Many novice computer users do not even have a clue about what a socket is. And this information is very useful, since for a long time communicating with a PC, almost anything can come in handy. Computer "gurus" recommend that you familiarize yourself with the characteristics and main features of your PC. This is definitely useful. So how do you know the processor socket? We will talk about this a little lower.
What is a socket?
Strictly speaking, a socket is a type of "landing" socket for a processor. It depends on the type of socket which processor can be installed on this motherboard. Speaking impartially, the socket is the most important characteristic of the motherboard, because the type of other devices that will be installed in the PC depends on which central processor will be installed. Therefore, you need to understand how to find out the processor socket on the computer.
The most common types of sockets are supported by almost all Intel or AMD processors. You just need to know which socket is suitable for which type of processor. But there is a lot of this information on various resources, so there should not be any problems with this. Now let's figure out how to find out which socket the processor has. There are several ways to do this. Consider first the most popular.
We study the documentation
For such serious components as a processor or video card, accompanying documentation is required. And it shows all the technical characteristics of the device. Moreover, it is not necessary to study the documentation of the processor. It will be enough to look at the documents of the motherboard. There will be written the type of socket that is used in this motherboard. Accordingly, the processor socket will be exactly the same. This is one of the answers to the question of how to find out the processor socket on a laptop or PC.
Sometimes it happens that all the pieces of paper that come with the processor or motherboard are in a foreign language. But here you can get out. You need to look for something like the 1150 LGA, Socket A, or socket 939 in a sea of unfamiliar text. This will be the information you need. However, this method is good if all the documentation is preserved. If not, then you can go to the device manufacturer’s website and search by the model name of the device.
Using Windows Tools
Even a standard operating system can provide comprehensive information about all the components installed in the computer. This is another answer to the question of how to find out the socket of an Intel or AMD processor. To do this, just go to the "Control Panel" and select "System Information". Among other unnecessary information, the processor model and its socket will be indicated there. This method is suitable for everyone who uses the Windows operating system family.
However, such a tool is far from a panacea. Sometimes it is not possible to find out the necessary information due to the lack of the necessary drivers. Before performing this procedure, it is required to install or update all chipset and processor drivers. But there is another way to find out the processor socket. You can use third-party information programs, of which there are a great many. Consider the most popular.
AIDA 64
This "monster" is able to give out information not only about the "hardware" of the computer, but also about the installed operating system and the programs in it. This utility is not free, and you need to pay for the full version. But even the demo version can do a lot. So, how do you know the processor socket using "Aida"? This is pretty simple. You need to select "Processors" in the left window and expand the expanded list. There will be all the necessary information about the central processor of the device, up to its current temperature.
This program also knows how to compile reports, which then will not be difficult to read. And they also display all the possible information about the computer and its components. But AIDA is paid. And this has to be reckoned with. However, there are alternatives to this software product. And we will analyze them a little lower. They are not inferior to this product in functionality and are more economical in consuming system resources.
CPU-Z
This is a free utility that can also answer the question of how to find out the processor socket. Unlike "Aida", this software product tells information only about the processor. No other computer components are mentioned. To get the necessary information, you just need to run the program. In a separate window, both the brand of the processor and the type of socket are immediately displayed. There are no graphic frills in this utility. Everything is designed in strict Spartan style. And this is good, because the information program should display the desired text, and not distract the user with bright colors.
CPU-Z is, of course, good. But if you need detailed information about other components of a PC or laptop, then this program is powerless here. Nevertheless, it is perfectly suitable for our task. This utility almost does not consume system resources and works very quickly. And in some cases, this is a very good advantage.
Conclusion
How to find out the processor socket? There are many ways to solve this problem. They are all good of their kind. The easiest is to consult the documentation or browse the Internet on this topic. But there are alternative ways that are no worse. All of them are able to provide comprehensive information on this issue.
And which way to choose - completely and completely depends on a particular user. Knowing the processor socket will help well if the user has decided to update the configuration of his computer. It will be clear which processor to buy. Therefore, this information will definitely not be superfluous.