LGA 1155/Socket H2 Computer Motherboards

LGA 115 Motherboards: What Every Computer Hobbyist Needs to Know

The LGA 1155 motherboard, also known as the Socket H2, is a computer motherboard whose centerpiece is the CPU socket of the same name. Below, this guide will help you understand some of the specific micro-architectural features and capabilities of this motherboard. Armed with this knowledge, you'll be better equipped to pick out just the right affordable motherboard for sale on eBay to suit your needs.

As its name implies, the LGA 1155 has 1155 protruding pins in its CPU socket. The pins are arranged in a standard 40 × 40 array, with a 24 × 16 missing central section and an additional 61 omitted pins around the corners and perimeter, for a grand total of 1155. The CPU socket measures 37.5 millimeters × 37.5 millimeters and is based around Intel's second- and third-generation "Sandy Bridge" and "Ivy Bridge" chip architectures. LGA stands for Land Grid Array, a reference to the arrangement of the protruding pins of the CPU socket on the motherboard.

The LGA 1155 was the last Intel motherboard to fully support Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, being at last replaced by the LGA 1150 socket in 2013.

The LGA 1155's immediate predecessor was the LGA 1156, and it was succeeded by the LGA 1150, which was itself later succeeded by the LGA 1151. All of these motherboards have CPU sockets with the exact number of pins referred to in their respective names.

The LGA 1155 motherboard has four holes to which you can fasten a heatsink that are arranged in a 75 millimeter x 75 millimeter square, making its cooling architecture identical to those of the LGA 1156, LGA 1155, LGA 1150, and LGA 1151 motherboards.

Being as widely used as it is, a number of important computer hardware manufacturers produce the LGA 1155 motherboard. Here are a few of the important manufacturers whose products you'll be able to find for sale on eBay:

• Intel - It should come as no surprise that Intel is a major manufacturer here, given that the LGA 1155 was a socket designed for Intel CPUs. Since it’s at the cutting-edge of its own chip and motherboard designs, Intel mainly produced Ivy Bridge motherboards now that support both the Sandy Bridge and the Ivy Bridge CPU generations, especially the H77.
• Asus - This Taiwanese manufacturer mainly produces P67 LGA 1155 motherboards from the Sandy Bridge family and Z77 motherboards from the Ivy Bridge family.
• Foxconn - You'll most frequently find H67 Sandy Bridge LGA 1155 motherboards made by Foxconn.
• MSI - MSI most frequently produces Z77 Ivy Bridge LGA 1155 motherboards.