Jan 17, 2011 07:40 GMT  ·  By

While all the similarities between the Intel LGA 1156 and LGA 1155 CPU sockets basically enable the easy transfer of useful features from a generation to the next, it seems that some of the so-called failings of the former have been transferred as well.

Like all things that go around the world, the LGA 1156 socket was not completely free of faults.

One of the arguably more jarring ones, at least as far as overclockers are concerned, was a certain design defect that led to pin burnout.

To be more specific, certain high-end platforms from a certain motherboard supplier went through an unfortunate experience when in so-called extreme overclocking setups.

Reviewers actually found that, when pushed, similar shorting between the socket pins of the LGA 1155 occurred, leading to the creation of minuscule electrical arcs that concluded with damage to both the CPU and the board itself.

Considering that the two LGA versions have the same chip package, retention clips and pin layout (their pin-maps are different), that such a so-called vulnerability would transfer over is not altogether unfeasible.

Apparently, this issue was transferred over to the next-generation LGA 1155, at least on two Gigabyte motherboards, those called GA-P67A-UD4 and GA-P67A-UD7.

The folks over at Techreaction.net claim to have discovered this in its review of said two products.

Granted, it is conceded that only extreme overclocking led to pin burnouts of this sort, but that only goes for temporary tweaks.

The same reviewers believe that stable overclocking meant to be constantly in effect could also lead to similar cases of pin burnout over time.

It is not yet clear just how likely it is for increased voltages to end with such damaged hardware, meaning that some more tests need still to be made in order to ensure if enthusiasts should be worried.

Techreaction.net did place an inquiry with Gigabyte about this phenomenon, but it has not yet received a reply.

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Pin burnout plagues LGA 1155
Pin burnout plagues LGA 1155
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