Concerned About CPU Warp On Intel's LGA 1851 Arrow Lake Socket? Noctua Sounds Off

With the impending launch of Intel's Arrow Lake CPUs seemingly around the corner, we are seeing many companies confirm product compatibility with the LGA1851 socket. As such, Noctua has confirmed which coolers in their line-up will be compatible and has also given instructions on how some users can get free upgrade mounting kits if their cooler didn't come with the LGA1700/LGA1851 mounting hardware at the time of purchase. It's worth noting that many Noctua coolers with an LGA1700 mounting kit will not need an upgrade to work on the LGA1851 socket as they are already compatible.

Alongside this fantastic news, Noctua is also confirming that "warping"  should be less of an issue on the LGA1851 socket, especially on higher-end motherboards. Noctua has stated, "Most higher-end LGA1851 motherboards use the new RL-ILM that significantly reduces CPU warp compared to LGA1700 and even on motherboards that use the so-called default ILM with higher ILM pressure, we have generally measured slightly less deformation than with LGA1700 CPUs". 

The hopeful reduction of warped Arrow Lake CPUs is partly thanks to Intel updating its requirement for the minimum heatsink mounting pressure, which aims to ensure a better contact between the CPU pads and socket pins using the new RL-ILM. Noctua has also stated that all of their coolers meet the new minimum pressure requirement and are therefore will be fine to use on the new RL-ILM equipped motherboards. 

Noctua even goes on to recommend that its own NH-D15 G2 CPU Cooler is going to be the best option for the LGA1851-based CPUs. The original Noctua NH-D15 cooler was always one of the best-performing air CPU coolers on the market. With rumors of an Intel Core Ultra 9 295K flagship CPU on the horizon, it's nice to see the 2nd generation of the NH-D15 should be up to the task of keeping it cool.

All of Noctua's multi-socket coolers that have come out since May 2022 have included an LGA1700 mounting kit. If you purchased your cooler before this time, you can purchase an LGA1700/LGA1851 mounting kit for a small fee. Or, if you can provide proof of purchase for both the cooler and a compatible motherboard, Noctua will send you the upgraded mounting kit for free. 

It is a shame that it looks like not all LGA1851 motherboards, and only most higher-end motherboards, will come with the new RL-ILM to reduce the warping. Does this mean we will see an issue with warping on mid/lower-end motherboards? Unfortunately, at this point, we can only wait and see but one thing is for sure, we will keep you up to date as much as we can, as soon as we get through our Arrow Lake testing.