobo manufacturers. Might spell doom for heatsink inventories.

What we'll see is motherboard+cpu combos from the likes of gigabyte and asus etc... Motherboards will have CPU already on the board. What you probably won't be able to do is buy a lower end motherboard and higher end CPU and vice versa.

BGA packaging is physically smaller (as I understand). The only growth in desktops is smaller form factors (mini itx etc...) (and I say without sources)

What's stopping mobo manufactures from adding features is mobo real estate. BGA form factor gives them that opportunity.

I'd even expect servers to go BGA.

It reduces intel's costs. If laptop, desktop and server CPUs are BGA - this reduces the need for different manufacturing lines. Servers are also getting smaller - look at the 2 servers in 1RU options from the likes of tyan/super micro.



-- Craig

I agree if AMD does not get its $hit together we are all in for an Intel reaming.

Why keep it a secret?


Because you are about to screw all of your partners that make motherboards.

I am certain motherboard manufacturers are not happy about this as Intel is throwing them under the bus and going to drive back and forth over them over and over again and again until they are dead.

Mildly off-topic, but AMD is my favorite underdog of all time.

Tracking AMD's progress and comparing it to other companies is like a serial novel to me. I was thrilled when they acquired ATI.

They'll probably be around for a good long time. I've heard they're going to be part of the PS4, specifically the GPU part, not sure about the cpu part.

It's been a long and wild ride and it probably won't end for a good many years.

[url]http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Socketed-LGA-packaging-BGA-packaging-Kaveri-Chris-Cook,19570.html[/url]

AMD has chimed in on the Intel rumor by stating it will continue to offer socketed CPUs despite fears of a BGA-only market.

[QUOTE=firejuggler;320609][url]http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Socketed-LGA-packaging-BGA-packaging-Kaveri-Chris-Cook,19570.html[/url]

AMD has chimed in on the Intel rumor by stating it will continue to offer socketed CPUs despite fears of a BGA-only market.[/QUOTE]

Well yes, but unless they get their act together, their CPUs hardly count :razz:

[QUOTE]Tracking AMD's progress and comparing it to other companies is like a serial novel to me. I was thrilled when they acquired ATI.[/QUOTE]

I groaned when AMD bought ATI.

I submit that their troubles began then with over-extension. I had ATI graphics at the time. Driver support went pretty far down, and the applications associated with All In Wonder video capture became pretty much unusable.

It can be argued that Intel's overwhelming lead in technology now has something to do with AMD's weak status. But it also seems pretty clear that getting the company in over its head to the point of laying off the very engineers who might help them catch up is not a recipe for success.

My last few builds were AMD, starting with the Thunderbird Athlon. That chip line arguably performed better than the then-current Intel CPUs. Beyond a certain loyalty (which is probably misplaced,) I like having [B][I]some[/I][/B] major competitor to keep Intel pushing ahead with technology, and to hold down price points.

It would be bad for all of us if Intel became a virtual monopoly.

If amd was an effective competitor for intel currently we would have 6 if not 8 core ivy bridge cpus already rather than just 4.

[QUOTE=henryzz;320642]If amd was an effective competitor for intel currently we would have 6 if not 8 core ivy bridge cpus already rather than just 4.[/QUOTE]

Well, yeah. And they would be cheaper. But it still could be worse.

Intel has finally stepped forth to defend its position on socket-based CPUs.
[url]http://www.tomshardware.com/news/LGA-BGA-Socketed-SoC-DIY,19594.html[/url]