If you want to buy a new processor or are just building a new PC from the ground up, you will have to know what socket your motherboard has. So, how to find motherboard socket type?
If you just want to get a new CPU and want to make sure that it is compatible with your motherboard, finding the socket type is easy. If you know the model name of your motherboard, just check the manufacturer’s website or the manual and you will find the socket type there.
But what if you do not know your motherboard model name? How to find motherboard socket type in that case? Thankfully, there are a few other ways. So, let’s get started!
How to Find Motherboard Socket Type?
The easiest and quickest method to find out the motherboard socket type is to find your motherboard model name and manufacturer and then check their website. And if you do not know what model your motherboard is, do not worry!
You may be able to find the model name and the manufacturer by simply looking at the motherboard closely and checking if it has the model name written on it. Unfortunately, that may not be that easy or convenient for most people. But there is another solution.
To find out your motherboard make and model, do the following steps:
- Go to Start and type “System information“. Open it.
- Find either “Motherboard Manufacturer” or “Baseboard Manufacturer“.
- You can see the motherboard manufacturer name now and below it should be the motherboard model under “Motherboard/BaseBoard Model“.
This should work flawlessly with all newer motherboards. But what else can you do? Well, you can find out what CPU you have installed at the moment and then go from that. If you do not already know what processor powers your system, here is how to find it:
- Open Control Panel.
- Go to “System“. If you do not see it, change the “View by:” in the corner from “Category” to either “Large icons” or “Small icons“.
- Under “Processor”, you will see the model that you have.
- Now that you know your processor model, search it online and you will find the socket type under the specifications.
Your CPU socket type is the same as your motherboard socket type. So, if you are planning to upgrade your system, make sure that you get a CPU that fits your motherboard.
But did you know that there are many third-party programs out there that can easily tell you your socket type without you having to do any research?
That’s right! Simply download and install a program like CPU-Z and you will find the socket type as soon as you open the program, in addition to your CPU model name.
But what if you want to find out the motherboard socket type on a laptop? In that case, just look up your laptop model name and you will easily find it. Thankfully, most laptops have a label that says the model name, so it won’t be much of an issue. Moreover, you can follow any of the methods mentioned above to find out the socket type.
And if you are planning to buy a motherboard and do not know what the socket type is, just look at the specifications list. The manufactures usually write the socket type somewhere visible, but you can always double-check.
Whatever you are getting, you have to make sure that your CPU and motherboard socket are indeed compatible. Because if you get the wrong CPU for your motherboard or vice versa, you will not be able to use it. And if you try to force it in, you will just cause damage.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to find motherboard socket type, everything else is easy. Buying a new and more powerful CPU to replace your old one is not a problem. Just make sure that it will work with your current motherboard and that you do not have to get a new one.
You can use a third-party program like CPU-Z to check your socket type. You can also find out what CPU or motherboard you have and then do a quick search online to find out.
