Even if the socket is changing the upcoming platform for Comet Lake-S CPUs should be compatible with the vast majority of coolers that already support existing Intel sockets.
Even if the socket is changing the upcoming platform for Comet Lake-S CPUs should be compatible with the vast majority of coolers that already support existing Intel sockets.
Intel‘s Comet Lake-S series CPUs and 400-series motherboards should be arriving in the not too distant future if leaks from 2019 are anything to go by. As is often the case with significant changes to the socket design – which is anticipated with the launch of this new desktop platform – one of the first questions enthusiasts will ask is whether existing investments in premium cooling will suddenly go obsolete. Thankfully it appears that we now have our answer, courtesy of cooling specialists Noctua.
An FAQ posted on Noctua.at details which of their current CPU cooler lineup supports LGA1200, and the list is comprehensive. Twenty models, including the popular NH-D15, NH-D14 and NH-U12S, are identified as fully compatible without modifications, whereas eighteen are compatible through the use of a mounting solution upgrade kit. Only eight are confirmed to be incompatible with LGA1200, notably the socket-TR4 supporting models.
Noctua’s NH-D15S
Of the eighteen which are compatible via an upgrade, eleven qualify for an upgrade kit free of charge. The remainder do not qualify for a free upgrade but it can be purchased separately.
The following models include a mounting-kit for socket LGA1200/LGA115x and are thus compatible out of the box:
NH-C12P SE14
NH-C14
NH-C14S
NH-D15
NH-D15 chromax.black
NH-D15S
NH-D14
NH-L12
NH-L12S
NH-L9i
NH-L9i chromax-black
NH-L9x65
NH-U14S
NH-U12A
NH-U12S
NH-U12S chromax.black
NH-U12P SE2
NH-U9S
NH-D9L
NH-U9B SE2
In addition, all older models which have been upgraded with the NM-I3 kit can also be used on LGA115x without any further upgrades.
The following models can be made compatible with the LGA1200 socket free of charge using the NM-i115x upgrade-kit:
NH-C12P
NH-D15 SE-AM4
NH-L9x65 SE-AM4
NH-U12
NH-U12F
NH-U12P
NH-U12P SE1366
NH-U12S SE-AM4
NH-U9
NH-U9F
NH-U9B.
The following models can be made compatible with the LGA1200 socket using the NM-i115x upgrade-kit but are not eligible for Noctua‘s free mounting offer, so users have to purchase the kit at local resellers:
NH-U12DO (Note that the A3 version is not compatible!)
NH-U12DX
NH-U12DX 1366
NH-U12DX i4
NH-U9DX i4
NH-U9DX 1366
NH-U9DO (Note that the A3 version is not compatible!)
The following models are not compatible with the LGA1200 socket and can not be upgraded:
NH-U14S TR4-SP3
NH-U12S TR4-SP3
NH-U9 TR4-SP3
NH-U12DO A3
NH-U9 DO A3
NH-L9a
NH-L9a-AM4
NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.black
NH-C12P SE14
NH-C14
NH-C14S
NH-D15
NH-D15 chromax.black
NH-D15S
NH-D14
NH-L12
NH-L12S
NH-L9i
NH-L9i chromax-black
NH-L9x65
NH-U14S
NH-U12A
NH-U12S
NH-U12S chromax.black
NH-U12P SE2
NH-U9S
NH-D9L
NH-U9B SE2
In addition, all older models which have been upgraded with the NM-I3 kit can also be used on LGA115x without any further upgrades.
The following models can be made compatible with the LGA1200 socket free of charge using the NM-i115x upgrade-kit:
NH-C12P
NH-D15 SE-AM4
NH-L9x65 SE-AM4
NH-U12
NH-U12F
NH-U12P
NH-U12P SE1366
NH-U12S SE-AM4
NH-U9
NH-U9F
NH-U9B.
The following models can be made compatible with the LGA1200 socket using the NM-i115x upgrade-kit but are not eligible for Noctua‘s free mounting offer, so users have to purchase the kit at local resellers:
NH-U12DO (Note that the A3 version is not compatible!)
NH-U12DX
NH-U12DX 1366
NH-U12DX i4
NH-U9DX i4
NH-U9DX 1366
NH-U9DO (Note that the A3 version is not compatible!)
The following models are not compatible with the LGA1200 socket and can not be upgraded:
NH-U14S TR4-SP3
NH-U12S TR4-SP3
NH-U9 TR4-SP3
NH-U12DO A3
NH-U9 DO A3
NH-L9a
NH-L9a-AM4
NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.black
Consideration will still need to be made towards the expected TDP of the CPUs as and when they are released. It’s believed that Intel’s flagship model will be a 10-core/20-thread behemoth likely to pump out significantly more heat than its 8-core, 9th Generation counterpart, which thinner and lower profile coolers may be overwhelmed by. By the same token it seems likely that the best-in-class NH-D15 and its ilk will be well up to the task.
While CPU coolers may be forwards-compatible with the new socket, LGA115x CPUs will not. Even if the Comet Lake-S architecture is nearly unchanged from Coffee Lake (something which Intel has yet to convey) the socket redesign will make older CPUs mechanically incompatible.
SOURCE: Noctua.at
